Before sesame oil and soy sauce, there was limu poke. This is the oldest style of Hawaiian poke, seasoned with just sea salt, limu (seaweed), and inamona (roasted kukui nut). It’s the taste of pre-contact Hawaii—clean, oceanic, and deeply connected to the land and sea.

Understanding Limu

Limu is the Hawaiian word for seaweed, and there are over 70 edible varieties found in Hawaiian waters. For poke, the most prized is limu kohu—a soft, reddish-brown seaweed with an intense, slightly spicy ocean flavor. Ogo (also called limu manauea) is more commonly available and works beautifully.

Limu isn’t just an ingredient; it’s a connection to Hawaiian gathering traditions. Families would harvest limu from their favorite spots, knowledge passed down through generations. Using limu in poke honors that heritage.

About Inamona

Inamona is roasted, mashed kukui nut (candlenut) mixed with sea salt. It adds a rich, slightly bitter, earthy flavor that’s irreplaceable in traditional poke. Finding inamona on the mainland can be tricky, but Hawaiian specialty stores and online retailers carry it. If you can’t find it, the poke is still delicious without it—but it’s worth seeking out for the authentic experience.

Overhead flat lay of limu poke ingredients including sushi-grade ahi tuna, limu kohu seaweed, Hawaiian salt, inamona kukui nut, sesame oil, and chili pepper flakes on a natural surface
Traditional limu poke ingredients — ahi, limu kohu, Hawaiian salt, inamona, and chili flakes
Cubed ahi tuna being mixed with dark red limu seaweed and Hawaiian salt by hand in a traditional preparation
Mixing the ahi with limu and Hawaiian salt, the traditional way, by hand
Traditional limu poke in a bowl with cubed ahi mixed with dark red limu seaweed, glistening with sesame oil and garnished with inamona
Limu poke in its purest form — ahi, seaweed, salt, and inamona. Old-school Hawaiian.

The Significance of This Poke

Making limu poke connects you to centuries of Hawaiian food tradition. This is how poke was eaten before global trade brought new ingredients to the islands. Each bite carries the essence of Hawaii’s relationship with the ocean—the salt, the seaweed, the fish, all from the same waters.

It tastes different from the poke most people know. It’s more subtle, more oceanic, more ancient. Give your palate a moment to adjust, and you’ll discover a depth of flavor that soy sauce and sesame oil, as delicious as they are, can sometimes mask.

This is poke in its purest form. E ‘ai kākou—let’s eat.

This recipe is part of our Complete Guide to Hawaiian Poke. Discover all our poke varieties!