Salmon poke bowl

This salmon poke bowl is such a wonderful mix of seasoned fresh fish over rice with a couple of veggie sides for added flavor and texture. It's a delicious combination, and comes together quickly with just a few ingredients.

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As with many people, I imagine, I first came across poke bowls from a trendy store in town. People lined up to pick their base, fish and toppings piled high to enjoy for lunch. I was among them now and then, treating myself as I had a bit of downtime when my youngest was in preschool.

Since then, I have been able to enjoy the 'real thing' in Hawaii as well which is considerably simpler. And, I would argue, better as you appreciate the fish and delicate flavors much more. Plus, it's easier to recreate at home as you don't need such a huge stock of ingredients.

What is a poke bowl?

Poke bowls have evolved from the basic poke dish, which is a traditional Hawaiian way of preparing raw fish. Poke is traditionally made with ahi tuna, but since it's expensive, it can also be made with other fish.

Poke is made by cutting the fish in to cubes and mixing them with a simple marinade, usually seasoned soy sauce of soy, rice vinegar or citrus, a little sugar and some sesame oil.

It draws on the Hawaiian influences from Japan as well as the abundance of fresh, high quality fish on the islands.

A poke bowl classically combines the poke itself with a rice base and often some vegetables and other toppings. These days, in the mainland US in particular, you might see the rice replaced with salad, quinoa and other bases, and the toppings have become numerous and varied.

While traditionalists may not be a fan of how they have evolved, as long as you realize they're not really Hawaiian these days, they're a tasty and fun option.

At the same time, though, as I say, it's worth going relatively simple to really appreciate what it's all about.

Here I have used salmon instead of the more traditional tuna as it's that bit more cost effective. Having said that, you want to make sure you go for a very good quality, fresh, sushi grade fish. You are going to taste it, and the fish is raw so try to minimize risk.

Steps to make this dish

Putting together a poke bowl really takes no time at all. All you do is:

• Rinse and cook the rice.
• Dice the fish and combine with the simple dressing.
• Chop the vegetables to go on the side.
• Put the rice at the base of your bowl, top with the fish and other toppings. Garnish, as you choose.

I've kept the additional toppings to simply avocado and cucumber. The cucumber adds a nice crunch, the avocado a creaminess, that both go well and don't overpower the fish. You could add other things too, like edamame or radish, which have similar qualities.

This salmon poke bowl is so quick and easy to make, fantastic for lunch and so easy to change up. I've given a pretty easy and common set of ingredients below. I think they work well for both flavor and color, but really, experiment and go with what you have and enjoy.

Enjoy dishes with raw fish? Try these!

• Hoedeopbap (Korean sashimi rice bowl)
• Salmon tartare
• Tuna tataki (gently seared, true, but almost raw and still delicious!)
• Scallop ceviche (arguably cured with citrus but so good).

Plus get more lunch recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

This post was first shared in May 2019 and has been updated primarily with a few minor recipe tweaks, added video and new photos.

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