So many Poke Bowl recipes disappoint with bland dressings and tasteless rice…. Skip the store bought! Homemade really IS tastier, you get to top it with what you want and it’s a heck of a lot cheaper too!!!
Poke Bowl recipe
I may be a true-blue Aussie, but the Japanese blood in my veins demands that Poke Bowls be more than just another trendy “healthy” recipe that tastes just okay…..
So here are the 3 things that will make you fall in love with this Poke Bowl even if you’ve had meh Poke Bowl experiences in the past!!
A really great Poke Dressing – this is the main flavour carrier in Poke Bowls, it’s gotta be great! But all too often, the Dressing falls short. This one is gingery, sesame-y and has complexity from Mirin which makes all the difference!
Better flavour in the fish! The raw fish is usually served in big cubes or thick slices “sashimi style” which are then drizzled with Dressing. I love it tartare style, finely chopped then tossed in Dressing -> delivers way more flavour and is a great flavour carrier through the rice! PLUS less fish goes further – sashimi grade fish is expensive!
Seasoned sushi rice – so much better than just plain white rice, it’s tasty enough to eat plain! This is the same rice used to make sashimi and sushi rolls. I make it the Western way to a Japanese standard using just a stove and a pan (rather than rice cooker and wooden sushi rice bowl).
It’s pronounced “poke-ay” bowls, it rhymes with “okay”. But I always mispronounce it “poke”, as in rhymes with “bloke”!
Are Poke Bowls healthy?
The toppings certainly are – a small amount of lean raw fish and plenty of fresh vegetables. Just go easy on the rice if you’re counting calories because it’s a carb – the seasoned sushi rice is so tasty (especially when mixed up with the marinated fish and the dressing), it’s way too easy to eat loads of it!
What goes in poke bowls
This is what Poke Bowls have in them:
Sushi rice – white rice seasoned with a slightly sweet/salty vinegar;
Dressing / marinade – I call it a marinade, but the fish is only tossed in for mere seconds, that’s all it needs!
Raw fish – it must be sashimi grade fish, suitable for eating raw.
Vegetables that are finely cut or shredded (sometimes pickled) and a dressing / marinade; and
Garnish – like sesame seeds, crispy Asian fried shallots, green onion. Optional, but a nice finish!
There are no rules about what vegetables to use, and you can also use any type of fish you want – more on this below.
Best fish for poke bowls
Just like other raw fish dishes such as Ceviche and fish tartare, Poke bowls can be made with any fish suitable for eating raw in sashimi form. Tuna is the classic for Poke Bowls, and salmon is also very popular.
Other fish suitable for poke bowls include: kingfish, ocean trout, swordfish, yellow tail, trevally and bonito. These are all fish that the Japanese use for sashimi because they have soft flesh that are relatively mild flavoured.
In comparison, fish like snapper and cod have chewy, sinewy flesh when raw which is why it’s not used for sashimi.
How to tell if fish can be eaten raw?
Fish suitable for eating raw is sold labelled as “sashimi-grade fish”. It’s higher quality and fresher than fish sold for cooking – and usually more expensive. But you don’t need much per serving – only about 80g / 2.5 oz!
Poke bowl dressing / marinade
I call this a marinade but it’s barely one because I don’t do anything more than toss the fish in for a mere second before piling it onto the rice. Fish chopped this small is very delicate, so it doesn’t need marinating time – the dressing that coats the fish pieces will penetrate into the small pieces while you’re plating up and eating it.
You’ll find that the tuna is soaked with plenty of flavour so once it’s all mixed up with the rice, it doesn’t need much more dressing. But it does need some, so this recipe makes enough marinade/dressing so you’re left with some to drizzle over everything.
How to make poke bowls
I keep reading everywhere about how quick ‘n easy Poke Bowls are to make. And the veggies and fish are – but if you want to make a tasty sushi rice for the poke bowls, it does take a good 45 minutes or so!
Cook sushi rice – rice cooked the normal way which is then gently mixed with a sweet-salty vinegar mixture, then left to cool to absorb the flavour. See below for step photos.
Dressing/marinade – Quick mix job
Sashimi fish – dice it up like you’re chopping an onion! (OK, I lie – use a more gentle touch 😂)
Slice / dice / shred veggies into eating-friendly size, pile onto rice in bowls.
Toss fish into Dressing then immediately transfer onto rice. DO NOT leave to marinate – will make fish too salty and also “cure” it slightly, altering the texture.
Drizzle remaining Dressing over the bowls then serve immediately!
