Cravings can get out of hand. I don’t smoke, so a hit of nicotine isn’t the the stuff of fantasy for me. Food is, and in a surprising number of cases, that food is raw fish. This might sound a bit odd for a Montana boy raised on meat (well-done) and potatoes (mostly mashed). Yet within weeks of my first taste of sushi at a Belltown sushi bar in Seattle, I wanted more… and wanted it in a bad way.
This past Friday it wasn’t technically a sushi craving, but an overwhelming need for a close Hawaiian relative: poké. Poké (pronounced po-KHAY) is made up of bite-sized pieces of raw fish served with a variety of simple seasonings or a light sauce. Okané up on the South Hill in Spokane has decent version, but the one that I couldn’t get out of my mind Friday was Ian Wingate’s rendition at Moxie. It is sweeter than some and unusual in that Wingate adds with Macadamia nuts. It is worth trying even if you are extremely suspicious of raw fish.
Served with a scallion oil, a balsamic reduction, wasabi mayo, and pickled ginger on the side, Moxie’s poké is addictive. I phoned a friend just before I caved in, and asked if he could join me. He groaned: “I’m in Moses Lake all day. Can you wait?” I couldn’t.
But I’ll be ready for another hit as soon as he is back in town.
