Here’s how to make a poke bowl! This classic recipe features ahi tuna marinated in a hearty poke sauce, rice and lots of veggie topping ideas.
Do you like a good poke bowl? This Hawaiian bowl of seasoned raw fish, rice, and crispy veggies has caught on here on the mainland, and everyone is doing it! Yes, here in Indianapolis, in the middle of the Midwest, there are a few poke restaurants. Because poke is That’s good. And guess what? You can browse from the comfort of your own home: it’s perfect for a weeknight dinner, or even better, an eye-catching entertaining meal.
Would you like a herbal option? Go to the vegan poke bowl.
Would you like to use cooked fish? Go to Pan-Seared Salmon Poke Bowls.
What is Poke?
Poke is Hawaiian for “slice” or “cut crossways into pieces” and refers to raw fish that is cut into cubes. It comes from a fisherman in Hawaii who seasoned the leftovers of his catch for a snack! is a Hawaiian-American food, but much of its flavor is influenced by Japanese cuisine: soy sauce, scallions, and sesame oil You can prick any raw fish, but the most common fish you’ll see is the ahi tuna.
Poke can be served as an appetizer or in a bowl as a main course. Serve it with rice, veggies, and other sauces and it becomes a poke bowl. How does it taste? You have to taste it to believe it, but with a good ahi tuna it tastes buttery, flavorful and calm from another world.
What’s in poke sauce?
This poke bowl recipe features shimmering ahi tuna poke in a marinade that makes it taste like the most amazing food on earth. You dice the tuna, then mix it with these flavors and let it marinate. Here are the flavors that go into this poke sauce:
- Sweet yellow onion (has a milder flavor than yellow onion)
- Green Onions
- soy pasture
- sesame oil (Natural, not grilled to subtly emphasize the flavor of the fish)
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Sriracha (just a squirt to brighten the flavor without adding heat)
Do you really have to marinate for 1 hour?
Most classic poke bowl recipes call for the poke to marinate for 1 hour. But do you really have to wait a full hour before digging? Excellent question. To find out, Alex and I tasted our poke right away, after 30 minutes, and after 1 hour to see how the flavor changed. The judgment?
- You can eat your poke right away! It’s incredible.
- Marinating for just 15 to 30 minutes completes the taste.
- If you have time, marinate for 1 hour: the flavors really permeate the fish.
Raw fish? How to Find the Best Ahi Tuna
You’re going to be eating raw fish from a poke bowl, so make sure you get it better tuna you can find. Here are some hints:
- Be sure to buy branded ahi tuna Sushi or sashimi quality.
- Sometimes it’s in the frozen fish area or at the fish counter.
- If you are unsure, be sure to confirm with the store that this fish can be eaten raw.
Poke Bowl Garnish Ideas
There are so many ways to make a poke bowl! This bowl is based on the assumption: If you start with a Super Poke, you have a Super Poke Bowl. Fish is the star here, so anything you make with it will taste amazing. The poke sauce drips into the veggies and rice, helping to flavor them. In this bowl, we’ve added a few light spices to each veg to bring out the flavor. Here’s what you’ll find in this poke bowl, then some other ideas:
Toppings in this poke bowl
- short grain rice White or brown, we gravitate towards brown because it’s higher in fiber and nutrients. Traditionally it is white sushi rice. We actually used short grain purple rice in this bowl, which was delicious too!
- Red cabbage seasoned with a little rice vinegar and salt
- Cucumber with a few pinches of salt
- Edamame frozen and thawed, well salted
- radish If you can find watermelon radishes, they’re a great color!
- Sesame seeds
Other poke topping ideas
- Cucumber Seaweed Salad: Take 1 large English cucumber and cut into long thin strips (3 cups; we used a julienne peeler). Mix with 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar, 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil.
- Spicy Mayonnaise: Everything is better with some spicy mayo: right? It is an integral part of our Vegan Poke Bowl. Here is our spicy mayonnaise recipe.
- carrot ribbons: Cut the carrots in julienne or into long strips with a vegetable peeler.
- Lawyer: Many poke bowls also contain avocado! It adds a richness.
- ponzu sauce
Other good poke recipes
want more ideas There are some great resources from Hawaiian chefs:
Want a meal plan?
This recipe is included in our Pescetarian Meal Plan! Check out 1 month’s recipes including download a meal planning spreadsheet.
This poke bowl recipe is…
Pescetarian, gluten free and dairy free.
The description
Here’s how to make a poke bowl! Try this easy and healthy dinner recipe with rice, marinated ahi tuna in a hearty sauce and lots of veggie topping ideas.
Once
- 1 1/2 Pound ahi tuna, sushi or sashimi grade (3 steaks, 6 at 8th ounces per piece)
- ¼ cup chopped sweet yellow onion
- 2 Spring onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons soy pasture
- 1 tbsp sesame oil (untoasted)
- 1 small clove of garlic, grated
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Little Sriracha sauce
For the poke bowl
- 1 cup short grain dry white rice or brown rice
- ½ cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 watermelon radish 2 radish
- 1/2 english cucumber
- 1 cup peeled edamame (thawed)
- Rice vinegar and kosher salt for seasoning
- For garnish: sesame, microgreens or sprouts
- Optional: Spicy mayonnaise
- Prepare rice: Prepare the rice on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot. When it’s ready, give it a few dashes of rice vinegar and add salt to taste. (Or prepare the rice and heat it on the stove with some water.)
- For the poke: Cut the tuna into 1 inch cubes. Chop the onion. Cut the spring onions into thin slices. In a bowl, mix them with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, kosher salt and sriracha.
- Serve immediately, but marinate in the fridge for 15 minutes to 1 hour for a more authentic flavor. Taste and add a pinch of salt before serving.* (Put in the fridge while the rice cooks and you prep the veggies, and you can eat when it’s all done.)
- Prepare the vegetables: Finely chop the red cabbage. Place it in a small bowl and add a few dashes of rice vinegar and a few pinches of salt. Thinly slice the cucumber and radishes and season with a few pinches of salt.
- Assemble Poke Bowls: Add the rice to the bowl and garnish with the poke and veggies. Garnish with sesame and vegetables.
Remarks
* It still tastes good. Traditional poke is marinated for at least 1 hour. If you’re looking for a quick meal, it’s very good right away too.
- Category: main course
- Method: Raw
- Kitchen: Hawaiian
Keywords: Poke Bowl, Poke Bowl Recipe