How to make Sushi Rice for Poke Bowls
While many Poke Bowls are made with plain rice, I like to use flavoured sushi rice, the same rice used to make Sushi Rolls and Sashimi. It’s a particular type of white rice sold labelled as “Sushi Rice” on the packets.
It’s a short grain white rice that is kind of sticky which makes it suitable for forming into little mounds to make sashimi and into rolls to make sushi rolls. For Poke Bowls, it makes it easy(ier!) to pick the rice up with chopsticks.
To make sushi rice, a vinegar + sugar + salt Sushi Rice Seasoning is poured over the rice while hot so it absorbs the flavour as it cools. It seems wet and sticky at first, but as it cools, the rice absorbs the flavour and dries out to the perfect sticky sushi rice texture!
The traditional way to make sushi rice (ie the way it is made by the Japanese) involves a rice cooker and large wooden sushi rice mixing bowl.
The Nagi way to make sushi rice to a Japanese standard involves a saucepan and glass 9 x 13″ pan!
Great hot weather food – and “trendy” to impress!
Poke Bowls are a terrific hot weather food, given they’re intended to be eaten at room temperature.
Plus, there’s the added bonus of being so “on trend”, right? 😂 Being all the rage that Poke Bowls currently are!
And though today I’ve shared a Poke Bowl recipe made with raw tuna, in fact, you could make this with cooked fish, shellfish or shrimp/prawns. Just cook, then chop or flake, then follow the same steps to toss in Dressing and pile onto rice. I know using cooked salmon and even canned tuna for Poke Bowls is a bit of a favourite amongst some of my friends! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Tuna Poke Bowl
Ingredients
Sushi Rice:
- 2 cups sushi rice , rinsed (Note 1)
- 2 1/2 cups water
Sushi Rice Seasoning:
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar (Note 2)
- 2 tsp sugar , white
- 1/4 tsp salt
Ginger Marinade Dressing:
- 1 1/2 tbsp light or all purpose soy sauce (Note 3)
- 2 tsp dark soy (Note 3)
- 2 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil (Note 4)
- 2 tbsp mirin (Note 5)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar (Note 2)
- 2 1/2 tsp chilli paste or Sriracha
- 1 1/2 tsp grated ginger , fresh
Poke Bowl:
- 350g / 12oz sashimi grade tuna (or salmon, trout or kingfish), diced 0.7cm / 1/4″ dice (Note 7)
- 1 small carrot , finely julienned
- 1 cucumber , deseeded and finely diced (Note 7)
- 1 small avocado , peeled and cut into 8 wedges (or dice)
- 6 red radish , finely sliced
- 1 cup shelled edamame , boiled or steamed per packet (Note 8)
- 1 green onion , finely sliced on the diagonal
- Black sesame seeds
Instructions
Sushi Rice:
- Place water and rice in a large saucepan over medium high heat, no lid.
- As soon as it comes to a boil (see video), lower heat to medium low, place lid on and leave for 18 – 20 minutes or until water is completely absorbed). DO NOT stir, DO NOT remove lid!
- Remove from stove with lid still on and leave undisturbed for 15 minutes.
Sushi Rice Seasoning:
- Mix Sushi Seasoning ingredients until sugar dissolves.
- Spread rice out into large pan (23 x 33cm / 9 x 13"), drizzle half Seasoning all over.
- Using a rice paddle OR rubber spatula, cut through the rice and gently fold the rice over (see video!) to mix the Seasoning through.
- After 1 minute of mixing, drizzle remaining Seasoning then cut/fold for 1 minute. Will look wet but will absorb in next step.
- Leave rice to cool to warm or room temp (if you can stick it in front of a fan, that's even better!) – about 20 minutes.
Poke Bowl Assembly:
- Dressing: Mix ingredients in a bowl.
- Divide rice between bowls. Top with radish, carrot, edamame and avocado.
- Place tuna in Dressing and toss (no need to marinate), then immediately transfer onto rice.
- Sprinkle cucumber over the top (mainly on tuna), then green onion and sesame seeds.
- Drizzle over remaining Dressing then serve!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More things to make with sparkling fresh fish!
More great hot weather meals
Anything you can throw on a BBQ
Life of Dozer
Currently in VIETNAM making the first RecipeTin Eats foodie travel video!!!
This fur ball is the reason I no longer travel overseas as much as I used to. I just love him so damn much, and I hate leaving him behind – even though I know perfectly well he’s at a 24-7 party with his best friends at the Golden Retriever Boarders’ house!!
