Satisfy your sushi cravings at home without all the fuss of wrapping and rolling with this simple spicy salmon poke bowl recipe.
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Ah, poke bowls. Have you tried them? They’re basically little cubes of marinated, sushi-grade fish served over rice in bowl form.
It starts with poke (pro tip: it’s pronounced POH-keh), which is a fish salad that is very popular in Hawaii. It can be as simple or complex as you want to make it, and bonus points for the fact that most of it can be prepped in advance.
It’s pretty much the sushi equivalent of a burrito bowl.
The only thing that takes much hands-on time when making this gorgeous bowl is making proper sushi rice. It’s not difficult, but fanning your rice to cool it off while you stir/turn the rice is a key step to ensure that it has the proper texture.
A bit of seasoned rice vinegar is sprinkled onto the hot rice during this process, which absorbs into the rice and gives it its unique flavor. According to Rachael AKA La Fuji Mama:
Fanning the rice facilitates quick cooling, which gelatinizes the surface of the rice and gives a glossy finish to the rice.
There are a lot of great tips in her post on sushi rice, if you want to learn more about the method.
I love using my Instant Pot to cook all types of rice, and that now includes sushi rice! You can also do it on the stovetop – just follow the package instructions. And be sure to rinse your rice a few times to remove excess starch for whichever method you use.
Of course, you can also pick up an order of sushi rice from your favorite sushi spot for a few dollars and make this dish even simpler to assemble at home. I’m all about you doing whatever you need to do to get this deliciousness in your life, stat!
One of the key things that you’re looking for when making sushi or poke at home is to get sushi grade fish. Sushi grade fish is required to have been previously frozen, which safeguards against any parasites that would make it otherwise unsafe to consume raw.
You can usually find sushi grade fish at a Japanese or Korean market, if you have one in your area, or in the freezer section at many health food stores. The salmon that I used here is some that I picked up frozen from Whole Foods a while back.
And if you buy it still frozen, it makes it easier to enjoy whenever you’re ready – just give it enough time to thaw and you’re good to go!
While the ingredient list may look long, I promise you this recipe is very doable. The marinade can be whisked up in a snap, and the toppings can be anything you have on hand and can be cut up in advance.
I think this particular combination of toppings works especially well, but use what you have, and remember that colorful garnishes make it that much more enjoyable.
If you do happen to find yourself at an Asian market, be sure to scope out the furikake section. Furikake is a very versatile Japanese seasoning that comes in all sorts of flavor combinations and is great sprinkled over rice. The one I used has little bits of seaweed, sesame seeds, fish flakes, sugar, and salt.
Most poke bowls that I’ve seen out and about focus on tuna, but since my family’s go-to sushi selection (even my 5-year-old!) is a spicy salmon roll, I figured this would be a fun combo.
It worked out beautifully and was totally delicious. Perfect for hot summer days! And I could drizzle that spicy mayo on pretty much anything and be a happy camper. YUM.
Looking for more ways to enjoy seafood? Check out some of our favorite recipes:
- Pan-Seared Salmon with Lemon-Dill Butter + Roasted Purple Sweet Potatoes
- Bluecoast’s Raw Tuna with Pickled Peach & Corn Relish
- Bavarian Grilled Sand Shark with Lemon + Dill
- Smoked Salmon Roll-ups
- Crispy Skinned Salmon Over Red Lentils with Caper Dill Yogurt Sauce
- Garlicky Beer + Tarragon Steamed Mussels
- Lemony Almond Crusted Cod with Homemade Mayo-Free Tartar Sauce
- Julia Child’s Wine Poached Sea Scallops Poached with Fines Herbes
- Smoky Seared Scallops with Roasted Fennel, Rainbow Carrots + Popped Sorghum
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Satisfy your sushi cravings at home without all the fuss of wrapping and rolling with this simple spicy salmon poke bowl recipe.
Ingredients
For Salmon:
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sambal oelek (chili garlic sauce)
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 12 ounces sushi grade salmon, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
For Sushi Rice:
- 2 cups sushi rice, rinsed well
- 2–4 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
For Spicy Mayonnaise:
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
For Bowl:
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
- 2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced
- 1/2 cup microgreens
- Furikake, to taste
Instructions
- Marinate Salmon: In a medium bowl, whisk together tamarin, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and green onions. Add cubed salmon and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Make Sushi Rice: Meanwhile, cook sushi rice according to package directions, making sure to rinse it well beforehand. Once cooked, transfer to a wide, shallow bowl. Sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar and use a rice paddle or spatula to lift and turn the rice, fanning it as you go, to incorporate the vinegar evenly and cool the rice. Add another tablespoon and continue fanning and turning the rice. Taste for seasoning to decide if you want to add more vinegar still, and continue turning and fanning the rice until totally cool. Cover with a damp towel or plastic rice until ready to use.
- Make Spicy Mayo: Mix together mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Assemble Poke Bowls: Place 1/2 cup of sushi rice on the bottom of each of 4 bowls (you may have rice leftover). Top each with 1/4 each of the marinated salmon, carrot, cucumber, avocado and microgreens. Sprinkle with furikake to taste, then drizzle with spicy mayonnaise.
Notes
Original Recipe by Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen – Ashley Covelli
Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars
Note: This post includes affiliate links for items that I genuinely enjoy. Big Flavors will receive a tiny commission from purchases made through affiliate links on this site at no added cost to you. This allows us to cover site-related expenses and helps to keep us cooking up a storm!
2 Comments
Michelle Nahom
I have never made a poke bowl but clearly that needs to change! This looks absolutely delicious!
Karen
This is such a gorgeous dish, and I love poke! I’ve only made tuna poke, and need to branch out. Your photos are gorgeous and I’m always drawn to your recipes.