The Ultimate Poke Bowl

In this recipe we show you how to make the absolute best bowl of Poke you’ve ever eaten! Our Ultimate Poke Bowl combines sashimi grade Salmon, Tuna, and Shrimp and serves them up in a bowl of Sushi Rice topped with a load of fresh Fruit and Vegetables. The Salmon and Tuna are dressed with a classic Ponzu-style Poke Sauce, while the Shrimp is dressed with its own unique spicy Mayo Sauce. While it may seem like a lot of work, this is a very simple dish to make, and the flavors are simply amazing. This is a healthy and delicious meal that’s perfect for a midweek dinner

The elements of The Ultimate Poke Bowl

For this amazing Poke recipe there are a few different elements to prepare. The good news is that they’re all very easy to make, and can be prepared in advance, which will make assembly and serving super-simple

Sashimi grade Fish

We’ll kick off the dish by talking about the star of the show, the Seafood. Typically, when you get a Poke Bowl from the store you can choose between Salmon, Shrimp, or Tuna. In our recipe we’re combining all three into one delicious dish!

When it comes to Salmon and Tuna you want to make sure that you are purchasing Sashimi grade Seafood. This is very important, so be sure to look for specific signage at the store. If unsure, speak to the Fish Monger to ensure you are getting the right fish. It may cost a little extra, but it is well worth it for this dish

Unlike the Salmon and Tuna, the Shrimp is cooked before it’s added to The Ultimate Poke Bowl. You can easily poach your own Shrimp at home if you like. Otherwise, do what we did and simply buy some pre-cooked Shrimp. There are sometimes risks when buying pre-cooked Shrimp as it can be overcooked. If you’re unsure, buy the raw stuff and cook it yourself

To prepare the Fish, simply remove any skin from the Salmon and then cut the Fish into uniform sized chunks. I like to cut them pretty chunky, about one forkful in size. Try to cut them as evenly as possible and then set aside

Cooking the Shrimp (if required)

Poaching Shrimp at home is very easy. All you need to do is bring a pot of water to the boil and season it with some aromatics. I like a combination of Salt, Pepper, and some Garlic Cloves. Drop in the Shrimp, cover the pot, and immediately remove it from the heat. Allow the residual heat to poach the Shrimp until they’re cooked (about 3 – 5 minutes depending on the size of the Shrimp)

Once the Shrimp is cooked, immediately remove it from the hot water and run it under cold water or place it in an ice bath. It’s important to stop the cooking process, as the Shrimp will continue to cook once it’s removed from the pot

Cooking Sushi Rice

The Ultimate Poke Bowl isn’t complete without Sushi Rice. You don’t need to be a Sushi Grand Master either to make delicious Sushi Rice at home. Simply add 1 cup of Sushi Rice to 1 ½ cups of Boiling Water in a Saucepan. Drop the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes

After 10 minutes, remove the pot from the heat but leave the lid on. Like the Shrimp, the residual heat in the pot will continue to cook the Rice. Leave it for a further 10 minutes and it’ll be cooked! Transport the Rice to a large bowl (I like to use a Salad Bowl) and then add a pinch of Salt, some Rice Wine Vinegar, and White Sugar

Mix everything through and your Sushi Rice is now complete. It will have a wonderful flavor and texture, offering the perfect base for you to build a delicious Poke Bowl. While the Sushi Rice is cooking you can complete the remaining elements of this dish

Making the delicious Sauces

Unlike a Ceviche, Poke doesn’t require the Seafood to marinade in a sauce to ‘cook’ it. The sauce is purely there to enhance the flavor of the Seafood, which is served completely raw. For The Ultimate Poke Bowl, we prepare two different types of Sauces; a classic Ponzu Sauce for the Fish, and a Spicy Mayo for the Shrimp

For the Ponzu Sauce, combine Soy Sauce, Ponzu Sauce, and Sesame Oil in a bowl. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. You can find Ponzu Sauce in the international aisle of most supermarkets

For the Spicy Mayo Sauce, combine Mayonnaise (use Japanese Kewpie Mayo if you can) with Lemon Juice, Salt, and some Chili Oil. We used the Chili Oil from Asian Chili Crisps, and it worked so well. If you don’t have any, you can try adding a little bit of Chili Sauce or Sweet Chili Sauce as a replacement

Once your Sauces are done you can add the Seafood to them and mix well to coat. We don’t need to leave them for any time, however. So, you combine the Seafood with the Sauces right before serving if you like

