Poke bowls. I don’t eat them nearly enough! ♥ When I was in L.A. last fall, my brother and I sat on the pier eating the best poke bowls. Since then, I’ve been hooked. Speaking of poke bowls, Charlotte just got a new poke bowl spot that I want to try out. Maybe I’ll try it tomorrow for lunch! I was also blessed in Hawaii with delicious poke bowls.
You can stick to making poke the traditional way, or customize them with all of your favorites. I decided to stick to a summery ahi poke bowl by adding fresh avocado, mango, and pickled vegetables. Ohhhh it was so delicious.
If you’re wondering what a poke bowl is, it’s a Hawaiian dish with raw fish that is usually served as an appetizer. Many people choose to eat it as a main dish. I sometimes describe it to people as a giant sushi salad. That’s what it reminds me of. If you go to a poke bar, you’ll find so many toppings and sauces to add to your bowls. I kept my poke bowls pretty simple, but you can totally play around with the ingredients.
A couple of weekends ago, I made poke bowls for Kyle and I. It was fun to change up the dinner routine, and try something new. They ended up being a hit, and there wasn’t a bite left.
At-Home Poke Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 lb Sushi Grade Tuna
- 1 Cup Cooked White Rice
- 4 Tbsps Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1/4 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder
- 1 Tsp Red Chili Flakes
- 1 Tsp Ground Ginger
- 2 Tbsps Honey
- 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbsps Sesame Seeds
- 1/4 Cup Radishes Sliced
- 1/4 Cup Green Onion Chopped
- 1/4 Cup Mango Diced
- 1 Large Avocado Sliced
- 1/2 Cup Carrots Sliced
- 10 Sheets Wasabi Roasted Seaweed
Instructions
- Chop the carrots and slice the cucumbers. Add them to separate bowls. Add 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil, and 1/8 cup of red wine vinegar to each bowl. Stir and set aside allowing the vegetables to pickle. **you could also pickle the radishes if you wish
- Chop the tuna into squares. Add it to a mixing bowl with soy sauce, the remainder of the toasted sesame oil, ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes, sesame seeds, black pepper, and soy sauce.
- Add rice to a bowl. Top the rice with the pickled carrots, pickled cucumbers, radishes, diced mango, chopped green onion, roasted seaweed, avocado slices, and marinated tuna. **Drizzle the leftover juices from the tuna bowl over the bowl. I like to add sweet chili sauce to mine!
Add the crunchy “pickled” vegetables to the poke bowl gave me the extra crunch without adding any of the fried toppings that I normally get when I’m at a poke restaurant.
I had a lot of messages about finding the tuna! When you’re at the store, ask the person working at the counter for sushi-grade tuna. The man working the counter at my local grocery store walked over to the sushi section in the deli and grabbed a fresh tuna from their coolers to sell me. If you have a Whole Foods or Earthfare close, I never have trouble finding it there!
If you’re afraid to try raw fish, but still want to try poke, just replace the tuna for crab, fish, smoked salmon, or tofu!
The whole “raw fish” scared me when my brother made me try sushi for the first time, but now I’m in LOVE. It’s so delicious and really takes the flavors in well. Just looking at the photos again is making me so hungry.
I usually just cook white jasmine rice on the stovetop. Two cups of water for every cup of dry rice!
Some other fun toppings to add to poke bowls are pickled ginger, wasabi, jalapenos, mandarins, furikake seasoning, fried onions, sweet chili sauce, and edamame.
I was so excited about finding wasabi roasted seaweed. It added a ton of flavor to the poke bowl, and just melted in your mouth! Questions for you!
- Have you ever had a poke bowl?
- What is your favorite poke topping?
- Have you ever made poke at home?
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Dang, I’ve got to make my own poke at home! I’ve only had them in overpriced poke stores where I live (since poke is still a relatively new concept in Hong Kong!) and it hurts the wallet quite a bit! 🙁
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Taralynn McNitt says
I bet it does, and making them at home is such a fun thing to do! 🙂 Glad poke bowls are available in Honk Kong though! xo
Maya says
This looks delicious and I love the colors in this post.
Taralynn McNitt says
Thank you, Maya!
Melanie says
I love Poke!!!!
My local Asian market makes two kinds of great poke (I like the spicy best)
but I might try making my own after reading you recipe 😍
Wasabi seaweed is my go to snack I cannot get enough of -even my son loves to eat the sea salt variety plain as a snack
But it’s also yummy to make a batch of sushi rice and then put a small spoon full in each seaweed paper like a little taco 😄
I miss Hawaii’s spam musubi too but I am a spam fan 😬😄
Taralynn McNitt says
Yes! I’m all for the spice as well 🙂
That is so awesome your son likes seaweed! You should try the seaweed crisps with hummus! SO GOOD.
You’re brave…that’s all I’m going to say about SPAM! haha
Linda @ the Fitty says
Wasabi seaweed is super great as a low calorie snack ^^
Is a like bowl basically like a burrito bowl you can get at chipotle? A salad but the base is pretty much rice?
Taralynn McNitt says
Hi Linda,
Poke bowls are way different than chipotle bowls. Same concept but different ingredients 🙂
Martina says
Do you use sushi rice?
Taralynn McNitt says
Usually white basmati!
Bethany says
I have wanted to make homemade poke bowls for a while now. Thank you for the sushi tip! That was my concern.
I love adding crunchy chickpeas to my bowls.
Taralynn McNitt says
Wow! That sounds amazing!
Lauren says
I love poke!! We have so many great poke restaurants in Chicago and I can’t get enough! They’re expensive though so making it at home is something I’ve wanted to try for months! I’m so glad you posted this recipe! My favorite topping is ginger! I’m excited to try and make this!
Taralynn McNitt says
I bet! I used to love the food scene in Chicago!
How can you go wrong with ginger?! xo
Danielle says
This is one of my favorite quick dinners for my husband and I. I love avocado, mango, and pineapple in mine especially with a little spicy mayo. There’s something about that fruit, fish, creaminess, and spice combo that makes my mouth happy. He goes pretty simple with avocado and a ton of green onion. I love that tuna is so lean as well. It’s a dish that’s easy to eat a lot of without any guilt as long as you don’t go overboard with rice or mayo.
Taralynn McNitt says
Yum! You’re making me hungry now. REALLY contemplating on going to Poke Bowl for lunch now lol
You’re so right about feeling good about this dish! 🙂
Katie says
This was the first time I’ve ever made Poke bowls and they we’re amazing! It was a nice change for dinner. Thank you for posting this recipe!
Taralynn McNitt says
That is awesome!! Thanks for sharing, Katie! 🙂
Cara says
We are making these tomorrow night!
My friend sent me the link to your blog!
Taralynn McNitt says
That is so awesome! 🙂
Enjoy!
Ashley Katz says
I was literally just saying yesterday that I wanted to make my own poke bowls at home and I was reading all your updates and saw this! I’ll have to let you know how it goes. 🙂
Also, the next time you’re in Raleigh, you need to try Raleigh Raw. Their poke bowls and juices are amazing 🙂
Taralynn McNitt says
Taking notes! I was just telling one of my friends that i needed to explore Raleigh!
Carie says
I can’t wait to try this out!
Taralynn McNitt says
Yay! Enjoy 🙂