This salmon poke bowl recipe is my favorite shortcut to sushi night at home. You get everything you love about a poke bowl – buttery salmon, fluffy rice, creamy avocado, crisp cucumber, sweet mango, and a savory poke sauce – without rolling a single piece of sushi.
It’s fresh, customizable, and surprisingly easy to make. I’m also sharing exactly what to look for when buying salmon for poke, how long to marinate it, and how to make a cooked salmon poke bowl if you’d rather skip the raw fish.
Why You’ll Love This Salmon Poke Bowl Recipe
Easy sushi-at-home recipe without rolling anything!
Fresh, bright flavors with a rainbow of colors, creamy, crunchy, sweet, and savory bites.
Customizable toppings for picky eaters and fridge clean-out nights. This is a forgiving recipe.
Raw or cooked salmon options, plus more ideas for non-salmon eaters.
Ready in about 30 minutes, for real! Marinate the salmon first and then chop the rest of the toppings and the salmon will be done when you are ready to assemble.
What is Salmon Poke?
Poke (pronounced “poh-KAY bowl”) is diced raw fish (salmon, tuna, white fish) served either as an appetizer or a main course. This dish is native to Hawaiian cuisine, but traditional forms are Japanese and called poké/poki.
“Poke” literally means “cut into pieces” which I have always found interesting because the name refers to the slices or cubes of raw fish that are served in a bowl along with rice, dressing, vegetables, and seasonings.
It is most often served using tuna or salmon, but you might also see cooked version with shrimp or just plain veggies with a poke sauce. You can even turn a California Roll Recipe into a bowl.
Poke Bowl Ingredients
Below you will find the ingredients to make both the bowl and the poke sauce/poke dressing. The fun thing about these is that you can easily customize them.
Follow this recipe exactly or use it as a guide and add some of your favorite mix-ins!
Poke bowls
- Fish: you can’t make a poke bowl without delicious fish. In this recipe, I used sushi-grade salmon. However, you can use sushi-grade tuna as well. It is your choice to serve it raw or cooked.
- Rice: whether you use sushi rice, short-grain white rice, brown rice, jasmine rice, or gluten-free cauliflower rice, rice is an essential ingredient as it is the base ingredient for your bowl. Black rice is also fun, if you can find it. Check out an Asian grocery store or order it online.
- Toppings: dress up your bowl with delicious toppings like English cucumbers, radishes, green onion, avocados, seaweed salad and mangos. Seaweed salad can be found already prepared in the sushi section of your grocery store. The dried seaweed sheets are in the International food aisle near Asian cuisine. We also included some jarred pickled ginger.
Poke bowl sauce
- Wet ingredients: low sodium soy sauce, lemon juice, toasted sesame oil, mirin, and rice wine vinegar (or just rice vinegar).
- Herbs and spices: garlic, ginger, and scallions.
Use this sauce for dressing as well as the marinade or drizzle with spicy aioli or yum yum sauce. Ponzu sauce is another one of my favorites.
Picking the Right Salmon
When consuming raw fish, it is extremely important to know and understand what you are buying, preparing, and eating.
That said, I like using high quality Sockeye salmon also known as red salmon for my salmon poke bowls. Sockeye salmon is best for sushi and poke because their flesh is bright orange and the flavor is incredibly rich. Most importantly, it is safe to eat raw.
Use salmon that is sold by a reputable fishmonger or grocer for raw preparation, often labeled sushi-grade, sashimi-grade, or frozen for raw consumption. In the U.S., “sushi-grade” is a commonly used retail term rather than a formal FDA grade, so the most important thing is buying from a trusted source and confirming it is intended for raw use.
Because salmon is a known parasitic fish, it is frozen at 0°F for 7 days or flash-frozen at -35°F for 15 hours. This kills off germs or bacteria. In fact, many sushi restaurants will freeze all of their fish unless it is literally caught and served same day, like in Tokyo.
Where to Buy Sushi-Grade Salmon
If you are lucky enough to live near a fish market, I recommend starting there. However, a fish market is not required and doesn’t always carry sushi grade fish. Make sure you always ask if it’s sushi grade before purchasing, no matter where you are.
You can usually find sushi-grade salmon in a high-end grocery store, a local grocery store with a fish counter, and sometimes in the freezer section near the fish and seafood.
If you are shopping at your local Whole Foods or Wegman’s you will notice they carry a variety of sushi-grade fish. You can find the fish skinned, cut into rectangular pieces, and packaged in boxes; which I love because it makes prepping these bowls really easy! Sometimes it is located near the fresh sushi section instead of the seafood counter.
How to Make a Poke Bowl with Salmon
- Marinate the salmon. Combine all poke bowl sauce ingredients and the white parts of the green onions together in a large mixing bowl. Cube the salmon into 1-2 inch cubes, making sure to go against the grain, just like with meat and marinate in the poke sauce. Toss to combine and marinate for 15-45 minutes, no longer than 1 hour. The salmon should be firm and tender.
Longer marinating times can result in tough fish. If you are planning to use the poke sauce as your dressing, set aside half and toss the other half with the salmon. - Cook the rice. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package instructions. The rice can be prepared ahead of time and served as warm or cold, your choice. I prefer mine warmed.
- Prepare the salmon. Remove the salmon from the marinade and don’t dab it dry, let the sauce stick to it. Discard marinade. Do not use this as your dressing.
