Hey guys and welcome back. You know we love seafood like Reno fresh fish and living in Southern California means that I am just a hop skip and a jump away from Hawaii. So over the years, I have been fortunate to have traveled all of the different Hawaiian islands and enjoy delicious Hawaiian cuisine. And that includes today’s recipe for poke bowls.

Poke Bowl has gained popularity

Now here on the mainland, poke bowl popularity has gone absolutely bonkers over the last couple of years with 100 different ways that you can customize a poke bowl. But in today’s recipe, I’m gonna share a simple, more traditional approach to poke bowls and one that really highlights the star of the dish which is the ahi tuna. So let’s dive in. If you’ve never had poke before, let me just clarify that it is pronounced poh-kay and not poh-kee or just poke. And I guess the simplest way to describe it is that it’s a deconstructed sushi roll. It has all of the same bits and pieces but it’s in a bowl rather than all wrapped up.

Favourite Dishes in Poke Bowl

Sushi Dish

We’ll start with a cup of sushi rice which is also known as sticky rice and give that a good rinse until the water is no longer cloudy. Then add that to a small pot with a cup and half of water. You’ll bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it cook for about 20 minutes. While our rice is cooking, we’ll grab our fresh ahi tuna and dice it up. Now because we are eating this raw, just as we would sushi or sashimi, you do wanna grab sushi grade ahi tuna and it should be this gorgeous watermelon red color. Then with a very sharp knife, dice it up into bite-size pieces. To make our marinade for the ahi, we’ll add a 1/4 cup of tamari or coconut aminos, a teaspoon of sesame oil, and a teaspoon of white rice vinegar to a bowl and give it a stir. Then add the ahi and make sure that all of the pieces are fully coated. Next, we’ll slice up a green onion, add that to the ahi, give it a good stir and let it marinade for about 10 to 15 minutes which should be just about when our rice is done. And the only thing left for us to do is slice up an english cucumber into very thin pieces and dice up an avocado right before serving. Now I should also mention at this time that most poke bowls that you find in restaurants are not gluten free because either soy sauce or ponzu sauce is used. And the sticky rice is often made with Japanese rice vinegar or rice wine that does contain gluten. I’ll have more info about this in the blog post link below but just be super careful if you’re eating poke bowls out. And of course, it’s one more reason why I do love to make them at home. When our rice is done, fluff it up a bit and this will be a little harder than normal rice as it is sticky. Then add a few spoonfuls to a bowl. Top the rice with a few generous spoonfuls of ahi tuna and place several slices of cucumber and bits of avocado all around the ahi. Then add a small handful of micro greens and sprinkle on both white and black sesame seeds. And there you have it. A delicious gluten free ahi tuna poke bowl.

Salmon Poké Bowl

If you like it raw, then you’re gonna love this salmon poké bowl. It’s so fresh and full of flavor. It’ll satisfy your needs. First, we need to prepare the fish. I have a beautiful fillet of wild salmon right here. You can use tuna, but salmon. It’s like the butter of the sea. Just make sure the skin and the bones are removed and all you have to do is cube it up. You can make the pieces as big or small as you like. I like good, bite-sized pieces. And just place everything in a bowl. Next, make sushi rice. Place that in a pot with some water and bring it up to a boil. Once it boils, cover it up, reduce the heat, then after 15 minutes, turn off the heat, give it a little fluff, and with the heat off, put the lid back on and leave it for another five minutes. Now, we could season the rice. So I’ve got a little rice wine vinegar with just a little sugar and salt, then just whisk it until the sugar is dissolved. You just spoon a little bit over the rice. Mix it up. Make sure you’re not mushing the rice too much. You just kind of cut in through it. Awesome! Now, we’re going to add some seasoned seaweed. First, I’m gonna take a little snack. Mmm. And then, add the rest. Just sprinkle it in. This step is optional. Well, if you think about it, everything in life is optional, right? That just gets mixed in. Now, I have a whole bunch of delicious things happening here. You can season them any way you’d like. This is just my favorite combination. So I have some soy sauce, just a little bit at a time, you can taste as you go. Some sesame oil, a nice bite from rice wine vinegar, just very little of this. Some lime juice, I like a little bit of heat. Put some sriracha. You go as heavy or as light on this as you want. And finally, some chopped up scallions. Boom! That’s it, super simple, and all you have to do is mix it up. Ohhh, you guys. This smells so good. The rice is ready, the fish is ready, now, I’m ready for some toppings. I got an avocado here. Just gonna slice that up. Tadaa! I’m so impressed by avocados. Just make a few thin slices. Now, it’s time to plate up. Just get a good scoop of rice. It’s great if the rice is just a little warm but not too hot. Top the rice with that beautiful salmon. The sliced avocado on the side. Look at that fan. So fancy! For a little crunch, some sliced cucumber. Since I like a lot of texture, I like to add roasted seaweed and lastly, some black and white sesame seeds. Look at that. Damn gorgeous. And there you have it, salmon poké bowl. I cannot wait to dig into this.