salmon poke bowl with avocado and green onion

I have a seriously unique recipe for you guys this week. This recipe is incredibly different from any of the other recipes I have posted thus far. It’s my first post ever incorporating seafood, and it’s even more unique in that said seafood is RAW. THAT’S RIGHT – We are bringing Japanese, sushi-inspired dinner to YOUR HOME with…Salmon Poke Bowls!

Salmon Poke Bowls are so delicious that they have now become a weekly dinner in our house. Similar to how Wednesday is now a synonym for Avocado Toast, Thursday now means POKE! One of my close friends, Anthony, is the poke expert and he sat down with me and taught me all the tricks to making the perfect bowl of poke. And I have summarized all of these tips here for you in this post!

(I highly recommend you read the FULL post to avoid any error! – we’re dealing with raw fish, people.)

salmon poke bowl sprinkled with sesame seeds

What is Poke?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, “poke” is essentially sushi in bowl form. The cool part about poke is that, while rolling sushi rolls may require some technical skills, poke could not be easier.There is also no cooking involved– you simply chop up your ingredients, combine them in a bowl, and enjoy!

Apart from being seriously delicious, every ingredient in my Salmon Poke Bowl is extremely nutritious and packed with healthy fats (from the salmon and avocado) and whole grains (from the brown rice), making this dish ideal for weeknight dinners. Why eat bland chicken and vegetables every night, when you could be eating poke?!

Ingredients to salmon poke bowl: salmon, avocado, green onions, soy sauce, brown rice, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar

Serve the poke over brown rice and then sprinkle with sesame seeds

Sushi Grade Salmon – CRUCIAL

This is one of the most important excerpts from this whole post! Make sure when you purchase your fish, you are buying “sushi grade” Salmon. This means that the fish is flash frozen on the boat immediately after the fish is caught to preserve freshness and texture. This also kills any parasites in the fish before consumption. By buying sushi grade salmon, you can be confident that you are eating the highest quality fish on the market.

You can find sushi grade salmon at any reputable fishmonger or market. For more information on how to purchase salmon, check out this blog post.

Pro tips:

To save time, buy frozen brown rice from Trader Joe’s – it takes only 3 minutes in the microwave to cook and turns out perfect every time!
Make sure you give ample time to cool the rice so you don’t accidentally cook the raw fish!
Don’t over stir after combining ingredients (if you care about aesthetics – according to the pro, Anthony).
Again – sushi grade, sushi grade, sushi grade. Only buy sushi grade fish to ensure freshness!
You can also sub in tuna or any other fish that you normally eat with salmon.

Print Recipe

Salmon Poke Bowls

Salmon Poke Bowls are your solution to switching up your healthy weeknight dinners! The salmon is coated in a tasty asian marinade and practically melts in your mouth. Paired with the crunch from the green onions and the creamy avocados – it's easy to see why we've started to make this recipe every Thursday!

Ingredients

1 lb raw salmon sushi grade, skin removed
1 bunch green onions chopped
2 medium avocados cubed
¼ cup soy sauce low sodium
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
½ tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds toasted
2 cups frozen Trader Joe’s Brown Rice

Instructions

Cook Trader Joe’s brown rice according to package instructions. Set aside to cool while you prep the rest of the poke.
Cut the salmon into bite 3/4 inch size cubes and set aside in a medium size bowl.
Lay green onions on the cutting board. Using chef's knife, trim off roots by slicing 1/4 inch above the roots. Trim about two inches from the green top. Finely chop then add to bowl of cubed salmon.
Cut avocado in half length wise. Remove pit. Next, cut each half into small cubes by cutting length wise and crosswise.
In a large bowl, combine cubed salmon, green onions, avocados, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil.
Serve salmon mixture over the brown rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Notes

Pro tips:
– To save time, buy frozen brown rice from Trader Joe’s – it takes only 3 minutes in the microwave to cook and turns out perfect every time!

– Make sure you give ample time to cool the rice so you don’t accidentally cook the raw fish!

– Don’t over stir after combining ingredients (if you care about aesthetics – according to the pro, Anthony).

– Again – sushi grade, sushi grade, sushi grade. Only buy sushi grade fish to ensure freshness!

– You can also sub in tuna or any other fish that you normally eat with salmon.

– Make sure the sesame seeds are TOASTED – if they’re raw, it will completely change the flavor