Salmon poke bowl filled with fresh salmon, rice, veggies, mango, avocado, and your favorite sushi additions, topped with a spicy mayo. These Hawaiian poke bowls are fresh and bright, loaded with protein, carbs, and healthy fats, and make a quick and easy light meal customizable to your liking. A taste of Hawaii in your own house!
I was introduced to poke back in January 2013 when we went on a family trip to Hawaii. I was given the recommendation to try Da Poke Shack from a friend and while I had no idea what poke was, my family and I love seafood so we figured why not. Boy was I glad we tried it, because they are one of the greatest things ever!
So today I’m bringing you my spin on one with this salmon poke bowl with spicy mayo!
I could literally eat these salmon poke bowls all day every day, especially during the hot summer months. They are light and refreshing, full of protein, carbs, and healthy fats, and there is minimal cooking required. You can customize them to your liking too – use whatever you have on hand, but I will say the mango and avocado really make them.
I will say that I am happy that the poke craze caught on in the US, especially places not near the coast, because everyone deserves to enjoy them. I mean it wouldn’t really be fair if just the people of Hawaii could enjoy them. Another reason why I would totally move to Hawaii though…
But if you never have had a poke bowl, then I am about to rock your world! I mean if you like sushi and raw fish and all haha…
How to Make a Poke Bowl
Poke (pronounced “POH-keh”) is the Hawaiian word meaning cut, cubed, or sliced. The fish can be plain, tossed with a few items, or tossed in a dressing to add some flavor. The beauty of poke bowls is you can really add whatever you like to them. I went for some classic ingredients plus some of my favorite sushi additions, but you really can’t go wrong. Here is what you need for a Hawaiian poke bowl:
- rice – white jasmine rice is common, but you can use brown.
- raw sushi grade fish – salmon and tuna are most common. If raw isn’t your thing, you can do cooked crab or shrimp.
- vegetables and fruit – things like avocado, radishes, cucumber, carrots, edamame, seaweed salad, crispy onions, mango, pineapple, and fresh herbs are common. You can really top them with whatever you like, though.
- dressing – they can vary from a soy sauce based dressing, to spicy mayo, to ponzu, and even wasabi mayo and a spicy chili or hot sauce.
Salmon Poke Bowl
For this salmon poke bowl, I used salmon (duh) as my protein source. It is then accompanied by some jasmine white rice, marinated cucumbers, sliced radishes, avocado, and mangoes and garnished with jalapeños, cilantro, pickled ginger, green onion, and nori (dried seaweed). And it’s all topped with a homemade spicy mayo!
To make the bowls, first start off by cooking your rice according to the package. I prefer a rice cooker as it does the work for you, but the stovetop works just as well.
While the rice cooks, prep all your ingredients – marinate the cucumbers, cut the salmon, chop the veggies and fruit, and get the toppings ready. The mayo can be made while the rice cooks or a few days in advanced and stored in the fridge. I use this recipe (it’s so good and so easy to make), but you could also use store bought spicy mayo or mix mayo with your favorite hot sauce.
Once the rice is done, all you have to do is assemble and enjoy! The bowls have so many flavors and textures and the hot rice and cold fish pair so well together. The spicy mayo is the perfect balance to the sweet mango and richness from the salmon too. I also like to drizzle coconut aminos and the leftover cucumber marinade over the bowls for some sweetness and saltiness, and to help balance the dish.
Substitutions for Salmon Poke Bowl
Poke bowls are super customizable to fit your taste preferences and needs. Here are a few options:
- cauliflower rice – if you want a lower carb option, or want to keep them paleo or Whole30, you can use cauliflower rice. While I will say it’s definitely not rice, it will work as a good substitute.
- greens – if you don’t want rice at all, you can use greens instead! Non-traditional, but a lot of poke places have this option
- tuna or shrimp – if you don’t like salmon, or can’t find a good sushi grade one, you can use tuna or shrimp. I would not recommend eating raw shrimp though so you should sauté it first if making that substitute.
- veggies – any veggies you have on hand will work! These were just some of my favorite and usual ones you can find at poke places, but any that you like will work.
- sauce – if you don’t like spicy mayo, you can top your salmon poke bowl with any kind of sauce you like. I love coconut aminos, hot sauce, lime juice, or some kind of spicy oil. You can also create your own with a mixture of spices and coconut aminos or soy sauce.
- soy sauce – I always use coconut aminos, but gluten free soy sauce, tamari, or regular soy sauce will work.
More Healthy Salmon Recipes
Harissa Salmon Burgers with Harissa Aioli
Meal Prep Smoked Salmon Breakfast Bowl (Paleo/Whole30)
Cranberry Balsamic Roasted Salmon
Salmon Poke Bowl
ingredients
- 2 cups cooked jasmine white rice (about 1 cup dry, but I always make more for leftovers)
- 1 cup sliced cucumbers (125 grams)
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 6-8 ounces raw sashimi grade salmon
- 1 cup diced mango (140 grams)
- 1/2 small-medium avocado, sliced (55 grams)
- 2 radishes, sliced
- 1 small jalapeno, sliced
- 2 tablespoons spicy chipotle mayo
- 2 tablespoons pickled ginger
- 1 sheet nori (cut into squares)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- for topping: chopped green onion, cilantro, sesame seeds, coconut aminos...
instructions
- Make the rice according to the package.
- While the rice cooks, prep the rest of your ingredients. Add the sliced cucumbers to a medium bowl and mix with coconut aminos, sesame oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside. Cube the salmon and mango and slice the avocado, radishes, jalapeno, and green onions. Make mayo according to the directions and set aside.
- When rice is done, assemble the bowls by dividng the rice, salmon, cucumbers, mango, avocado, radishes, jalapeno, green onions, pickled ginger, nori, and spicy mayo. Top with sesame seeds and cilantro. I also like to pour the leftover cucumber marinade and a little coconut aminos over the bowls. Enjoy!
notes
nutrition
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Susan says
Wonderful! I used brown Jasmine and red cargo rice. Everything else just as in the recipe. I can’t wait to make it for our next family get-together.
Kelly says
That combo sounds so good! So glad you enjoyed them Susan, thanks for trying!
Dad says
Yum
Nancy says
Let’s make aome poke for an app on thanksgiving! Haha! Bring back some memories it’s so great!!
Kelly says
Yes!! I am all for it!
Kelly says
The best!! Take me back to Hawaii!