Homemade Poke Bowl Recipe Easy Ahi Poke

For my Poke Bowl recipe, I marinate cubes of fresh tuna with sweet onions, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil to make a delicious Shoyu Poke. Then I layer this on top of a bowl of rice with a rainbow of veggies before finishing it off with a crunchy macadamia nut and sea salt topping. The best part about Poke Bowls is that you can change up the fish and vegetables on top to create an endless variety of Poke Bowls, so you and your family never get bored of this easy meal.

Why This Recipe Works?

A savory nutty marinade made from soy sauce and toasted sesame oil seasons and firms up the fish while providing a sauce that percolates down into the rice. Using a wide variety of vegetables loads the Poke Bowl up with fiber, vitamins, and minerals while making it a feast for the eyes. Topping the Tuna Poke with a mixture of chopped macadamia nuts and sea salt creates a crunchy texture that’s a nice contrast to the velvety tuna and crispy vegetables.

Ingredients for Poke Bowl

Tuna - Ahi Poke is traditionally made with either Bigeye or Yellowfin tuna (a.k.a. Ahi Tuna), but you can make this bowl with any fish you like as long as it’s been processed for eating raw. This means it needs to have been commercially frozen to eliminate parasites (home freezers don’t get cold enough), handled in a way to avoid cross-contamination, and held at a proper temperature after being defrosted. Soy sauce - There are many different styles of Poke in Hawaii, but for these bowls, I like using Shoyu Poke. Shoyu just means “soy sauce” in Japanese, and the savory condiment not only seasons the tuna, but it also firms up its texture while providing a sauce that seasons the rice and vegetables. If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, just use tamari soy sauce. Toasted sesame oil - Toasted sesame oil has a rich nutty flavor that compliments the briny tuna. Sugar - A small amount of sugar added to the marinade helps balance out the saltiness of the soy sauce while bringing out the natural sweetness of the onions. Honey will also work. Sweet onions - Sweet onions are a variety of onions grown in regions that have sandy, low-sulfur soil. They lack the pungent kick of regular onions, making them well suited for eating raw. If you can’t find them, you can “tame” regular onions by soaking them in a solution of baking soda and water (1 teaspoon per 2 cups of water) for 15-20 minutes. Toasted sesame seeds - Toasted sesame seeds add a nice texture to the Poke Bowl while giving it a marvelous nutty flavor. Macadamia nuts - Hawaiian Poke is traditionally topped with a mixture called inamona made with roasted candlenuts and sea salt. Candlenuts can be difficult to find, so Macadamia nuts make a good substitute. Sea salt - In Hawaii, Poke is often seasoned with Alaea salt. It’s a course sea salt with a reddish-orange color due to the iron-rich volcanic clay it contains, but any good finishing salt will work well for this dish. Vegetables - I used a mix of lettuce, shelled edamame, watermelon radish, and daikon sprouts, but you can use any combination of vegetables you have on hand. The key is to pick various vegetables that will give your Poke Bowl a broad array of textures, tastes, and colors. This not only makes it fun to eat, but it also ensures you have a good balance of nutrients. Other vegetables I like to include in my poke bowl are avocado, carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers, microgreens, green onions, and radishes. Seaweed salad and pickled sushi ginger are some other great toppings for poke bowl. Cooked rice - Poke bowls are usually served with cooked short grain rice. I’ve used plain unseasoned rice, but sushi rice, which is seasoned with rice vinegar, salt and sugar is a delicious option. If you’re trying to cut back on carbs, you can also serve this over quinoa, cauliflower rice, or bulgur.

How to Make Poke Bowl

Mix the salt and chopped macadamia nuts together in a bowl to make the crunchy inamona. Add the tuna, onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and sesame seeds to a medium bowl and stir the mixture together to make the Ahi Poke. Shoyu poke is best after it’s marinated for about fifteen minutes, but if you’re in a rush, you can serve it right away. By the way, if you’re looking for a version that uses candlenuts and alea salt, I have a recipe here. Now all you have to do is assemble the bowls. This makes enough poke for 2 servings, so I usually start with 2 portions of rice. I like serving this dish in a shallow bowl because it provides more surface area to cover with toppings. Then I start from the back of the bowl, layering on the veggies. Since the Tuna Poke is the main attraction, I’ll add that at the very front of the bowl and then garnish it with a sprinkle of inamona and some edamame.