Poke Bowl – Marinated Tuna Rice Bowl

Cubes of raw tuna marinated with shoyu, sesame oil and seaweed, served over warm Japanese rice with cucumber, avocado and furikake.

Some evenings, you want to eat something fresh without turning on the stove. A poke bowl is exactly the answer: glistening red tuna coated in shoyu and toasted sesame oil, set on rice that’s still warm. The onion crunches, the seaweed brings its taste of the sea and the chili adds just enough heat.

A squeeze of lime at the last minute, and the bowl is empty faster than it took to put together.

What Is a Poke Bowl?

Poke is a Hawaiian dish of raw fish cut into cubes and then seasoned. This version is an ahi shoyu poke: sashimi-grade tuna mixed with light soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, onion, green onion, ogo seaweed or wakame, and inamona. A poke bowl sets it on warm Japanese white rice, with cucumber, avocado, furikake or crumbled nori, and a lime wedge. Outside Hawaii, restaurants often pile on sauces and toppings; here, the tuna stays at the center of the bowl.

Poke is pronounced “poh-kay” and means “to slice” or “to cut into pieces” in Hawaiian. The name refers to the act of cutting up the fish.

A Hawaiian Fishermen’s Snack

Poke comes from Hawaiian fishermen, who seasoned raw fish trimmings with sea salt, seaweed and roasted, crushed kukui nuts. It was eaten as is, as a snack or an appetizer.

Soy sauce is said to have arrived with the Japanese plantation workers on the islands, along with the habit of serving fish with rice. Shoyu poke was born of this blend. In Hawaii today, people buy it by weight at grocery store counters.

The poke bowl then spread to the American mainland and on to Europe, often covered in sweet sauces and toppings. This recipe keeps to the Hawaiian base: marinated tuna, warm rice and a few fresh toppings.

The Main Ingredients in a Poke Bowl

The tuna makes the dish: choose sashimi-grade, very fresh tuna from a fishmonger you trust. Japanese white rice, served warm, contrasts with the cold fish and soaks up the marinade juices. Cucumber adds crunch, and the optional avocado tempers the salt and chili.

The marinade takes very little: soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger, chili flakes and a little neutral oil to make the cubes glisten. Yellow onion, or a sweet onion such as Maui, adds crunch, and green onion a fresh note. Hawaiian salt can be swapped for coarse sea salt.

Inamona and ogo seaweed are the two hallmarks of old-style Hawaiian poke, and they are hard to find in France. Roasted, crushed macadamia nuts stand in for inamona. Rehydrated wakame, sold dried at Asian grocery stores, replaces ogo and brings the same briny, umami-rich note.

Technical Pointers for a Good Poke Bowl

Mix the poke in a nonmetallic bowl, then let it sit in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes so the seasoning can soak into the tuna. Assemble the bowls at the last minute, cold poke on warm rice, and serve right away.

To limit the risk of parasites, use tuna that has been frozen all the way through for 24 hours at -20 °C, or for 7 days in a home freezer; thaw it in the refrigerator and eat the poke within an hour of mixing it.