Salmon Poke Bowl
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This Salmon Poke Bowl recipe first appeared on Savory Experiments where I am a contributor.
Sushi night has never been so simple! Made with sushi-grade salmon, rice, fresh cucumber, creamy avocado, and fresh mango, these salmon poke bowls are a perfectly easy DIY sushi night at home.
I’m sure you’ve seen (or been to) hundreds of casual poke restaurants. But have you ever had a homemade poke bowl? It’s on a whole other level!
“Poke” literally means “cut into pieces” which refers to the slices or cubes of raw fish (salmon, tuna, or white fish) that are served in a bowl along with rice, dressing, vegetables, and seasonings. Consider it deconstructed sushi!
Served as an appetizer or main course, poke is native to Hawaiian cuisine, but traditional forms are Japanese and called poké or poki.
Raw fish not your thing? Maryland Crab Cakes, Air Fryer Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass, and Lobster Pasta With Champagne Butter Sauce are all delicious, fully cooked seafood recipes!
Why You’ll Love This Salmon Poke Bowl Recipe
- Sushi night in: Raw fish isn’t my top choice for ordering in, so I’ve always had to go out for sushi. Not anymore! This is the perfect way to eat sushi at home (aka in your PJ’s).
- Diet friendly: This recipe works well for any diet. It’s super healthy, gluten free, dairy free, and can even be made low-carb.
- Fresh Flavor: Poke bowls are packed with nothing but light, fresh and nutrient-dense ingredients, making it filling without feeling heavy.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Fish: You can’t make a poke bowl without delicious fresh fish. Just make sure it’s sushi-grade! In this recipe, I used sushi-grade salmon.
- Rice: White rice is my choice for a poke bowl, but feel free to use whatever rice you like best.
- Toppings: Dress up your bowl with delicious toppings like English cucumbers, radishes, avocados, and mangos.
*For a detailed list of ingredients and measurements, please reference the recipe card down below.
Toppings for your Poke Bowl
Looking to add or change things up? The best part of poke bowls is the variety of toppings. No two bowls will ever be the same if you consider some of these other delicious toppings:
- Spicy salmon
- Yellowtail tuna
- Edamame
- Kukui nuts
- Carrots
- Pineapple chunks
- Seaweed Snacks (my favorite!)
- Red onion
- Pickled ginger
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Sesame seeds
- Coconut aminos
- Lemon juice
- Lime juice
- Fresh herbs
Tip!
You can also change up your grains and go with something a little healthier like quinoa or mixed greens.
You can also take it one step further and turn your poke bowl into a delicious plate of poke nachos!
How To Make Salmon Poke Bowls
Step 1: Marinate the salmon. Combine all the poke sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the salmon cubes and marinate for 15-45 minutes, no longer than 1 hour.
Step 2: Assemble the bowls. Divide the cooked rice between bowls and top with marinated salmon, sliced cucumber, radishes, avocado, and mango.
Variations
- Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl: Add Sriracha to the poke sauce for some heat!
- Tuna Poke Bowl: Use sushi-grade tuna to make this traditional poke bowl.
- Vegan Poke Bowl: Replace te fish with tofu.
- Low Carb Salmon Poke Bowl: Swap the rice for cauliflower rice.
Picking the Right Salmon
Consuming raw food might sound scary, but it doesn’t have to be! However, it is important to understand what you are buying, preparing, and eating.
For me, I like using high quality Sockeye salmon (also known as red salmon). Sockeye salmon is best for sushi and poke because their flesh is bright orange and the flavor is incredibly rich. Most importantly, it is safe to eat raw!
What is sushi grade salmon?
Sushi grade salmon or fish is the term given to fish that shows it is safe to prepare and eat raw. You will see this phrase used on restaurant menus and grocery store packaging.
Sushi-grade fish is caught very quickly and…sorry for the details (eek)…bled upon capture, gutted really quickly after, and iced thoroughly. And because salmon is a known parasitic fish, it is frozen at 0°F for 7 days or flash-frozen at -35°F for 15 hours.
Where to find sushi grade salmon
If you are lucky enough to live near a fish market, I recommend starting there. However, a fish market is not required and doesn’t always carry sushi grade fish. Make sure you always ask if it’s sushi grade before purchasing, no matter where you are.
You can usually find sushi-grade salmon in a high-end grocery store, a local grocery store with a fish counter, and sometimes in the freezer section near the fish and seafood.
If you are shopping at your local Whole Foods or Wegmans you will notice they carry a variety of sushi-grade fish. You can find the fish skinned, cut into rectangular pieces, and packaged in boxes; which I love because it makes prepping these bowls really easy.
I’ve noticed the sushi grade fish is with the sushi and not the seafood counter in my local stores.
FAQ’s
Most likely! It really depends on what you are adding to your bowl. I like to balance my bowls with a small amount of rice and a larger portion of mixed greens and raw vegetables.
Poke is traditionally made with ahi tuna, but it’s any type of raw fish that makes a poke bowl a poke bowl.
Not unless you want to get sick! If you plan to eat it raw, you absolutely must use sushi grade salmon for your poke bowl or sushi at home.
Although you can find a lot of variety in poke bowls, they usually consist of the same basic ingredients like rice, with protein choices of tuna, tofu, salmon, and a number of toppings.
Poke bowl sauces are also an essential part of the dish and typically consist of wasabi mayo, spicy mayo, sriracha sauce, eel sauce, sesame oil, and more!
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Make prepping dinner even easier with some of my favorite kitchen tools to prepare this recipe!
Bowls: whether you are using a small bowl, medium bowl, or making 1 large poke bowl in a serving bowl, These are some of my favorite bowls to use for poke.
Mandoline: I recommend using a vegetable peeler to make thinly sliced cucumbers and radishes easier to prepare.
Pan: if you aren’t able to find sushi grade salmon or prefer cooked salmon, I recommend using a frying pan to prepare your salmon fillet pieces.
Rice cooker: speed up the process of cooking rice with this handy rice cooker. You will never believe how quickly rice will be ready!
Cutting board: I like to use a plastic cutting board to prepare raw fish so I can thoroughly clean it.
Knife: a high quality sharp knife makes slicing into raw fish easy and creates smooth edges.
WANT TO TRY THIS SALMON POKE BOWL RECIPE?
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Salmon Poke Bowl
Ingredients
Poke bowls
- 10 ounces sushi grade salmon
- 1/2 cup white rice
- 1 english cucumber, thinly sliced
- 2 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup mango, diced
- spicy mayo recipe, for serving
Poke bowl sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger, or ginger paste
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced and white parts separated
Instructions
- Combine garlic, grated ginger, mirin, soy sauce, lemon juice, toasted sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, and the white parts of the green onions together in a large mixing bowl. Slice the salmon into 1 inch cubes against the grain, and add to the mixing bowl with the poke sauce. Toss to combine and marinate for 15-45 minutes, no longer than 1 hour.1 garlic clove,, 1 teaspoon grated ginger,, 2 tablespoons mirin, 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 3 scallions,, 10 ounces sushi grade salmon
- Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package instructions1/2 cup white rice
- Divide the cooked rice between bowls and top with marinated salmon, sliced cucumber, radishes, avocado, mango, and spicy mayo.1 english cucumber,, 2 radishes,, 1 avocado,, 1/4 cup mango,, spicy mayo recipe,
Video
Notes
- Always make sure you are using sushi grade salmon.
- Consuming raw or undercooked seafood may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.
