Salmon or Tuna Poke Bowl

Name: Salmon or Tuna Poke Bowl
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Hawaii
Ingredients: 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) very fresh tuna or salmon for raw use, skinless, previously frozen (see safety note); 3 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tsp toasted sesame oil; 1 tsp rice vinegar; 1 tsp honey or sugar; 1 tsp grated fresh ginger; ½ small sweet onion, Maui or white, very thinly sliced; 2 scallions, thinly sliced; 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds; ½ tsp chili flakes, or a little sriracha; 300 g (1½ cups) short-grain or sushi rice, cooked as in Perfect Rice; 1 avocado, sliced; 1 small cucumber, sliced; 2 tbsp crumbled toasted nori or seaweed salad; 4 tsp mayonnaise mixed with sriracha, optional

Hawaii's cubed raw fish with soy, sesame and scallions over warm rice

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 25 min
Total: 45 min
Level: Easy

Poke ("po-keh") means "to cut into pieces" in Hawaiian: cubes of raw fish dressed simply with soy, sesame oil, onion and seaweed. Served over warm rice with a few crunchy toppings, it's a full dinner with almost no cooking. Keep the dressing restrained so the fish leads.

Ingredients

Poke

500 gvery fresh tuna or salmon for raw use (1 lb 2 oz)skinless, previously frozen (see safety note)
3 tbspsoy sauce
2 tsptoasted sesame oil
1 tsprice vinegar
1 tsphoney or sugar
1 tspgrated fresh ginger
½small sweet onionMaui or white, very thinly sliced
2scallionsthinly sliced
1 tbsptoasted sesame seeds
½ tspchili flakesor a little sriracha

Bowls

300 gshort-grain or sushi rice (1½ cups)cooked as in Perfect Rice
1avocadosliced
1small cucumbersliced
2 tbspcrumbled toasted nori or seaweed salad
4 tspmayonnaise mixed with srirachaoptional

Diet: Dairy-free, Pescatarian
Allergens: fish, soy, gluten, sesame, egg, mustard, sulphites
Origin: Hawaii (United States)
Season: Summer, All

Method

Cook the rice (Perfect Rice) and keep it warm. 30 min
Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, honey and ginger in a bowl.
Cut the fish, straight from the fridge (it should be at or below 4°C, 39°F), into 2 cm cubes with a sharp knife, trimming away any dark sinew.
Toss the fish with the dressing, onion, half the scallions, the sesame seeds and chili. Chill 10–15 minutes, no longer than 1 hour. 10 min
Divide the warm rice between bowls. Spoon over the poke and its juices, and arrange avocado and cucumber alongside.
Top with nori, the rest of the scallions and a drizzle of spicy mayo if you like. Eat right away while the rice is warm and the fish is cold.

Why it works

The contrast of cold, silky fish and warm, slightly sticky rice is what makes poke satisfying. Soy sauce's salt firms the fish's surface within minutes, so a short marinade seasons without curing it into a dense texture. Sesame oil and the sweet onion add depth and crunch without hiding the fish.

Common mistakes

Marinating too long: soy cures the fish and darkens it. Fifteen minutes is plenty.
Room-temperature fish. Keep it chilled until it meets the rice.
Overloading the bowl with toppings so the fish disappears. Choose three or four.

Variations

Shoyu ahi with limu: Use tuna and add Hawaiian seaweed (or wakame) and crushed macadamia nuts for crunch (add tree nuts).
Cooked shrimp poke: For anyone avoiding raw fish, use chilled cooked shrimp (crustaceans) or cubed firm tofu.

Make ahead and storage

Cook the rice and make the dressing ahead. Dress the fish no more than 1 hour before eating. Don't keep leftovers.

Notes

SAFETY: this fish is not cooked by heat, so quality and freezing replace an internal temperature. Buy fish sold for raw use ("sushi grade" has no legal meaning — ask for fish suitable for eating raw) from a fishmonger you trust: it should smell only of the sea, look glossy and spring back when pressed. Unless it has been commercially frozen, freeze it at −20°C (−4°F) or colder for at least 24 hours (7 days in a home freezer that can't reach −20°C is the cautious rule), then thaw in the fridge. Keep it cold right until serving. Raw fish is best avoided during pregnancy and by young children, older adults and anyone with a weakened immune system. Use tamari for a gluten-free version. Egg and mustard only if you add the sriracha mayonnaise.