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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These bowls were restaurant quality.
I skipped the potato chips and subbed in a bit of chopped roasted seaweed.
I also made a dressing with mayo and a bit of sriracha to drizzle over bowls.
Fantastic recipe!
My family asks for this weekly. We were unsure of the potato chips at first but they add a nice crunch. I like it because I can prep a lot of it and set the rice cooker in the morning so that it’s easy to pull together for dinner. Also, everyone can pick and choose what they like/don’t like. We’ve added gochuchang and furikake as add’l topping options.
This was so yummy and a two thumbs up by all. Other than having to cook the rice, it was a very delicious no-cook recipe. Winner, winner tuna dinner. We like spicy here, so we also made a spicy mayo to drizzle on top. Thank you for another terrific recipe.
Simply amazing!! Your recipes are always a huge hit Jenn. Thank you for making it possible for us to have amazing food right at home!
This recipe is amazing. The marinade is delicious. I also used the marinade for a few strips of tuna that I pan seared. I made the poke bowl with coconut rice because that’s what I had. I used frozen sushi grade tuna thawed out, it was perfect. For the crunchy texture I used panko with chilli powder and salt. Works really well. Thanks !!
Heavenly! I had to eat this for two meals in a row to get over how delicious it tasted. Rather than use ahi tuna, I opted for pan fried salmon. The addition of edamame and avocado was AMAZING. I forgot to add in baby cukes but that would have been just superb. Love, love, love!!
The dressing was yummy and I loved the addition of the mango too!
Made this for dinner tonight. Everyone loved it. Toppings I used were cucumber, avocado, seaweed strips, and slices of red plum. I’ve liked every recipe of yours that I’ve tried, but this is one of my favorites. It tastes great, and it doesn’t hurt that it is SO easy.
When I want crunch in homemade Asian food, salads, or even certain casseroles I make, I like these noodles. They are different from regular chow mein noodles as they are made w/rice. They come in a small can. I keep them in the house. Perfect substitute for fried wontons as opposed to potato chips! Unless of course you love potato chips on your tuna bowl. LOL!
https://www.lachoy.com/products/rice-noodles
Hi Jenn,
A friend went on a fishing trip and gifted us some fresh bluefin tuna. Would that work for this poke bowl? Or would it be better seared? I’m tuna ignorant.
Thanks!
Sure, Adrienne, that should be fine. Enjoy!
Bluefin belly is the absolute gold standard of tuna!
This recipe is great with regular maguro, but it’d be really special with bluefin.