Preparing the Fruit and Vegetables and serving

For our Poke Bowl we’re using a classic combination of ingredients including Cucumber, Tomatoes, Radishes, Scallions, and Red Onion. If you like you can also try adding summer fruits like Mangoes or Strawberries. We prepared this dish in the Winter, so didn’t include those fruits

Roughly chop up the Tomatoes and set aside. We recommend using a Mandoline to finely slice the Radishes and Cucumber, however you can just use a sharp knife and cut them (carefully!) Thinly slice the Red Onions and set aside

Chop the Scallions into sticks and then pan fry them over a medium high heat in the frying pan with a little bit of Neutral Oil. Allow the Scallions to char and then set them aside to cool. The addition of the Fried Scallions gives a wonderful aroma, flavor, and texture to the dish

Assembly

The final step in The Ultimate Poke Bowl is assembly. I like to keep the individual components separate in the bowl like they do in the Poke Shops. So, begin by laying a base of Sushi Rice and then add components of your ingredients around the bowl. Alternatively, just mix everything together and plate on top of the Rice

Make sure your Fish is well coated in Ponzu Sauce, and the Shrimp is generously coated in Spicy Mayo. Add both to the bowl and then finish by garnishing the dish with Cilantro. You’ll have some leftover Sauce so you can serve them in separate bowls on the side at the table

We also added some Pickled Ginger to the dish which is an optional step. Adding some pickled elements does bring an additional uniqueness to the dish, so if you have some on hand we highly recommend utilizing them. This amazing Poke Bowl is so tasty, you’ll be amazed at how healthy it is

The Ultimate Poke Bowl Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ lb. Sashimi Grade Salmon
• ½ lb. Sashimi Grade Tuna
• ½ lb. cooked Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ½ cup Cherry Tomatoes, diced
• ½ Cucumber, finely sliced
• ½ Red Onion, finely sliced
• ¼ cup Cilantro, roughly chopped
• 3 Radishes, finely sliced
• 3 Scallion Stalks, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. Vegetable Oil
• 1 tbsp. Pickled Ginger (optional)
  
  

Sushi Rice Ingredients

• 1 cup of Sushi Rice
• 1 ½ cups of Water
• 1 tsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 tsp. White Sugar
• 1 tsp. Furikake Seasoning
  
  

Fish Ponzu Poke Sauce Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. Ponzu Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
• ½ tsp. Sesame Oil
  
  

Shrimp Poke Sauce Ingredients

• ¼ cup Kewpie Mayonnaise
• Juice of ½ Lemon
• ½ tsp. Chili Oil
• Pinch of Salt
  
  

Equipment needed: Mandoline

Instructions

1. Begin by preparing the Sushi Rice. Bring 1 ½ cups of Water to boil in a saucepan then add the Sushi Rice. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes
2. Remove from heat but keep lid on for a further 10 minutes to continue cooking. Once cooked, place the Sushi Rice in a large bowl and mix through with Rice Wine Vinegar and White Sugar then set aside
3. While the Rice is cooking, make the Fish Poke Sauce and Shrimp Poke Sauce by combining all the ingredients into 2 bowls (1 for the Fish Poke Sauce, the other for the Shrimp Poke Sauce)
4. Prepare the Fruit and Vegetables for your Poke by slicing them using a Mandoline. Lightly fry the Scallions in a frying pan with 1 tsp. of Vegetable Oil over medium high heat until charred
5. Cut the Seafood into bite sized Chunks. Add the Tuna and Salmon to the Ponzu Sauce and the Shrimp to the Spicy Mayo Sauce. Mix well to coat
6. To plate, add a generous amount of Sushi Rice to the bottom of the bowl. Season with Furikake and then add the Fruit and Veg. Add a generous amount of Tuna, Salmon, and Shrimp
7. Finish by garnishing the bowl with Cilantro and the Pickled Ginger and serve
   
   

Recipe Notes

• If you need to cook the Shrimp, peel and devein them and then place in a pot of boiling water. Remove from heat and cover for 4 – 5 minutes to poach. Once cooked, run the Shrimp under cold Water and set aside
• You can replace Chili Oil with Chili Sauce or Sweet Chili Sauce
  
  

The Ultimate Poke Bowl simply cannot be beat for flavors. The combination of the two types of sauces and three different Seafoods makes every bite so unique and flavorful. It’s a simple dish to make, and showcases the truly amazing flavors of this famous Hawaiian dish

For more healthy and tasty Seafood meals, check out these delicious recipes:

• Tuna Tartare with Peas
• Salmon Poke Bowl
• Poached Shrimp Salad with Sundried Tomatoes
• Grilled Mackerel with Romesco Sauce
  
  

Happy Cooking!