Just a few months shy of its second birthday, Locale Market in St. Pete is growing up.
Well, it’s always been growing, according to Chef Michael Mina, thanks to everything and everyone around it.
“We’ve listened to our customer’s desires and as a result, we’ve kept many of the fan favorites that have attracted so many visitors, while introducing more of a focus on convenient and healthy meals, with the same quality and freshness we’ve become known for,” Mina said in a recent news release.
They include their Zen Belly station—a healthy pre-cooked “build-a-meal” section built for speed-serving at home.
And their clientele is of course ramen bar-ready, or if they aren’t, there are a number of employees on hand to explain it’s not the starch bricks of twilight college meals.
Finally, the Zen Belly station is offering Poke, and this is where the Chef’s Kitchen comes in.
Executive Chef Jeffrey Hileman offered us the recipe for Hawaiian Thai Coconut Poke.
I’ve never made Poke, so we zenned it up.
Waiting for us upon arrival were all the ingredients, chopped and ready, surrounding a chopping board with a fresh Gulf Red Snapper, clear-eyed and waiting.
Thai Coconut Poke
Ingredients
8 oz. lime juice, fresh squeezed
8 oz. snapper, skin off, medium diced
2 oz. peppers - red, yellow, green, small diced
1 oz. onions - red, small diced
1 tsp. jalapeno - small diced
1 tsp. cilantro - chopped
TT salt & pepper
1 tbsp. sugar
10 oz. rock shrimp - poached
2 oz. pineapple - medium, diced
4 oz. coconut milk
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. Aleppo pepper spice
1 lime zested
1 head Bibb lettuce, pulled apart into cups
Directions:
1. Marinate the diced fish with the lime juice, making sure to cover the fish.
2. Let this sit for a minimum of 1 hour so the juice "cooks" the fish.
3. Add drained fish with the rest of the ingredients in a metal mixing bowl, and mix to incorporate.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Garnish with Allepo pepper spice.
6. Place into chilled display bowl and serve with Bibb lettuce cups.