Poke Bowl

This Poke Bowl is packed with freshness and flavor! Marinated Sushi grade Ahi Tuna, tons of veggies, Sriracha mayo, wasabi mayo, crispy wonton strips all served over the top of long grain white rice. The best part?! It’s way easier to make than you think!

Poke Bowls do have many ingredients and several steps. The nice part is that none of the steps are difficult. As long as you have a little time, you’ll be enjoying a delicious Poke Bowl all to yourself!

If I’m looking for something healthy, this is one of my go-to meals. Poke Bowls are so versatile and can easily be made gluten free, vegetarian or vegan. Learn how in the Tips section!

If you love traditional Poke Bowls then you’ll love this recipe!

Looking for other healthy recipes? Try Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Relish and Chipotle Mayo, Cast Iron Salmon with Creamy Schug, Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl and Eggplant Shawarma!

What is a Poke Bowl?

A Poke Bowl is a Hawaiian dish. Poke means to “cut or slice” in Hawaiian and it refers to the marinated fish in this case. The fish is cut into small pieces.

There are many different ways to make a poke bowl. Poke Bowls are often made with tuna but other fish can be used as well as shrimp or tofu.

The protein is marinated, often in soy, sesame oil, rice vinegar, green onion and ginger or some combination of those. The protein is placed over a base of rice then packed with a variety of raw veggies.

This particular poke bowl contains many of the same ingredients as a traditional poke bowl.

Other ingredients are often included such as mango, crispy wonton strips, crispy fried onions, crispy nori or seaweed salad. The Poke Bowl is then topped with sauce.

In this recipe I use Sriracha mayo and a wasabi sauce. Plain Sriracha can be used as well as Sambal.

Are Poke Bowls Healthy?

Yes! Poke Bowls are pretty healthy. They contain a lots of veggies, lean protein and fruit. Tuna is a great protein source. Edamame beans contain protein as well.

They also contain plain long grain white rice which to me, is healthy unless you’re avoiding carbs. You can also substitute brown rice if you prefer.

A small amount of mayo is used in the Sriracha mayo so if you’re really trying to go healthy you can use plain sriracha. But all in all, Poke Bowls are great healthy choice!

What kind of tuna should you use?

Ahi Tuna is the best tuna for a Poke Bowl or anytime you want to eat raw tuna. This is a sushi grade tuna which means it is high quality. This is exactly what you want when eating raw tuna.

Some local grocery stores will carry Ahi Tuna but if you can’t find it, you can always order it online. There are multiple companies that will ship quality seafood straight to your door that has been caught and handled appropriately to keep the quality in tact and safe for you to eat.

If you’re having a hard time, you can always use shrimp in this dish. Sear the marinated shrimp in a sauté pan with hot oil for just a couple minutes per side then cool it down before adding it to the bowl.

Handling raw fish

This Poke Bowl contains raw fish. When handling raw fish you need to keep up on safe practices. The tuna needs to be kept below 41°F at all times.

It’s fine to have the fish out to cut it and eat it but when storing it and marinating it then it should be kept below 41°F.

Use a separate cutting board to cut the tuna. Immediately thoroughly wash the cutting board, knife and your hands. Wash anywhere that you may have spilled any of the juice from the tuna.

Do not cut your veggies or anything else on the same cutting board that you used to cut your tuna unless you washed it before doing so.

If you set your raw veggies down on the same cutting board you used to cut the fish before washing the board that is called cross contamination. You can get food poisoning from cross contamination, so it’s very important to keep things clean.

This shouldn’t scare you off from handling raw fish. It’s really the same rules that apply to poultry or any raw meat. It’s pretty simple to follow, just keep things cold and keep things clean.

For more info on safe seafood handling, visit this post by the FDA.

