The best kind of easy, delicious, healthy meal: Salmon Poke Bowl! Fresh, vibrant, healthy, and satisfying. Make this Hawaiian-inspired rice bowl with raw salmon that’s lightly seasoned. Serve with white rice, creamy avocado, and wakame seaweed salad. Easy enough for weeknight meals, fancy enough for dinner with friends!
What is a Salmon Poke Bowl?
Salmon Poke Bowls are rice bowls with a generous serving of salmon poke – a Hawaiian seafood salad containing omega-rich, sushi-grade salmon lightly dressed with soy sauce, mirin, and other aromatics. In Hawaii, Poke is sold in virtually every grocery store, restaurant, and food court. So fresh and delicious!
Poke means “to cut into chunks” in Hawaiian. The word comes from fishermen cutting leftover fish scraps into chunks to combat food waste. Poke is well-seasoned, chunky bits of raw fish.
When Poke restaurants started popping up, it became my go-to takeout place. That’s when I realized — I could just as easily (and more affordably) make Poke Bowls at home.
The most challenging part will be finding sushi-grade salmon. Once you find a reliable source, you’ll repeatedly turn to this easy weeknight meal. I make salmon poke bowls at night when I’m too busy or tired to cook. Easy, simple to put together, healthy, and SO delicious!
My recipe includes Wakame Seaweed Salad — which is not always included in Poke Bowl recipes. I simply adore this delicious, easy, nutrient-rich Asian seaweed salad. Make your own, following my recipe. Or pick some up from the Asian grocery store at the prepared foods section.
Ingredients
- Salmon: Sushi-grade or sashimi-grade salmon is flash-frozen, killing all potential parasites. Look in the refrigerated seafood section or frozen section.
- Short Grain Rice: Also known as sushi rice, short grain rice is slightly chewy and firm. A slightly sticky quality keeps the rice grains together. So comforting and delicious!
- Wakame Seaweed Salad. Pick up ready-made seaweed salad at the store or make your own at home.
- Avocado. Creamy, buttery richness. Pairs well with salmon.
- Cucumbers. Fresh, crunchy texture!
- Kewpie Mayo + Sriracha: An extra drizzle of mayo and Sriracha pulls everything together. Leave out the sriracha to keep it non-spicy.
Optional but delicious toppings:
- Tobiko. Flying fish roe adds color and flavor.
- Jalapeno. Minced chilies add subtle spicy heat!
- Furikake. Sprinkle all over!
How to make Salmon Poke:
- Season raw salmon. In a medium bowl, mix together mayo, sriracha, ginger, mirin, and soy sauce. Chop salmon into 1-inch chunks. Combine salmon, spicy mayo, and green onions together.
- Assemble bowls. In each bowl, add a generous scoop of warm, short grain rice. Add wakame, cucumber, and avocado. Divide Salmon Poke evenly between two bowls.
- Top with extras! Drizzle with sriracha and mayo. Sprinkle with furikake. Add tobiko and minced jalapeno, if using. Enjoy!!
PRO Tips:
- Make rice in a rice cooker. An easier way to ensure perfectly cooked sushi rice. While the rice cooks, chop and assemble the other toppings.
- Freeze extra salmon. Salmon freezes very well. I stash extra frozen salmon, already cubed, in the freezer. I can make Salmon Poke any time. A fast and easy meal!
- Leave out the mayo. Although I love buttery, eggy mayonnaise (Kewpie) in salmon poke, feel free to leave it out. Instead, season with soy sauce, mirin, and honey instead.
Variations:
- Salad Base. Swap out the rice and add mixed salad greens (from a box) instead.
- Brown Rice Base. Swap out the white rice for firmer, more nutty brown rice.
- Purple Rice Base. Swap out the white rice for Korean Purple Rice.
- Add toppings. Take a cue from your favorite Poke restaurant and add your favorite topping:
- mango or pineapple (diced)
- crushed Gim (roasted seaweed snack)
- spicy jalapeno chips
- cilantro or green onion (finely chopped)
- edamame
FAQ:
Where can I find sushi-grade or sashimi-grade salmon?
Asian grocery stores frequently sell sushi-grade salmon and tuna. Look in the fresh seafood section and/or frozen seafood section.
More Salmon recipes:
More rice bowl recipes:
- Korean Fish Roe Bibimbap (Al Bap)
- Spicy Gochujang Ground Pork Bowls
- Hwe Dup Bap (Korean Sushi Bowl)
- Ground Beef Bulgogi Bowls
- Asian Rice Bowls
Salmon Poke Bowls with Wakame
Ingredients
Salmon Poke:
- 1/2 lb sushi grade salmon
- 2 Tbsp mayo (Kewpie mayo, preferably)
- 1 Tbsp sriracha (optional; leave out if you'd like less spicy)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp mirin
- 1/2 inch ginger, grated
For rice bowls:
- 1 1/2 cups short grain/sushi rice (cooked, preferably warm) (3/4 cup per bowl)
- 1 1/2 cup wakame or seaweed salad (3/4 cup per bowl)
- 1 avocado, diced (1/2 avocado per bowl)
- 1 mini cucumber, diced (1/2 mini cucumber per bowl)
Toppings (optional):
- furikake (sprinkle each bowl generously)
- tobiko (flying fish roe) (1 Tbsp for each bowl)
- jalapeno, seeded and minced (1 Tbsp for each bowl)
- kewpie mayo, extra drizzle
- sriracha, extra drizzle
Instructions
To make Salmon Poke:
- In a medium bowl, mix together mayo, sriracha, ginger, mirin, and soy sauce.
- Chop salmon into 1-inch chunks. Add to the sauce. Mix well.
To assemble poke rice bowls:
- For each bowl, add a generous scoop of warm, short grain rice. Add wakame, cucumber, and avocado. Divide Salmon poke evenly between two bowls. Drizzle extra sriracha and mayo. Sprinkle with furikake. Add tobiko and minced jalapeno, if using.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Make rice in a rice cooker. An easier way to ensure perfectly cooked sushi rice. While the rice cooks, chop and assemble the other toppings.
- Freeze extra salmon. Salmon freezes very well. I stash extra frozen salmon, already cubed, in the freezer. I can make Salmon Poke any time. A fast and easy meal!
- Leave out the mayo. Although I love buttery, eggy mayonnaise (Kewpie) in salmon poke, feel free to leave it out. Instead, season with soy sauce, mirin, and honey instead.
