Poke bowls look and taste impressive and are surprisingly easy to make at home.
Poke bowls are a tradition in the Hawaiian islands, and locally they seem to be popping up on the menus of most fresh seafood restaurants. These colorful, customizable bowls are so versatile and surprisingly easy to make at home.
The word poke refers to raw, cut, marinated fish layered on top of rice with fresh-cut vegetables and some sort of sauce. The first time I created my own poke bowl I had just picked up freshly cut bluefin tuna from my local seafood market. I frequent this seafood market often, and although they always have ahi tuna, I was eager to taste the raw freshness of local bluefin tuna. [Read more about a local tuna fisherman featured on Discovery Channel’s Wicked Tuna at lifeinbrunswickcounty.com/fishing-with-the-underdogs/.
The difference in yellowfin, or ahi tuna, and bluefin tuna is the fin color. Ahi tuna has yellow fins and is a bit more in abundance, while the ever-coveted and usually expensive bluefin tuna has blue fins and is harder to come by. Yellowfin tuna is leaner with a lighter taste and usually lacks the fat content that runs through bluefin tuna.
Other than the tuna, the ingredients for this recipe can be found at your local grocery store. Even the edamame can be found in the freezer section in little packets.
If you don’t like some of the ingredients I have offered in this recipe, feel free to change it up. As I said before, this recipe is completely customizable. You can use salmon instead of tuna or sticky rice instead of brown rice. If you do not like green onions, then use a sweeter onion or incorporate radishes – even tomatoes would be a good component. Many people do not like spicy sauces so you can certainly use soy sauce instead. The options are endless!
Any way you choose to serve your poke bowl, I am sure your taste buds will be happy and you will feel good for supporting local fishermen!
| Servings |
Bowls
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- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups raw fresh ahi tuna,bluefin tuna or any higher grade tuna cut into cubes
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 avocado peeled and sliced thin
- 1 cup cucumber chopped into cubes
- 1 cup edamame
- 1 cup purple cabbage chopped into thin 1" pieces
- 1 cup carrots julienned
- 1 cup mango chopped into cubes
- 1 cup green onion chopped
- tuxedo sesame seeds
- slices of lime
- 1 garlic clove finely grated
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons Sriracha
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- pinch of salt
Ingredients
For the Bowl
For the Sriracha Mayo Sauce
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- In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the Sriracha Mayo sauce, cover and store in the refrigerator overnight.
- In a large bowl whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and red pepper flakes. Add the tuna chunks and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to an hour.
- Meanwhile, divide the rice in the bottom of two serving bowls.
- Top the rice, in small individual piles around the bowl, with the avocado, cucumber, edamame, cabbage carrots, mango and drained tuna. (Tip: Reserve the tuna marinade and use it as an additional sauce if it seems too dry for your liking).
- Drizzle each bowl with the Sriracha Mayo Sauce.
- Garnish with sprinklings of green onions and tuxedo sesame seeds.
- Add a slice of lime and chopsticks. Enjoy!
