Name: How To Make A Poke Bowl (Tuna Poke Bowl Recipe)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 200 g Raw Tuna (Sashimi-grade); 40 g Edamame (boiled, salted and peeled); 50 g Cucumber; 20 g Radish; 1/2 Avocado; 1 tsp Lemon Juice (for Avocado); 330 g Freshly Steamed Rice; 2 Tbsp Sushi Vinegar; 30 g Onion; 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce; 1 Tbsp Sugar; 2 tsp Sesame Oil; 1 Tbsp Mayonnaise; Wasabi Paste, to taste; 5 g Radish Sprouts (garnish); 5 g Chopped Green Onion (garnish); Japanese Pickles (optional, garnish); Sesame Seeds (garnish)

How To Make A Poke Bowl (Tuna Poke Bowl Recipe)

DonburiEasyPopularRiceSaladSeafoodSummerUnder 30 Minutes

If you want to enjoy various ingredients and a balanced diet in just one bowl, Poke Bowl is a great choice. The combination of fresh seafood, vegetables, and grains offers an ideal meal rich in protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. It is light yet filling, making it suitable for everyday meals without feeling overwhelming.

Originating in Hawaii, this traditional dish is now popular in Japan too, thanks to its colorful and attractive presentation. Besides the visual element, the availability of high-quality raw seafood in nearby supermarkets also makes Poke Bowl familiar to Japanese people. Since many households already enjoy sashimi at home, adapting it into a bowl-style meal feels natural and convenient.

You can use various seafood for making Poke Bowl such as tuna, salmon, octopus, shrimp, scallops, and more, but it should always be sashimi-quality to ensure the best taste and freshness. Mixing different types of seafood also adds depth and variety, allowing you to enjoy different textures and flavors in a single bowl.

One more thing to keep in mind when making this dish is the marinating time. Allowing the raw seafood to marinate enhances its flavor and texture by gently breaking down the connective tissue, making it smoother and more tender. Waiting at least 1 hour is ideal, but keeping the seasoning balanced ensures the natural taste of the seafood still shines through.

In this recipe, we are introducing a basic Poke Bowl recipe as well as an additional sauce using Japanese mayonnaise and wasabi paste. The classic sauce highlights freshness, while the creamy wasabi mayo adds richness and a gentle kick. Switching between these sauces lets you enjoy the same bowl in different ways.

Rice is another important element. Japanese short-grain rice pairs especially well with marinated seafood due to its soft texture and subtle sweetness. Lightly seasoning the rice helps balance the flavors and prevents the dish from tasting flat.

To add a Japanese taste to Poke Bowl, we are garnishing with Japanese pickles on top. There are various Japanese pickles, and we are using shiba-zuke in this recipe, but you can use any type you like. The acidity and crunch of pickles refresh the palate and add contrast to the soft seafood and rice.

If you love sashimi, don’t miss these classic Japanese seafood rice bowls. Enjoy the clean, pure taste of fresh seafood with Kaisendon, a colorful seabowl topped with assorted sashimi, or keep it simple with Tekkadon, a tuna-focused sashimi rice bowl. Both are perfect choices if you enjoy fresh fish served with lightly seasoned rice.

For a lighter summer option, you might also enjoy this easy soba noodle salad, which pairs chilled noodles with refreshing toppings for a cool and satisfying meal.

Overview

Prep time: 15 minsCook time: 0 minsTotal time: 15 mins

Total servings: 2

Difficulty: Easy

Main Ingredients

Raw Tuna (sashimi-grade)

200 g

Edamame (boiled, salted, peeled)

40 g

Cucumber

50 g

Radish

20 g

Avocado

1/2

Lemon Juice

1 tsp

Sameura Hand Squeezed 100% Pure Yuzu Juice 120ml

Freshly Steamed Rice

330 g

Sato No Gohan Instant Niigata Koshihikari Rice (Pack of 3 Servings)

Sushi Vinegar

2 Tbsp

Marusan Artisanally Crafted Sushi Rice Vinegar 360ml

Onion

30 g

Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp

Takesan Kishibori Shoyu Premium Japanese Soy Sauce 360ml

Sugar

1 Tbsp

Sesame Oil

2 tsp

Horiuchi Double Toasted Sesame Oil Dark Roast Sesame Oil 105g

Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp

Kewpie Mayo Japanese Mayonnaise 450g

Wasabi Paste

to taste

Kameya Coarsely Grated Wasabi Paste 50g

Radish Sprouts

5 g

Chopped Green Onion

5 g

Japanese Pickles

optional

Beni Shoga Japanese Red Pickled Ginger 450g

Sesame Seeds

optional

Wadaman Certified Organic Roasted White Sesame Seeds 50g

Instructions

1) Gathering the Ingredients

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Gather the ingredients together.

2) Preparing the Sauces for Poke

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Thinly slice the onion and soak the slices in water for 5-10 minutes. After that, drain the water using a sieve and remove the excess water with paper towels.

Prepare a bowl and mix soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and sliced onion in it. Take out 2 teaspoons of this seasoning mixture and add it to another small bowl. Mix it with mayonnaise and wasabi paste. Then set it aside for later use.

Here, you have two types of seasoning mixture. The first one is for marinating tuna, and the second one is for dressing over the vegetables.

Expert's Tip

When making sushi at home, you need to prepare sushi rice (sumeshi). You can make your own sushi-zu (mixed vinegar for sumeshi), but if you prefer a convenient option for perfect sumeshi without any preparation, why not try this product? It's ready-made sushi-zu, and all you have to do is mix it with hot steamed rice. With this product, you can casually enjoy poke bowls and other kinds of sushi at home.

3) Cutting and Marinating the Tuna

cutting the tuna into small cubes and then adding it into the seasoning mixture

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Cut the tuna into sticks and then into dice pieces. Add them to the marinating sauce from step 2 and marinate covered with plastic wrap for at least 1 hour in the fridge.

4) Preparing the Sushi Rice (Sumeshi)

Prepare a large bowl and place the freshly steamed rice in it. The important point is to use HOT rice. Then add sushi-zu and quickly mix them with a diagonal slicing motion. This motion prevents the rice from becoming sticky.

Once the rice has absorbed the sushi-zu, cool the rice with a fan. Use a rice scoop to turn it upside down and continue cooling the rice. When cooled, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel to prevent it from drying out and set it aside.

Tip: If you don’t have Sushi vinegar, you can make the substitution with 1.5 Tbsp of rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp of sugar and 1/3 tsp of salt.

5) Slicing the Avocado & Preparing the Other Toppings

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Slice the vegetables. Coat the avocado slices with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.

6) Plating the Poke Bowl

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Prepare a bowl. Place the sumeshi at the bottom and arrange the vegetables and marinated tuna on top. Add Japanese pickles, chopped green onion, radish sprouts, and sesame seeds if desired.

7) Adding Dressing to the Poke Bowl

Drizzle the sauce made in step 2 over the vegetables (not on the tuna). Enjoy!

Megumi Moriya

Megumi is a recipe writer based in Chiba, Japan. She carries a Bachelor in the Faculty of Foreign Studies and is interested in creating content about Japanese cuisine and traditional confectioneries. Megumi is most interested in making Japanese recipe content, and in her free time, she likes to play the piano, make handcrafted goods, and hula dance. She hopes to inspire Japanese Taste readers to make Japanese recipes at home and of course share more about Japanese culture.

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