Poke Bowl

By Naz Deravian

Published Jan. 5, 2024

Poke Bowl
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Rating
4(317)
Notes
Read community notes

A vibrant mix of sushi-grade fish, sticky rice, crunchy vegetables and creamy avocado drizzled with spicy sriracha mayo, a poke bowl is just as much fun to look at as it is to eat. Poke, which roughly translates “to cut crosswise into pieces” in Hawaiian, was born out of a no-waste scenario. While the exact timeframe is uncertain, Polynesians inhabiting what is now the Hawaiian Islands chopped leftover cuts of their daily catch into bite-sized pieces and seasoned them with salt and other ingredients. In the late 1800s, Japanese immigrants added soy sauce and rice to the dish. Eventually, poke made its way to the mainland and evolved into a customizable dish: The toppings listed here are just suggestions, so feel free to get as creative as you like, just make sure there is a balance of flavors and textures. Fresh fish is the star and should be sushi-grade and marinated for at least 1 hour. For a vegetarian version, try marinating cubed, firm avocado, and bulk up on the other ingredients. In the time that it takes to marinate, you can prepare the rice, or make use of leftover rice (you’ll need about 4 cups cooked). Don’t skip the spicy mayo to bring it all together. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Poke

    • ¼cup soy sauce, plus more as needed
    • 2teaspoons toasted sesame oil
    • 2tablespoons mirin or rice vinegar, or a combination of both, plus more as needed
    • 1teaspoon granulated sugar, plus more as needed
    • Crushed red pepper, to taste (optional)
    • 1pound sushi-grade tuna (yellowfin, ahi or bigeye) or salmon, or combination of both, diced into ½-inch cubes
    • 1scallion, thinly sliced
    • 2teaspoons sesame seeds

    For the Rice

    • 1½cups sushi or Calrose rice
    • ¼cup rice vinegar
    • 1½tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

    For the Spicy Mayonnaise

    • ⅓cup Kewpie mayonnaise, or regular mayonnaise
    • Sriracha or hot sauce of choice, to taste

    For the Toppings

    • ½cup store-bought seaweed salad
    • ½cup shelled and cooked edamame
    • 1small ripe avocado, chopped
    • 1mango, diced into ½-inch cubes
    • 1Persian cucumber, sliced or diced
    • 1scallion, thinly sliced
    • 2radishes, thinly sliced
    • Pickled ginger, to taste
    • Furikake, to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Marinate the fish: In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, sugar and crushed red pepper. Add the fish, scallion and sesame seeds, gently tossing to combine. Cover and refrigerate to chill and marinate, for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the rice: In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the rice with cold water until the water runs clear, then transfer it to a medium lidded pot or saucepan. Cover with 2 cups of cold water and soak for 15 minutes. Stir and bring the rice to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the grains are tender and the water has absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the rice. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. (Alternatively, use a rice cooker.)

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt for the rice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring, until the sugar and salt dissolve, about 3 minutes. When the rice is ready, transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture evenly on top and gently fold it into the rice. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (The rice can be prepared up to three days in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator.)

  4. Step 4

    In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and sriracha, to taste. Remove the poke from the fridge, taste and season with mirin, sugar and crushed pepper, if needed. Set up a poke bowl bar with the poke, rice, toppings of choice and spicy mayo.

Ratings

4 out of 5
317 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Brie

Tofu Poke is excellent too! I am not a fan of fish but I am a fan of all those Japanese/Hawaii flavors. Tofu makes a great substitution as it doesn't need to be cooked either. Also, fresh corn makes a good sweet addition. Poke is also excellent for meal prepping and making it yourself gives the opportunity to amplify the flavors you particularly enjoy. I like to ramp up the acid and tend to go heavy on the sesame oil myself. MMMMMM umami! :-)

Nick G

A very good alternative to fish in a poke bowl is roasted red beets! The texture is similar-ish and the flavor is excellent, and it’s a bit easier to come by than sushi-grade fish. We make beet poke two or three times a month in the summer—one of our favorite meals.

Suzanne

Costco sells a great tasting frozen individual salmon poke in a delicious sauce in pouches. Just unfreeze, no fuss. Also, a simple Tahiti sauce is very good.