Tips for Poke Bowls

• If you have leftover tuna, make sure you refrigerate it immediately and consume it within 24 hours
• You can always sear your leftover tuna and make tacos with it!
• If you’re not a fan of spicy sauce, use whatever sauce you like on the Poke Bowls
• If you’re not a big fan of raw fish you can cook the tuna or use sub shrimp or tofu in for the tuna and cook either of those after marinating them
• You can sub cauliflower rice or sushi rice for the plain white rice
• To make this dish gluten free, use a gluten free soy sauce (tamari), and leave out the crispy wontons
• To make a vegan version, sub tofu for the tuna, sub brown sugar for the honey and use a vegan mayo for the Sriracha mayo or just use Sriracha by itself. Also skip the wasabi sauce that I use, you can use regular wasabi if you like
• To make this dish vegetarian, sub tofu for the tuna
• Please follow safe practices when handling raw fish. See above
• Marinade can be made up to 2 weeks in advance, store in the fridge in an air tight container

Ingredients you’ll need

• Ahi Tuna – You’ll want to use high grade tuna since you’re consuming it raw in this dish
• Soy Sauce – In general I prefer the low sodium because I like to add my own kosher salt but use what you like (gluten free if you need)
• Ginger – I use ginger paste, mostly for convenience but the flavor is great too. Paste or fresh ginger root is fine
• Green Onion – You’ll use green onions in the marinade and as garnish
• Sesame Oil – A little goes a long way. Make sure it’s the toasted brown oil
• Rice Vinegar – This is a staple in a lot of marinades for me
• Honey – This goes in the tuna marinade just to add a touch of sweetness. Brown sugar can be subbed if you’re making this vegan
• Sriracha – This goes in the marinade as well as the Sriracha mayo sauce
• Mayo – Hellman’s is my fave. Use vegan mayo for a vegan dish
• Wasabi Sauce – I find this at my local grocery store. It can also be ordered online
• Long Grain White Rice – Any rice is fine really, whatever you prefer
• Olive Oil – A splash in the rice while cooking it
• Kosher Salt – Salt brings out the flavor in everything
• Edamame – Edamame are soybeans. You’ll want the shelled ones, out of their pod
• English Cucumber – Cucumber is a great flavor with tuna
• Jalapeno – Use fresh not pickled
• Black Sesame Seeds – For a little crunch and decoration
• Cilantro – Fresh cilantro adds a nice flavor to a Poke Bowl
• Avocado – Avocado and tuna go really well together
• Shredded Carrot – For some extra color and crunch
• Wonton Strips- You can but these in a bag or you can buy wonton wrappers and fry them yourself
• Crispy Onions (optional) – As an alternative to wonton strips you can use crispy fried onions
• Chili Flakes (optional) – You can add chili flakes for a little extra heat if you like

Equipment needed

• Super Sharp Knife – As always, use a very sharp knife. It will make your life and cutting skills so much better
• Bowls – A few small bowls for storing things and a larger one for marinating the tuna
• Whisk – To whisk together the Sriracha mayo
• Pot or Rice Cooker – You’ll need to cook then cool the rice. Use a pot on the stove or a rice cooker

Alternative toppings for Poke Bowl

• Mango
• Fried Nori
• Pickled Ginger
• Crispy Fried Onions
• Seaweed Salad
• Pineapple
• Watermelon Radish
• Leafy Greens
• Lime Wedges

How to make a Poke Bowl

Making a Poke Bowl is really quite simple. It does require a bit of time because of the amount of steps but nothing is difficult.

Whisk together soy sauce, ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha, honey and green onion together in a medium bowl. I like to set a little bit of this delicious ginger-soy sauce to the side to dump on my rice before adding the other ingredients. Cut the tuna into 1/2 inch chunks and place it in the bowl with the marinade.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until needed. I like to let is sit for 1-3 hours. 1 hour works out nicely to prepare all the other ingredients.

Then prepare your rice. Cook the rice according to the package instructions and add a little kosher salt and a drizzle of oil while cooking. Once the rice is finished cooking, fluff it with a fork and let it cool to room temp.

Meanwhile, make the Sriracha mayo by whisking the Sriracha and mayo together in a small bowl. Set aside until needed.

While the rice is cooking, cut the cucumber, jalapeno, green onion and avocado. Pull the cilantro leaves off their stems.

Once the rice is room temp you can assemble the Poke Bowls. Place the rice inside the bottom of a bowl. Top with marinated tuna, all the veggies, Sriracha mayo, wasabi sauce then top with crispy wonton strips and black sesame seeds.

Enjoy your Poke Bowl!

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If you like this Poke Bowl recipe you may also like Cast Iron Salmon with Creamy Schug, Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Relish and Chipotle Mayo and Eggplant Shawarma!