Salmon Poke Bowl Recipe (Build Your Own!)
This salmon poke bowl recipe is my homemade take on everyone’s restaurant favorite. It’s loaded with buttery sushi-grade salmon marinated in my homemade poke sauce, then piled over fluffy white rice with crisp cucumber, radishes, creamy avocado, sweet mango, and a drizzle of spicy mayo (my favorite!). Once you know how to pick and handle the salmon, making poke at home is easier (and cheaper!) than you’d think, and everyone gets to build their own bowl!
Why You’ll Love These Salmon Poke Bowls
If you’re anything like me, you could eat poke every single week, but ordering it out adds up fast! Here’s the good news: once you know how to choose good salmon, a homemade poke bowl is on a whole other level, and it costs a fraction of takeout. Once I realized how easy they are to make at home, they quickly became one of my favorite meals. If you love my salmon rice bowl, this sushi-inspired version is another fun way to enjoy salmon at home. The salmon marinates while the rice cooks, so everything comes together pretty effortlessly.
They’re also suuuuper easy to customize. Everyone can build their own bowl with their favorite toppings, whether that means extra mango, more spicy mayo, or all the avocado. It’s the perfect way to enjoy sushi at home (aka in your PJ’s). You get all the fun of ordering poke from your favorite restaurant, but it’s fresher, less expensive, and made exactly the way you like it.
JordanWhat Is a Poke Bowl?
If you’ve never had one, you’re in for a treat. “Poke” literally means “cut into pieces,” referring to cubes or slices of raw fish, usually salmon, tuna, or white fish. It’s a classic Hawaiian dish. Today, traditional poke bowls are typically served over steamed white rice with a flavorful dressing, fresh vegetables, fruit, and plenty of toppings. If you’ve never had one before, think of it as deconstructed sushi in a bowl!
This salmon poke bowl recipe is my homemade take on the restaurant favorite. It’s fresh, colorful, easy to customize, and surprisingly simple to make at home!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Salmon Poke Bowls
Here a little overview of the most important ingredients. You can find the rest in the recipe card with exact measurements!
- Sushi-grade fish: Rich, buttery, fresh salmon is the star of the bowl and soaks up all of the savory poke sauce flavors. Ask the fishmonger at your local grocery store for help choosing the freshest fish. If you’re looking for another salmon and rice dinner, my blackened salmon rice bowls are another easy weeknight favorite!
- Spicy mayo: A drizzle of homemade spicy mayo adds creamy heat to every bite! It’s so easy to make your own homemade, and in my opinion, mine is pretty tasty!
Poke Bowl Sauce Ingredients
This sauce is a mix of garlic, ginger, mirin, soy sauce, lemon juice, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, and scallions! It adds so much flavor and is really simple to make on your own. Plus you get to control the sodium, the spice, and the sweetness!
How to Buy Salmon for Poke
A poke bowl is only as good as the fish you start with, so this is the one step worth really paying attention to!
- Buy your salmon from a seafood market or a grocery store with a real fish counter, and just ask them straight up whether it’s meant to be eaten raw. Don’t be shy about it! The term “sushi-grade” sounds official, but it isn’t actually regulated, so a fishmonger who can tell you how the fish was handled and frozen is worth way more than a label.
- If you can only find previously frozen salmon, that’s totally fine, and often even preferred, as long as it comes from a source you trust. Keep it cold right up until you cube it.
- One important note: eating raw salmon isn’t for everyone. If you’re pregnant, immunocompromised, feeding young kids or older adults, cook the salmon through instead. It’s still delicious in a bowl, I promise!
Recipe Variations
One of my favorite things about poke bowls is that they’re easy to customize! Experiment with different ingredients to make your bowl your own.
- Swap the protein: Use sushi-grade tuna instead of salmon, or check out my ahi poke bowl recipe for another fresh homemade favorite!
- Make it spicy: Stir a little Sriracha into the poke sauce for an extra kick, or drizzle on more spicy mayo before serving.
- Keep it low carb: Swap the white rice for cauliflower rice.
- Make it gluten-free: Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, and double check that your mirin and spicy mayo are gluten-free!
- Make it vegetarian: Make these bowls with cubed tofu.
How To Make Salmon Poke Bowls
- Step 1: Combine garlic, grated ginger, mirin, soy sauce, lemon juice, toasted sesame 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 to 45 minutes, no longer than 1 hour.
- Step 2: Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package instructions. Once the rice is done, divide the cooked rice between bowls and top with marinated salmon, sliced cucumber, radishes, avocado, mango, and spicy mayo.
Expert Tips
Don’t Over-Marinate
- Marinate the salmon for 15-45 minutes for the best flavor and texture.
- Don’t marinate it longer than 1 hour.
- Always marinate it in the refrigerator.
Don’t Reuse the Marinade
- Once the poke sauce has touched the raw salmon, discard any leftovers instead of using it as a finishing sauce, since it’s been in contact with raw fish.
Storage Tips
- Because this recipe is made with raw salmon, you have to eat it right away.
- Prep the sauce, spicy mayo, rice, cucumber, and radishes up to 1 day in advance, then store everything separately in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat it.
- Cut the mango and avocado just before serving so they don’t get mushy or brown.
- If you have leftovers, refrigerate them right away in separate airtight containers and throw away anything that sat out too long.
Recipe FAQ’s
Honestly, the source matters more than any label. Buy from a seafood market or a store with a good fish counter that can tell you the salmon is safe to eat raw, and ask how it was handled. “Sushi-grade” isn’t regulated, so a fishmonger you trust beats a sticker every time!
Yes, if it comes from a trusted supplier that confirms it is appropriate for raw preparation. Follow the package directions for thawing, and keep the salmon refrigerated until you’re ready to prepare it!
Poke bowl rice can be cool or slightly warm, but it should not be steaming hot. Let it rest for a few minutes after cooking so it doesn’t warm the raw salmon.
More Salmon Recipes
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Salmon Poke Bowl Recipe (with Easy Poke Sauce)
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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,
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.
Nutrition
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This looks so delicious & we will try it soon! I appreciate the tips on purchasing salmon for this recipe, as we don’t often buy/make fish at home. It looks like you have seaweed salad pictured as an accompaniment, but I don’t see it listed in the ingredient/options list. Can you give some suggestions on how to make it or if it’s available in grocery stores? We’ve enjoyed it when dining out for sushi but never noticed if it’s readily available.
I buy my seaweed salad at the sushi counter in the grocery store 🙂
I totally agree with you! Salmon poke bowls are my absolute favorite. They’re not only delicious but also healthy and packed with nutrients. I love how versatile they are, too – you can customize them with your favorite veggies and toppings.
I am looking into it recently and found that sushi-grade is in fact only a marketing term. There is no national governing body grades the fish as USDA grades the beef. So when you see a piece of fish labeled sushi- or sashimi-grade, that means that the seller has judged it safe to eat raw. The claim is only as trustworthy as the fish market that makes it. Although there is always a risk, farm raised salmon is generally considered safe as long as it’s previous blast frozen.
This salmon poke bowl is colorful and delicious! It looks like something I’d get at a restaurant. I love all the flavors of the fresh vegetables with the poke sauce. It really pulls everything together nicely!
I’m absolutely in love with poke bowls and salmon is one of my favorite kinds of fish; there’s so much to love about this dish! Will definitely be making it for lunch next week 🙂
Oooh, poke is a favorite for my husband. This salmon poke bowl looks incredible and I love all that color.