Inamona is a delicious condiment made with roasted candlenuts and Alaea salt. The candlenuts when roasted take on an earthy-citrusy-evergreen flavor, along with a subtle bitterness, which perfectly complements the raw fish, and the large crystals of Alaea salt provide a crunchy burst of sodium with every bite. Candlenuts are often compared to macadamia nuts because of their similar shape and texture, but their taste is quite different. That’s why I recommend using pine nuts as the closest substitute if you can’t find them where you live. For my Tuna Poke, I like to add sesame seeds to my inamona. It’s not traditional, but I like the nutty flavor they add when toasted with the candlenuts. I also roast the nuts after I’ve chopped them. I like to make the inamona fresh every time I make this Ahi Poke recipe, and it just doesn’t make sense to oven roast whole nuts when you’re only doing a few. Alaea salt is a Hawaiian sea salt made by mixing unrefined salt crystals with red volcanic clay. This gives the large grains of salt its characteristic rusty red hue. While you should be able to find it in upscale kitchen stores and online, it’s not going to ruin the dish if you substitute another salt. Fleur de Sel would be my recommendation, but really any coarse sea salt will do. As for the seaweed, limu kohu is the traditional choice, but it’s impossible to find outside of Hawaii, which is why I used the closest thing I could find here in Japan, which was red funori. You’re probably not going to find fresh funori in the US, so go with whatever you can find. Worst case scenario you can order a dried seaweed salad mix like this one You should only use tuna that’s sold as “sushi grade” or “sashimi grade.” This certifies that the fish has been prepared for eating raw. You can read more about seafood safety here. When choosing your tuna, look for pole-caught tuna. It’s not only the most environmentally friendly way of catching tuna, it’s also the safest as it tends to yield younger tuna which have a lower mercury content. Also, try and pick a piece without (or with as little as possible) white streaks in it. These streaks are the aquatic equivalent to the tough silver skin on meat, and will leave you chewing your tuna far longer than you want to.
Other Tuna Recipes
Spicy Tuna Rolls Tuna Mayo Onigiri Lemon Tuna Steaks Tuna Tartare with Yuzu Gelée
📖 Recipe
