Spam Musubi and Tuna Poke
E grew up on Virginia ham and S grew up on Chicago dogs, so we know how important (and distinct) regional dishes can be. As the newest state in the union and the only one that’s an island, Hawaii has a very distinct food culture that we wanted to explore. Hawaii is probably best known for Spam and their fresh seafood, so we tried our hand at Spam Musubi and Tuna Poke.
The Dish(es)
The tuna poke recipe was pulled from Bon Appetit. We went to the local Japanese market for sushi-grade Tuna for the Tuna Poke – you don’t want to mess around with the quality of fish when you’re eating it raw! We had mirin on hand thanks to our Japanese dish, but you can find that at most grocery stores.
For the Spam Musubi, we opted for Spam LITE, which has less sodium, fat, and calories… but still has plenty of all three.
The Verdict
If you’ve never had Spam, chances are you’re a little turned off by the fact that it comes in a can – however, once you fry it up, you’ll ignore the part of your brain asking how long it’s been in the can for. Spam itself is full of flavor, so it works well as an omusubi (which is basically a Japanese riceball). It’s no wonder that this is a popular snack on the go in Hawaii as it’s really easy to make and quite filling.
The star of the Tuna Poke was the sauce, which along with the jalepeño pepper gives the dish a really satisfying kick. Whenever tuna and avocado come together for a meal it’s a winner, and this was no exception!
Pineapple Sushi 