- Assemble the bowls. Divide the cooked rice between bowls and divide up your desired toppings.
- Dress It. If you’ve reserved the poke sauce, use this as your dressing. Otherwise, we’ve used a spicy aioli (sriracha aioli). Wasabi aioli is another good pick!
Chef Tips for the Best Salmon Poke Bowl
Cut the salmon into even 1/2-inch cubes so every bite marinates evenly.
Marinate for 15 to 30 minutes for the best flavor and texture. Too long and the fish starts getting a little weird and tight.
Use cooled or room-temperature rice if you want clean, pretty layers. Hot rice can warm the salmon too much.
Pat watery produce dry — cucumber, mango, and even avocado can turn the bowl swampy.
Reserve dressing before adding raw fish if you want extra sauce for serving.
Balance texture with one creamy topping, one crunchy topping, one fresh topping, and one bold sauce.
Start light with sesame oil because that little diva can take over the whole bowl.
For nervous first-timers, use cooked salmon and still enjoy all the same flavors.
Cooked Salmon
If you are still uneasy with raw fish or uncertain if it is sushi grade, simply use cooked salmon. All of the flavors of a poke bowl without the worry.
Follow the recipe for marinating the fish and then take it out of the marinade and toss it into a hot skillet, searing on all sides. This will take about 4-5 minutes. Salmon does not have to be fully cooked to be considered “cooked” and in fact, we suggest not going over 130°F.
Toppings & Variations
Looking to add or change things up? The best part of this easy recipe is the variety of toppings. No two bowls will ever be the same if you consider some of these other delicious toppings:
- Spicy salmon- add sriracha
- Yellowfin tuna (yellow tail)
- Edamame
- Kukui nuts
- Carrots
- Pineapple chunks
- Seaweed snacks (my favorite!)
- Red onion
- Thai Chile Sauce
- Maldon Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Sesame seeds
- Coconut aminos
- Lemon juice
- Lime juice
- Fresh herbs
- Sweet onion
- Pickled ginger
- Crispy onion
- Bonito flakes
- Seaweed strips (shredded nori)
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Red cabbage
- Macadamia nuts
- Ponzu sauce
- Eel Sauce
- Chinese Chili Oil
Chef’s Tip
You can also change up your grains and go with something like quinoa or mixed greens.
Storage & Make Ahead
Because we are dealing with raw fish, it is highly suggested that you eat the entire dish. You can make it ahead, but only up to a few hours. Leftovers should be put immediately in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoyed within 12 hours.
Poke Bowl FAQS
No! I cannot stress this enough. Do not use regular salmon for your salmon poke bowls or sushi at home. You MUST use sushi grade salmon. The last thing you want to do is get sick from eating salmon that is not suitable to eat raw.
Sushi grade salmon will always be marked as such. However, if you have questions about the quality of salmon you are looking at, ask someone at the fish counter or an employee in the store.
Let them know you are going to prepare and eat it raw and they will point you in the right direction.
You can use salmon that has been properly handled and sold for raw preparation. Do not assume any frozen salmon is automatically appropriate for poke; confirm with the seller.
It can be. That depends on the amount of rice, sauces, and toppings you use. It’s easy to build a lighter bowl with more vegetables and a moderate amount of rice.
Prep the rice, sauce, and toppings ahead, but assemble just before serving for the best texture and freshness.
More Salmon Recipes
We love recipes that use salmon and here are a few more that top our list.
Salmon Poke Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
Poke Bowl Sauce:
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 stalks scallions (green onions) , thinly sliced and white parts separated
- 1 clove fresh garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger , grated or ginger paste
Poke Bowl:
- 10 ounces sushi grade salmon
- 1/2 cup white rice , cooked
- 1 english cucumber , thinly sliced
- 2 radishes , thinly sliced
- 1 avocado , thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup seaweed salad
- 1/4 cup mango , diced
- 2 tablespoons pickled ginger
- 4 tablespoons spicy aioli
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
Poke Sauce & Salmon:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoons mirin, 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, chopped 3 stalks scallions (green onions), minced 1 clove fresh garlic and grated 1 teaspoon fresh ginger If you plan to use this as your dressing, reserve half and use half for marinating.
- Slice the 10 ounces sushi grade salmon into 1-inch cubes against the grain, and add to the mixing bowl with the poke sauce. Toss to combine and marinate for 15-30 minutes. When ready, remove the salmon from the marinade and discard the remaining marinade.
Assemble the Poke Bowl:
- Divide the cooked 1/2 cup white rice between two bowls and evenly top with the marinated salmon, sliced 1 english cucumber, 2 radishes, 1 avocado, 1/2 cup seaweed salad , sliced 1/4 cup mango and 2 tablespoons pickled ginger. Drizzle with the reserved poke bowl sauce or 4 tablespoons spicy aioli and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Delicious, beautiful and healthy. I made this for my sister and I. We really enjoyed it especially the sauce.
This bowl looks delicious. Such a great way to use salmon.
I haven’t had poke bowls in SO LONG!! But now that I am no longer pregnant, I am having them almost weekly. Why have I never thought of making it at home? This is happening this weekend!! 🙂
Sushi night without all the faffing around, rolling and slicing – this is epic! So many gorgeous things in these lovely bowls, just delicious.
Now this is a great way to eat healthy! So many yummy things in this poke bowl!