Poke Latkes

Name: Poke Latkes
Prep time: 25 s
Cook time: 20 s
Total time: 55 s
Yield: 1
Cuisine: International
Ingredients: FOR THE POKE; Fresh fish (such as salmon tuna or Hawaiian kanpachi); Chili Peppah Water (or other mild hot sauce); Mayonnaise; Toasted sesame seeds; Scallions (both white and green parts); Sea salt; FOR THE LATKES; Russet potatoes; Medium yellow onion; Vinegar (apple malt or white wine); Kosher salt; All purpose flour; Neutral oil (such as canola vegetable or avocado); Katsuobushi (or furikake)

20 Mar 2025

Kiki Aranita

Journalist

Difficulty

Intermediate

Total Time

55MIN

Cuisine

International

Ingredients

FOR THE POKE

Fresh fish (such as salmon, tuna, or Hawaiian kanpachi): 1 lb

Chili Peppah Water (or other mild hot sauce): to taste

Mayonnaise: 2 tbsp

Toasted sesame seeds: 2 tsp

Scallions (both white and green parts): 1 bunch (thinly chopped)

Sea salt: to taste

FOR THE LATKES

Russet potatoes: 3 (washed but unpeeled)

Medium yellow onion: 1

Vinegar (apple, malt, or white wine): 1 tbsp

Kosher salt: 1/4 tsp (plus more to finish)

All purpose flour: 2 tbsp (plus more if needed)

Neutral oil (such as canola, vegetable, or avocado): for frying

Katsuobushi (or furikake): for garnish

A luxurious spin on the classic latke, this dish pairs crispy, golden potato pancakes with fresh, flavorful poke, bringing together hot, cold, crunchy, and creamy textures in one perfect bite. My husband and I served the following dish at a collaboration dinner last winter we called Hanukkalikimaka (a combination of Hanukkah and Kalikimaka, the Hawaiian word for Christmas, since I am from Hawai’i).

How to make Poke Latkes

01.

Prepare the Poke

Ensure the fish is skinned, deboned, and filleted (your fishmonger can prepare it this far).
Cube the fish into bite-sized pieces and place in a mixing bowl.
Add the mayo, sesame seeds, and scallions.
Mix in 1 tbsp of Chili Peppah Water (or mild hot sauce). Taste and adjust, adding more if needed for acid, heat, and ginger flavor.
Season with sea salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the latkes.

02.

Prepare the Latkes

Finely grate the potatoes and onion using a box grater or food processor.
Mix with salt and strain the mixture, squeezing out as much liquid as possible.
Stir in the vinegar, then mix in the flour.
Form into 4–6 patties (or shape into logs for a more refined presentation), squeezing out any excess liquid.
Heat neutral oil in a pan to 350°F.
Carefully place the latkes into the hot oil using a slotted spoon. Fry until golden brown on all sides.
Remove from oil and place on a wire rack. Immediately sprinkle with salt.
Serve immediately or reheat in a single layer at 325°F for 10 minutes.

03.

Assemble the Dish

Scoop cold poke onto the hot latke for a contrast in temperature and texture.
Sprinkle with katsuobushi or furikake, using a light touch.
Serve immediately and enjoy.

The Chef

Founder of restaurant Musi, Miller created a higher standard in the Philadelphia food world for using local, hyper-seasonal produce, cheeses and meats. There are few restaurants that take the avoidance and innovative reinvention of would-be food waste to the level that Chef Ari Miller does, who also in this short time, has been named Best Chef by Philadelphia Magazine.

Miller’s menus exhibited a constant and utterly delicious repurposing of rinds, tops, tips and often tossed-away bits — with a side of exquisite pastas. He draws upon flavors honed after a decade spent in Tel Aviv, but with restraint. As Hillary Dixler Canavan put it, while naming Musi one of Eater’s 16 Best New Restaurants of 2019: “Musi prioritizes the things that diners ought to demand — a menu informed by local product and a kitchen connected to the region’s best purveyors — but the restaurant doesn’t beat you over the head with it.”

Miller was most recently the Executive Chef of The Rosewood Washington, D.C. and is currently working on opening a new Philly-based project.

20 Mar 2025

The Expert

Kiki Aranita is chef and owner of Poi Dog in Philadelphia, a restaurant and catering company that closed its Rittenhouse location in July 2020, but served Hawaii’s local food to Philadelphians for seven years and has since been reinvented as a retail sauce company. She has contributed food writing and narratives to Edible Philly, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Food and Wine (for which she was nominated for a James Beard Award), Roads and Kingdoms and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, as well as recipes to Munchies Vice and many other publications and platforms. She has created content and recipe-driven videos for companies such as Philadelphia Magazine, Sakara Life and Vitamix. Follow her recipe work, food writing and pop-up cheffing at @kikiaranita on Instagram.