Trixiedix6

This recipe is delicious! I couldn't find seaweed salad so I sliced a heart of romaine into thin ribbons and tossed it with the poke sauce and Furikake right before serving. Also, I am not a mayo fan so I used a small amount of wasabi sauce instead. I love seeing these recipes as it gives me ideas for blending flavors and trying new things. :-)

Chris

Great recipe! My family loves this- so adaptable. We also serve crispy shallots, raw diced chilies, and soy vinaigrette with the toppings. Baked tofu makes a great protein option for veggies too.

Amy

Poke bowls are our favorite weeknight dinner. If I can't get sushi grade fish, I just buy wild salmon and cook in the rice cooker's steamer basket. Easy to cook/cleanup. Put out all the toppings (+ cilantro & corn) and everyone preps their own bowl the way they like it. And I make a simple ponzu sauce (soy sauce, lemon juice, OJ with garlic and ginger) -- lighter on the spicy mayo and still tons of flavor. Leftovers over greens make a perfect lunch the next day that packs up easily.

Addison

The toppings for poke are infinitely customizable. Some others that my family loves: - diced pineapple - mandarin oranges - masago - tempura puffs - krab salad - scallions - corn - diced tomatoes - fried shallots - fried garlic - fried lotus root chips - tamago (or scrambled egg)

Robin Newman

Made this as directed. It was very tasty and easy to make. Will definitely make it again.

dee in Carlsbad

I'm amazed how good this recipe is. Our toppings substituted diced mini sweet peppers for mango, and included roasted sunflower seeds, French fried onions, and thinly sliced romaine lettuce. I had never used furikake seasoning, and I'm so glad I did. I can't wait to make it again. Next time I'll make the rice ahead.

Claire

I used ahi tuna and doubled the veggies to make four servings. Everyone loved it! I will definitely make this again and again.

Rachel Swift

So, do you marinate the beets as you would the tuna?

danamay

My family loves this as every one can customize their bowl. We marinate salmon in soy ginger sauce and cook instead of finding sushi grade fish.

Kirsten

This might be poke bowl heresy but we baked some salmon and rock fish in the poke marinade instead of trusting ourselves to prepare raw fish and it was super tasty!

Jeannine

This was delicious! I didn't sweeten the rice; I let it cool and added some Ume-Shiso Furikake (Oaktown Spice Shop) at the table. My avocados were about a day too firm, so I found a Korean Mayak avocado recipe and since the marinade is very similar to that of the fish (I used very little garlic--I would imagine it could be omitted), it was perfect. My friend (Japan Studies major) loved it!

MDBro

Great recipe! Did some small tweaks as I find 1/4 cup soy sauce for a pound of fish is too much. I only used probably 1.5 tbsp to let the fish flavor shine. I also did not pour the sauce over everything. I just provided soy sauce, mayo, crispy fried onions, different types of furikake and hot sauces to allow for easy customization. A big hit!

Casey

INSPIRATION! Just what was needed to get back to a healthier way of eating. Thanks for a great recipe that we can each make our own! Yummy ;o) Note: I substituted the rice for a quinoa /cauliflower rice mix.

Lib17

Aldis has ahi tuna in 4oz frozen portions. Great price and very convient. Let it thaw a little then cut into chunks when still a little frozen. Easier cutting that way. I marinate it in soy, sesame oil, a little coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar, red pepper flakes. Delicious.

Bougeotte

I've used canned fish, sliced hard-boiled egg, tempeh, etc. as my protein, and always the edamame. It may not be authentic poke, but it is tasty!

MTrang

Delicious and versatile recipe. Added cooked salmon teriyaki since we didn’t have time or budget for sushi grade fish. Also used a small amount of steamed cubed Japanese sweet potato instead of mango. Wonderful flavors and textures.

SusanX

Delightful and easy recipe. I followed the recipe, after hunting down some sashimi-grade tuna along with seaweed salad. I’m sure it would taste good with many variations, but the standard recipe is a good starting point if you have access to the ingredients.

CGB

This looks excellent and I would love to eat it. My problem with it is that I would have to spend at least $50 on ingredients to make it and I am only one person. At that rate, it would be more time and cost effective to purchase a poke bowl after work.

Brian

Check the Seafood Watch app to make sure your fish isn’t coming from a doomed fishery. E.g. all bluefin fisheries are considered depleted/overfished.

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