Tuna Poke Bowls
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Tuna poke is a traditional Hawaiian salad of raw tuna marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, and onions. Here it’s served over sushi rice with your favorite toppings.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
Many years ago, after visiting our son at sleepaway camp during the summer, Michael and I spent a weekend at a a spa resort in the Poconos called The Lodge at Woodloch. I love all that Zen spa stuff, but Michael joked that the place was named “Woodloch” because they lock you in the woods with nothing to do and starve you with teeny-tiny portions. Spa cuisine: sooo not his thing. However, we both loved the resort’s take on tuna poke (pronounced po-kay), a traditional Hawaiian salad of marinated raw tuna with sushi rice and lots of toppings, so I came up with this similar version when we got home. The resort dish was served with fresh crispy-fried wontons; to keep things weeknight streamlined, I put potato chips on mine instead! They make a delicious (and easy) addition.
What you need To Make Tuna Poke Bowls
When selecting your tuna, be sure to get fresh sushi-grade yellowfin or bigeye tuna (both referred to as “ahi”), with a pink or reddish color. Locally (in the Washington, DC area), I’ve found fresh ahi tuna at Harris Teeter. Also, Whole Foods carries frozen yellowfin tuna that works nicely. Just be sure not to buy Albacore tuna, which is the white tuna used to make canned tuna fish.
How To Make Tuna Poke Bowls
To begin: In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, honey, sambal oelek, ginger, and scallions.
Add the tuna and toss. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
To serve, scoop rice into bowls, top with tuna poke and desired toppings.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
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Tuna Poke Bowls
Tuna poke is a traditional Hawaiian salad of raw tuna marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, and onions. Here it’s served over sushi rice with your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek (see note)
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger (see note)
- 3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 1 pound sushi-grade ahi tuna (such as yellowfin or big-eye tuna), diced into ¼ or ½-inch pieces
- 2 cups sushi rice, cooked according to package instructions (any other type of rice or grain can be substituted)
Optional Toppings
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced cucumber
- Edamame
- Pickled ginger
- Diced mango
- Potato chips or wonton crisps
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, honey, sambal oelek, ginger, and scallions. Add the tuna and toss. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- To serve, scoop rice into bowls, top with tuna poke and desired toppings. You will have extra sauce for drizzling over the toppings; serve on the side.
- Note: Sambal Oelek can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. It is sometimes labeled Chile Garlic Sauce.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (Nutritional data does not include optional toppings -- 6 servings)
- Calories: 411
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 59 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Sodium: 943 mg
- Cholesterol: 29 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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this is stupidly good. i’m so pleasantly surprised. this is my first time on your website, but definitely won’t be my last. wonderful recipe!
Fantastic! Whole family loved it! I held back the Sambal Olec for the kids, but added it to the marinade for the adults. A perfect combination of flavours!
Hi. Just wondering instead of chips would small sheets of nori work?
Hi Doris, While nori wouldn’t be as rich and crispy, it would definitely work — the recipe is very flexible. Enjoy!
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one that adds a slightly odd crunch element! I used pork rinds and it was SO delish! I’m a huge fan of all of your recipes! Love this dish!!!
Hi Jenn: Husband had this for lunch at a restaurant yesterday and when I saw your recipe I HAD to give it a shot. SO much better and way more tuna in yours. Easy and quick to throw together; the chips were a great substitution for likely the most difficult bit to find. I won’t be paying big bucks for this bowl any longer. I’m a convert. AND I was worried it would be too spicy for me but it was perfect!
You NEVER disappoint. My friend bought your cookbook as well and we are always suggesting what we try and what each of us has made. It is all wonderful. Many thanks!!
Another fantastic recipe from my all time favorite chef! Jenn, I have been a long time fan and have never been disappointed with any of your recipes! You are my “go to” for delicious and easy recipes in every category. For this Tuna Poke Bowl, I purchased frozen steaks (all that was available in my small town in Texas hill country). I didn’t want to risk raw, so marinated steaks in a small amount of the sauce, sprinkled with Trade Joe’s Everything Bagel seasoning and pan seared in oil to medium rare. I assembled the bowls with quinoa and cabbage slaw, topped with sliced orange bell pepper, shredded carrots, lightly marinated cucumber slices and mango. Added the sliced tuna to center and drizzled bowl with the reserved marinade. Spectacularly out of this world! Best flavors EVER!. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
All tuna steaks are frozen at some point in time, unless you get them right from the boat. Most Tuna gets shipped to Japan and processed and then shipped around the world. So if it says its sushi grade, you’re good to eat it raw, even if it’s frozen!
Yum, yum, yum!! This is hands down the BEST! Love “once upon a chef” recipes, but this is my favourite so far with me and my dinner buddies. Thanks Jenn!
Sooooo good! Instant hit with entire family! I didn’t have sushi grade fish so I used pan seared salmon. Putting this into high rotation. Thank you!!
Delicious! Easy! My husband was enthralled & thought it was as good as the tuna poke we enjoyed on many trips to Maui.
Tuna was on sale, and I brought it home intending to sear it. Then I remembered how much I loved poke & that you had a recipe in the cookbook! Turns out the recipe online is slight variation from the Once Upon a Chef Cookbook, so I used this online recipe which was closer to ingredients I had on hand.
Served with jasmine rice, homemade shrimp wontons (I had in freezer when my friend & her mom taught me how to make them)….
ADJUSTMENTS
Due to the current situation sweeping the globe (everyone asked to self-isolate) I only could use pantry items. Did not have Sambal Oelek in my pantry and substituted Sriracha.
Thank you Jennifer for another winner recipe!!!! And some GREAT VARIETY during the isolation when we are not going to restaurants.
This recipe is excellent. Have made several versions of poke and this one is the best. Have made it multiple times now and all love it every time!