Poke is a traditional Hawaiian dish that Polynesians were making hundreds of years before any outside contact. Traditional Poke is made of cubed raw fish, sea salt, seaweed & crushed kukui nuts – it’s eaten on it’s own as a snack or appetizer. The evolved version that most people are familiar with, the Poke Bowl is heavily influenced by Japanese cuisine, like many local dishes in Hawaii – Japanese immigrants contributed heavily to Hawaii’s culinary melting pot. It became raw fish, marinated in various Japanese ingredients such as soy sauce and sesame oil served over rice. This is a mainland-style poke bowl which incorporates many other delicious toppings to make a complete meal.
In this recipe, I use salmon for my poke bowls, but feel free to substitute with tuna or your favorite sashimi-grade fish. I also make two different marinades, that way I get a variety of flavors, but you can double your preferred marinade if you only want one flavor. This poke bowl is so well balanced and packed with nutrition, it will keep you fueled and feeling full the whole day.
You can find sashimi-grade fish at Mitsuwa Marketplace or HMart, so check out your local Japanese or Korean markets. I also found a Yanagiba Knife (made in Japan) that’s perfect for cutting sashimi
Shoyu Marinade: a mix of Japanese Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Trader Joe’s Chili Onion Crunch, Roasted Sesame and Green Onions
Spicy Mayo: a mix of Kewpie Mayo, Sweet Chili Sauce, Sriracha, La-Yu Chili Oil, Sea Salt and Green Onions
To get beautiful even slices, use a Mandoline slicer, especially helpful if you want to get the radish slices super thin.