Description
Straight from the kitchen of my O’ahu born-and-raised mom, this Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl delivers a true taste of Hawai‘i wherever you are! 🌺🤙🏼
Raw, cubed ahi tuna marinates in a classic shoyu sauce made with sweet onion, scallion, and sesame oil. Serve over a bed of sticky white rice with simple toppings like cucumber, avocado, and furikake seasoning. Fresh, balanced, and absolutely perfect – just like what you’d find on the islands!
A quick note! You’ll notice a few specialty Hawaiian ingredients listed below – check out Mom’s Shoyu Ahi Poke recipe for detailed sourcing and substitution notes on ingredients like limu, inamona, and Hawaiian sea salt. They add authentic flavor and texture, but the optional ingredients are truly optional – you can still make a really delicious poke bowl without them.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry Calrose rice
- Mom’s shoyu ahi poke (below)
- optional: 1 avocado, thinly sliced or diced
- optional: ½ English cucumber, peeled as desired & diced into ½-inch cubes
- optional: ¼ cup furikake
- optional: ⅓ cup wasabi mayo (⅓ cup mayonnaise + 1-2 teaspoons wasabi paste)
for Mom’s shoyu ahi poke:
- 1 pound good-quality ahi tuna, diced into ¾-inch cubes (see Recipe Notes)
- ¼ large sweet onion, thinly sliced (about ¼ cup)
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced (about ⅓ cup)
- optional: ¼ cup fresh or rehydrated ogo or limu (Hawaiian seaweed, see Recipe Notes)
- 2-3 tablespoons shoyu or low-sodium soy sauce (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Hawaiian sea salt (see Recipe Notes)
- optional: 1 teaspoon finely chopped inamona or macadamia nuts (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Instructions
METHOD OVERVIEW:
Cook the rice in a rice cooker according to manufacturer’s directions. Meanwhile, prepare the ahi poke by gently mixing all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate briefly to allow the flavors to meld. To serve, spoon the rice into bowls, top with chilled poke, and finish with toppings as desired.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:
- Rinse the rice: Transfer the rice to a pot or the rice cooker’s inner cooking pan and rinse well: cover with warm water, give it a good jostle with your hands to agitate the dust off the rice’s surface, then carefully drain the water. Repeat rinsing until the water runs clear – this takes a good minute or two; be patient! [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="37313,37316"]
- Cook the rice: Following the ratios provided on the package or in your rice cooker’s directions, add water to the rice and cook according to your preferred method. Once the rice is done, let it steam and rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Mix the ahi poke: In a medium bowl, combine the cubed tuna, sweet onion, green onion, ogo or limu (if using), shoyu, toasted sesame oil, Hawaiian sea salt, inamona or macadamia nuts (if using), toasted sesame seeds, and crushed red pepper. Gently stir to combine. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="37318,37320"]
- Marinate: Cover the poke and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill and allow the flavors to meld.
- Build your poke bowls: Use a rice paddle to scrape the rice out of the pot rather than digging in, which compacts the rice – we want it light and sticky! Spoon the chilled poke over the rice, along with your desired toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
Ingredient Notes:
- Ahi tuna: As the star of this recipe, it’s important to use the best quality fish you can find. Since poke is a raw preparation, source your tuna from a fishmonger you trust. It’s worth noting that labels like “sushi-grade” or “sashimi-grade” are not regulated – instead, I suggest letting your fishmonger guide you to their best selection for a raw dish. If you’re local to the Twin Cities, I love Coastal Seafoods (east metro) and Brookies (west metro). If you can’t find good-quality fresh ahi, this recipe also works well with salmon.
- Specialty Hawaiian ingredients: Check out Mom’s Shoyu Ahi Poke recipe for detailed notes on sourcing and substitutions for traditional Hawaiian ingredients like ogo, limu, inamona, shoyu, and Hawaiian sea salt. As Mom always says, these ingredients add great flavor and texture, but they’re not a deal-breaker. The optional ingredients are truly optional – you can still make a really delicious poke bowl without them.
- Best rice for poke bowls: For best results, use short- or medium-grain white rice. Calrose is the variety most commonly used in Hawai‘i (my family’s preferred brands are Botan and Kokuho Rose), though sushi-style short-grain rice works well too.
- Poke bowl toppings: In Hawai‘i, poke bowls are much simpler than the colorful, toppings-heavy versions popular here on the Continent – often just poke spooned over warm rice. If you prefer a more loaded bowl, go for it! My family loves the toppings listed: cucumber for fresh crunch, avocado for creamy richness, furikake for oceanic flavor, and wasabi mayo for a kick of heat.
Storage and Reheating:
- Storage: Once assembled, these ahi tuna poke bowls are best enjoyed fresh. Store any leftover poke, rice, and toppings in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Reheat the rice in the microwave, then spoon the chilled poke on top.