Easy Poke Bowl

If you ever had poke at a restaurant, you’d know how amazingly delicious it is. It also can get amazingly expensive so unless it’s available at Costco or I’m in Hawaii, I will make it at home.

Luckily, I have several supermarkets near me that carry sushi-grade fish (yay!). Once you have quality sushi-grade fish, the rest is easy. Poke bowls are simply an assembly of ingredients. There’s no need to cook. Plus, it’s totally customizable. Choose and add whatever protein and topping you like and you’re set.

What is Poke?

Poke is pronounced po-keh. It’s a Hawaiian word that means cubes, or “cut into cubes.” A poke bowl is a classic Hawaiian dish that consists of cubed, raw sushi-grade fish, served with steamed rice and an assortment of delicious add-ons. Each poke bowl is a smorgasbord of colors and flavors.

Poke Bowl Ingredients

The Essentials

• Protein: Cubed fish. You can choose any of your favorite high-quality sushi-grade fish. Salmon is my favorite. You can also use yellow tail/hamachi, which I’m using here, tuna, or even tofu for a vegetarian option.
• Marinade: The cubed fish is tossed in a light and simple marinade of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, sliced shallots, and green onions. Some people like to mix it with Kewpie Japanese mayo for a creamy sauce, but I like to leave that out of the marinade but use it as an additional sauce option. In my marinade, I also like to mix in a bit of wasabi for that strong “burn” sensation to the nose, but that is optional too.
• Steamed Rice: You can regular steamed rice straight from the rice cooker or make sushi rice by adding a bit of rice vinegar.

The Optional Tasty Toppings

• Furikake: A dried rice seasoning that you can sprinkle on top of your rice.
• Vegetables — Pick from sliced cucumbers, avocado (an absolute must), mango (for that Hawaiian tropical taste), and/or soy beans, also known as edamame.
• Nori: Dried edible seaweed that is used to wrap sushi rolls. In poke bowls, you can crumble it up on top of the poke bowl for a beautiful garnish.
• Wakame — A seasoned seaweed salad. You can find wakame in many Asian stores. Costco also carries them regularly.
• Japanese Kewpie Mayo: A creamy Asian mayo.
• Sriracha: A chili sauce for that spicy kick. Some stores carry spicy mayo which is Kewpie mayo and Sriracha mixed together.
• Tobiko & Masago: Both are fish roe. Tobiko is flying fish roe and masago is smelt roe. You can often find these in the refrigerator or freezer section of most Asian grocery stores. It provides a nice salty, fishy, crunchy pop.

How to Make Poke Bowls

Step 1: Cook the rice

Cook your favorite rice on the stovetop or rice cooker.

Step 2: Marinate the fish

Use a sharp knife to cut fish into bite-size cubes. Add to a medium bowl and marinate with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, sliced shallots, and green onions. Let the fish marinate while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Step 3: Assemble the bowls

Add cooked rice into a bowl. Spoon the marinated fish over the rice. Add your favorite toppings and finish with a drizzle of kewpie mayo and sriracha.

Can I Make Poke in Advance?

You can slice the fish and marinate it ahead of time and keep it chilled. You can also make the rice, but keep it at room temperature so it doesn’t harden. You can also prep the vegetables ahead of time.

Most importantly, keep everything separate until you’re ready to eat to assemble the bowls.

Related Recipes

If you like this dish, try my other Hawaiian dishes!

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