Kampachi Poke with Butternut Squash Variations

How to make Kampachi Poke

Here is a recipe I decided to make for a lunch meeting with the owners of the huge produce corporation sunset . I really didn’t know who all was coming but I was a little shocked when 10 individuals showed up and they were all young and pretty. The downfall, from a cooking standpoint, was that there was more women than men. I say that because this was the first course and it is raw fish. I know from several women close to me including my wife that they don’t really like raw fish. The upside was that in this case the majority of everyone loved this dish. The thought process was trying to use the butternut squash and the kampachi together to make a delicious dish. Here is the recipe I hope you enjoy it!

Recipe Ingredients

Kampachi Tartar or Poke

8 oz of small diced Kampachi

3 tbsp of chopped green onion

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

2 tbsp of sesame seeds

1/4 tsp of sansho pepper

1/2 tsp of salt

1 tbsp of sesame oil

1 tsp of sriracha

1 tbsp of soy sauce

1 half of avocado small diced

2 tbsp of nori komi furikake

2 Whole Large Butternut Squash (used for all the variations below)

Pickled Butternut squash

30 slices from 2 inch rounds of butternut squash

1/4 cup rice wine

4 tbsp of white soy sauce

salt to taste

Butternut squash puree

3 cups of butternut

3-4 tbsp of miso

2 tbsp of butter

salt to taste

Butternut squash sauce

1 kampachi carcasses

1 lime

3 tbsp of soy sauce

1 ginger finger

1 onion

1 carrots

4 cups butternut squash

6 cloves of garlic

2 bay leaves

10 cups of water

4 tbsp pumpkin oil

Edible flowers

Recipe Instructions

How to Pickle Butternut Squash,

Peel a whole butternut squash. Cut way the bottom round with seeds. Make 2 round 1 inch slices of butternut squash. Use the rest of the butternut for other parts of this recipe. Take a small round cookie cutter and cut perfect circular disks out of the 2 round larger slices. Take the cookie cutter rounds and slice thin on a mandolin. Place the slices in a bowl. In small pot add vinegar and soy. Bring to a boil and then pour over the slices in the bowl they are resting in. Season with salt and allow to cool to room temperature.

How to make Butternut squash Puree,

Two ways of making this puree. First, is take 3 cups of butternut squash and place in a pot of boiling salted water. Cook for 7-10 minutes until completely tender. Strain off all the water completely. Then place in a vitamix with miso, butter, and salt. The second way is to take and cut a whole butternut in half lengthwise. Discard the seeds, and roast in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes. Take out and let it cool briefly. Then scoop out the pulp and puree with the rest of the ingredients.

I placed mine in a squirt bottle for plating purposes.

How to make Squash Sauce,

Take the whole fish carcasses and rinse well under cold water to rid of any blood ( blood will turn your stock cloudy).   Then place in a pot with the rest of the ingredients except for the squash and bring to a boil.  Turn down to a simmer and reduce by at least half.  Add the squash and cook for another 30 minutes until the squash is completely soft.  Being careful not to get any of the fish bones, Scoop out the broth with the butternut squash and place in a vitamix. You should have enough for 4 cups of sauce or more. Puree until smooth. This should have an squash/soy/fish flavor. Season with lime juice and salt. Set aside and keep warm.

How to make Kampachi Tartar (Poke)

In a small mixing bowl add all the ingredients of the tartar, mix well, season, and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.

To Finish,

Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop 3 balls of tartar on each plate. Take a slice of pickled butternut on top of each ball of kampachi. Take the butternut-miso puree and make 3 dots next to the kampachi. Place edible flowers on top. Ladle the squash sauce in the middle and drizzle pumpkin oil around. Serve and enjoy!