Made this last night for my family birthday dinner. I got the butcher to cut the pork into two pieces, I prepared everything and dropped half to my my daughter and her partners house for the final cooking and then we met up for a virtual dinner on Zoom. Not the birthday dinner I was expecting but the food was amazing and the virtual company great.
Hi Nagi.. not a fan of seafood.. could i make it with chicken? Any tips??
You could do it with chicken – same recipe but just cook the chicken in a skillet and then add to the bowl 🙂
Could you make this with tofu instead of the tuna? Would I need to change anything?
Hi Maz – you can, however I would sear the tofu 🙂 N x
This is another wonderful recipe from you! It was so delicious . Thought we would have some left but my hubby ate the leftovers.
😂 I suppose that’s compliments to the chef Cindy!! N x
Holy Mother of heavenly foods! Soooooooo good. I made as recipe called for but had to use plain rice, I live in the boon-docks. 2.5 hour drive to store with sushi rice. Also, due to soy allergy I had to sub coconut aminos for soy sauce and leave out the edamame. I will make this often. Thanks for such a fantastic recipe Nagi!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Christiana!!!
This was delicious!
I live in rural nsw so unfortunately we have no fresh edamame available and also had to time making this with the same day that the fish van from the coast delivers once a week🤦♀️. It was totally worth it. The dressing was amazing! This whole bowl was a winner. Even our twelve year old was a huge fan.
I made this tonight, it was so delicious!
I’m so glad you loved it Ayra!
I was wondering if this could be used as a meal prep for the week? Looks unreal!
Hi Matt, You could, I’d just keep the dressing separate ❤️
Nagi is my hero. I have never made anything from her that I did not love and this was no exception! Loved it. Added Furikake and Nogashari at the end. Pickled the green onion and it was amazing!
Sounds fantastic Suzanne!!
Hi Nagi, another fabulous looking recipe – I just can’t wait to try it! ☺ I have a question about your veggie shredder: Do you mind sharing the brand & where we might find it in Canada? I have a “Bõrner” from Germany &, altho it shreds well, the handle is awkward to hold – yours looks simple, efficient & very user friendly. Good luck with your project, I’m sure it will be a big hit! 🙋
This was a perfect summer dinner for my family. I used imitation crab meat instead of the tuna because we don’t generally eat raw fish. I love how this tastes like sushi, but it is much easier to prepare and eat. Thank you!
That would have been divine Jocelyn!!!
Oh my goodness! This was delicious!!! I could of licked my bowl clean, and I have to admit to eating my husbands leftovers…. crazy man leaving some of that yumminess! The rice turned out perfectly thanks to ur no fail instructions, now I have nailed this I’m feeling your Laksa for tomorrow! I couldn’t find roasted sesame oil anywhere I used black sesame oil, because it was a dark colour, not the yellow, is the roasted still different to that?
Thanks again for your fabulousness!
You’re so welcome Tania!! The black sesame is a fine substitute – N x
OMG, this looks fantastic! I will have to make a keto version! 🙂
You’ll love it Ines!
Hi, can you cook the rice in the microwave?
I love poke bowls!! I’ve always been too hesitant to make my own but with your clear instructions I have the confidence to grey it! Thank you for all your recipes – and please never stop sharing Dozer photos!
You’re so welcome Vanessa, I hope you give it a go, it really is easy when you break down the steps – N x
Have been scanning the ever-so-fashionable poke bowls awhile thinking that for the first time in my life I was too old-fashioned to follow a craze ! Well,, now I have read your lesson I’m out of the door to get the fish! You have made matters very clear and I shall be preparing it in the classic way: raw fish and sashimi rice. Am a purist that way . . . and I know it will be delightful. Love the carbs – we need them for healthy energy ! Hope you are having a fabulous time !!
The protein from the tuna helps reduce the insulin spike from the rice, so it’s all good!
You have to try it at least once Eha, and nothing wrong with carbs, the sushi rice totally makes this dish! – N x
Perfect timing for this recipe Nagi! I made sushi rice for the first time in ages this wkend (which was ok but not great, so will def try your way) and my girls and I used it to make hand shaped salmon nigiri. I said I’d love to make a poke bowl next time and here it is in my inbox 😉 Many thanks for all your great recipes and enjoy your time in Vietnam!! Greetings from rainy Cape Town, South Africa
Thanks so much Lydia! I hope you give this one a go, I’m sure you’ll love it – N x