It wasn’t until I started eating poke bowls a few years ago that I warmed up to the idea of dishes with raw fish!

What Is a Poke Bowl?

A poke bowl (pronounced po-kay!) is a Hawaiian dish of diced fresh fish served on top of rice with plenty of extra fixings like avocado, radishes, and cucumbers. The fish is usually tuna, but salmon and other sashimi-quality fish can be used as well. The diced fish gets tossed with a simple dressing of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil, which makes a nice compliment to the whole bowl. Make sure to buy only very high quality salmon since you’ll be eating it raw. In Japanese supermarkets, fish is labeled “sashimi” when it’s safe to eat raw. Otherwise, ask your fishmonger about the quality of the fish.

Assembling Your Poke Bowl

Once you have your fish, the rest of the poke bowl comes together really quickly. Just cook some rice, toss the fish with the dressing, and serve! I like to place all the extra toppings on the table so that everyone can help themselves. Here are some great toppings you can add:

Sliced cucumber Sliced radish Sliced or cubed avocado Furikake Thinly sliced scallions Red pepper flakes

Eat Right Away!

Poke bowls are a fresh dish, meant to be eaten right away. Prepare all the components just before serving, and don’t plan on leftovers!

Making a Gluten-Free Poke Bowl

If you are looking for a gluten-free poke bowl, use tamari instead of soy sauce. Tamari has a more intense flavor, so I would use only 3 tablespoons of tamari for the sauce. Also, because tamari has a much deeper color, the salmon pieces will not look as vibrant once they have been mixed with the dressing.

Feeling the Hawaiian Vibe? Try These Recipes

Sheet Pan Hawaiian Chicken Hawaiian Pork Burger Hawaiian Oxtail Soup Hawaiian Pizza

Gluten-free option: Substitute 3 tablespoons of tamari for the soy sauce. Because of the deeper color of the tamari, your salmon may not look as vibrant once mixed with the dressing.

1 cup short-grain white rice 1 pound sashimi-grade salmon 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1/2 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Other toppings

Sliced cucumber Sliced radish 1 large avocado, cubed Furikake Red pepper flakes