My seared salmon poke bowl is naturally gluten free and dairy free and a lovely healthy lunch or dinner to try. Poke bowls originate from Hawaii and generally consist of raw fish on a bed of rice, served with a variety of fruit and vegetables.
Poke bowls have boomed in popularity over the past couple of years, with all sorts of takeaway options now available. During lockdown, I really missed being able to get grab and go food options like this, so decided to make a recipe of my own.
It turns out, poke is really easy to make at home. Gaining the confidence to make fresh dishes like this and my teriyaki salmon sushi bowl have revolutionised my home lunch times.
My seared salmon poke bowl features sesame-topped seared salmon, a bed of seasoned sushi rice, soft avocado, cruchy veggies and edamame beans all topped with a drizzle of homemade sriracha mayo. It’s so goooood!!!
Ingredients
Salmon
My poke bowl features seared salmon, as I love the texture contrast this creates. It’s also a good place to start if you are a bit nervous of raw fish and want to break yourself in gently :). It’s nothing to be scared of! Just select good quality, fresh salmon fillets and you’ll soon be loving your new discovery.
You can use sashimi grade salmon if you have the budget for it (you can often buy this direct from fishmongers, I get ours delivered by The Upper Scale). However, regular supermarket-bought salmon is absolutely fine too. For the bowl in these pictures, I used supermarket-bought wild Alaskan sockeye salmon.
I’ve kept the salmon quantity fairly small, as with all the other ingredients you don’t need a huge amount. Think of it like sushi really, as that finished salmon should be slicely nice and thinly so it distributes well across the rice. However, if you are mega hungry and want to use a full salmon fillet per person, by all means go ahead :).
Rice
For the rice element of the bowl, I used sushi rice, which you can buy on Amazon or in many supermarkets. No sushi rice, no worries! White or brown basmati rice is a great equivalent and you probably already have some in your store cupboard.
Of course, if you want to use brown rice or quinoa as a base that’s fab for poke bowls too. Personally I would then skip the rice dressing and just use more sriracha mayo on the finished dish. But have a play around with the balance and find whatever works best for you.
Garnish
I’ve suggested a few garnish ideas in the recipe below, but this is very flexible and you can vary it according to your tastes. Adding fresh chilli is great if you like a bit of spice, but totally optional.
Veggies
The vegetable elements of this bowl can absolutely be changed depending on what you have in the fridge. I personally like to always include the avo and edamame, then I vary the crunchy veg used. Such as using carrot, cos lettuce or cucumber. Adding sweet juicy fruit like mango or pineapple chunks is delicious in this bowl too and a good equivalent to the soft avocado if you don’t have any.
Sriracha Mayo
I personally love the sriracha mayo element of this recipe. I’ve kept it quite mild, but to up the spice simply increase the quantity of sriracha (you can add it gradually, tasting as you go until you hit the right spot).
We sometimes make a double batch and keep the spare in the fridge – it’s really great on other dishes and even in lunchtimes sandwiches. Try it with fried chicken and I promise you will NOT reget it :).
Seared Salmon Poke Bowl
Ingredients
- 180g (6.5oz) sushi rice
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 0.5 tsp fine salt
- 150g (5oz) salmon fillet
- 0.5 tsp sesame oil (olive oil also fine)
- 150g (5oz) edamame beans
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 radishes, finely sliced
- 75g red cabbage, finely sliced
Sriracha Mayo
- 75g mayonnaise
- 0.5 tbsp sriracha
- 0.25 tsp garlic granules
- Juice of half a lime (approx 10ml)
Garnish (optional)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Fresh red chilli, finely sliced
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Cook the sushi rice according to the packet instructions and while it is cooking prepare the sushi rice dressing. To do this, mix the rice vinegar, sugar and salt together in a small dish, stirring well until the sugar and salt have dissolved in the vinegar. When the rice is cooked, pour the dressing over the top (while it is still hot) and then stir to coat the rice and fluff it up. Set the rice aside (still in the saucepan) to cool slightly.
- To make the sriracha mayo simply mix the mayonnaise, sriracha, lime juice and garlic granules together until smooth. Place into the fridge until ready to use.
- Next, take a small frying pan and place on the hob over a high heat. While it is heating up, carefully remove any skin the the salmon and then pat the fillet dry with some kitchen towel. Rub the outside of the salmon with the sesame oil then carefully place it into the pan. Sear each side of the salmon for 15 seconds, then remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
- To assemble the bowls, split the rice between two wide bowls so that two-thirds of each base is covered. In the remaining third, pile edamame beans, sliced avocado, sliced radish and shredded red cabbage.
- Now carefully cut the salmon into thin slices with a sharp knife and divide between the two bowls on top of the rice. Add a generous drizzle of sriracha mayo to each bowl, then add your garnish of choice. I like to sprinkle sesame seeds over the salmon, a wedge of lime for squeezing, plus a few bits of spring onion and red chilli. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy eating this seared salmon poke bowl and that it gives you confidence to try some of your own variations at home. For more healthy recipe ideas, why not stick around and try one of these yummy dishes:
Bon appetit! Laura x
