Flavor of the Month: Poke

Indiana may be landlocked, but local restaurant menus are showing a fresh sign of island life. Poke (pronounced po-KAY), a dish consisting of diced and seasoned raw yellowfin tuna, has been a pillar of Hawaiian culinary culture for decades and is in the midst of a mad romance with chefs all over the country.

Though the cubes of fish traditionally rest on a basic bed of white rice, Yard House stacks ahi poke with wontons, avocado, wasabi, and soy sauce, while The Oceanaire Seafood Room offers a similar version with spicy hits from dots of wasabi emulsion and squiggles of Sriracha crema. Nada adds bright bits of tuna to its poke-style guacamole, while Salt on Mass stuffs supple cubes of tuna and wahoo poke inside its Kona Tacos.

And this is only the beginning for these morsels hailed by everyone from Bon Appétit to The New York Times as the next big trend in fast-casual dining, as dedicated poke restaurants descend upon Los Angeles and New York. Fish around for your favorite poke dish at any number of Indy spots.