Poke Bowl

By Naz Deravian

Updated August 18, 2024

  • A poke bowl shows marinated tuna, avocado, cucumbers, radishes, edamame, mango and seaweed salad on white rice in a white bowl.
    Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Rating
5(960)
Comments
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A vibrant mix of sushi-grade fish, sticky rice, crunchy vegetables and creamy avocado drizzled with spicy sriracha mayo, a poke bowl is just as much fun to look at as it is to eat. Poke, which roughly translates “to cut crosswise into pieces” in Hawaiian, was born out of a no-waste scenario. While the exact timeframe is uncertain, Polynesians inhabiting what is now the Hawaiian Islands chopped leftover cuts of their daily catch into bite-sized pieces and seasoned them with salt and other ingredients. In the late 1800s, Japanese immigrants added soy sauce and rice to the dish. Eventually, poke made its way to the mainland and evolved into a customizable dish: The toppings listed here are just suggestions, so feel free to get as creative as you like, just make sure there is a balance of flavors and textures. Fresh fish is the star and should be sushi-grade and marinated for at least 1 hour. For a vegetarian version, try marinating cubed, firm avocado, and bulk up on the other ingredients. In the time that it takes to marinate, you can prepare the rice, or make use of leftover rice (you’ll need about 4 cups cooked). Don’t skip the spicy mayo to bring it all together. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

FOR THE POKE

  • ¼ cup soy sauce, plus more as needed

  • 2 tablespoons mirin or rice vinegar, or a combination of both, plus more as needed

  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, plus more as needed

  • Crushed red pepper, to taste (optional)

  • 1 pound sushi-grade tuna (yellowfin, ahi or bigeye) or salmon, or combination of both, diced into ½-inch cubes

  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced

  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

FOR THE RICE

  • 1 ½ cups sushi or Calrose rice

  • ¼ cup rice vinegar

  • 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

FOR THE SPICY MAYONNAISE

  • ⅓ cup Kewpie mayonnaise, or regular mayonnaise

  • Sriracha or hot sauce of choice, to taste

FOR THE TOPPINGS

  • ½ cup store-bought seaweed salad

  • ½ cup shelled and cooked edamame

  • 1 small ripe avocado, chopped

  • 1 mango, diced into ½-inch cubes

  • 1 Persian cucumber, sliced or diced

  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced

  • 2 radishes, thinly sliced

  • Pickled ginger, to taste

  • Furikake, to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Marinate the fish: In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, sugar and crushed red pepper, if using. Add the fish, scallion and sesame seeds, gently tossing to combine. Cover and refrigerate to chill and marinate, for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the rice: In a fine-mesh strainer or bowl, rinse the rice with cold water until the water runs clear, then transfer it to a medium lidded pot or saucepan. Cover with 2 cups of cold water and soak for 15 minutes. Stir and bring the rice to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the grains are tender and the water has absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the rice. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. (Alternatively, use a rice cooker.)

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt for the rice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring, until the sugar and salt dissolve, about 3 minutes. When the rice is ready, transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture evenly on top and gently fold it into the rice. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (The rice can be prepared up to three days in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator.)

  4. Step 4

    In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and sriracha, to taste. Remove the poke from the fridge, taste and season with mirin, sugar and crushed pepper, if needed. Set up a poke bowl bar with the poke, rice, toppings of choice and spicy mayo.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
960 user ratings
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Comments

Brie

Tofu Poke is excellent too! I am not a fan of fish but I am a fan of all those Japanese/Hawaii flavors. Tofu makes a great substitution as it doesn't need to be cooked either. Also, fresh corn makes a good sweet addition. Poke is also excellent for meal prepping and making it yourself gives the opportunity to amplify the flavors you particularly enjoy. I like to ramp up the acid and tend to go heavy on the sesame oil myself. MMMMMM umami! :-)

Nick G

A very good alternative to fish in a poke bowl is roasted red beets! The texture is similar-ish and the flavor is excellent, and it’s a bit easier to come by than sushi-grade fish. We make beet poke two or three times a month in the summer—one of our favorite meals.

Amy

Poke bowls are our favorite weeknight dinner. If I can't get sushi grade fish, I just buy wild salmon and cook in the rice cooker's steamer basket. Easy to cook/cleanup. Put out all the toppings (+ cilantro & corn) and everyone preps their own bowl the way they like it. And I make a simple ponzu sauce (soy sauce, lemon juice, OJ with garlic and ginger) -- lighter on the spicy mayo and still tons of flavor. Leftovers over greens make a perfect lunch the next day that packs up easily.

Fergus

2 cups of water doesn’t cook 1.5 cups of rice. That’s just how it is.

Alyssa B

We make this recipe with cooked salmon instead of poke all the time and it's a family favorite. I also substitute pineapple for the mango which my teens prefer to the mango. We love to top with roasted seaweed paper.

Wynitia

Fabulous!! Made just as directed!amazing just as it is

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