Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl
This Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl starts with cubed King salmon in a spicy soy-and-sesame sauce. Then, serve it over sushi rice with your favorite poke toppings. Prep takes just 15 minutes, plus marinating, and the result tastes just like what you'd get at a poke counter.
Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl Recipe
If you haven't tried making poke at home before, this Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl is a great recipe to start with. In Hawaiian, poke means "to slice," and the dish is one of the simplest ways to enjoy raw fish. Just cube some good salmon, marinate it, and serve it over rice with any toppings you like.
The marinade in this recipe has two jobs. Soy sauce and rice wine vinegar add flavor to the fish, while sriracha and sesame oil bring heat and richness, making it spicy rather than plain. Let the salmon chill in the fridge for at least an hour so it really soaks up the flavors.
It's important to use high-quality fish for this recipe. Because the salmon is raw, it should be previously frozen to kill any parasites, following FDA guidelines. Regular grocery store salmon isn't always safe to eat raw, so check with your fishmonger or make sure you have a deep freezer that gets cold enough to do the job.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's fast. Once the salmon marinates, the bowls come together in about 5 minutes.
- It's customizable. Swap or add toppings based on what you've got in the fridge.
- No cooking needed. Other than making the rice, you don't need to use the stove for this recipe.
- It's better than takeout. You control the spice level and the quality of the fish.
Recipe Shopping List
Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here's the list of items you'll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- King or Chinook salmon - the star of the show. Chinook has a higher fat content than other salmon varieties, which makes it taste rich even served raw and cold.
- Soy sauce - the base of the marinade and where most of the salty, savory flavor comes from.
- Sriracha - brings the heat. Two tablespoons make it pretty spicy, so use less if you prefer it milder.
- Sesame oil - just a little goes a long way here. It adds a toasty, nutty flavor to the marinade. You only need a small amount.
- Rice wine vinegar - adds acidity and helps balance the flavors of the soy sauce and sriracha.
- Garlic and ginger - both minced so they mix evenly into the marinade and don't end up in big pieces.
- Green onions - the white parts go into the marinade, and you'll want to reserve the green parts for garnishing the finished bowls.
- Sushi rice is the traditional base for poke bowls. Alton Brown's sushi rice recipe is a good choice.
- Krab Salad - my local fancy grocery store sometimes has this premade, but spoiler alert, it is just imitation crab, shredded and mixed with Kewpie mayo and some rice wine vinegar. You can make your own.
- Seaweed Salad - this one is also pretty simple to make, but I usually buy it from the sushi section at the grocery store to save a little time.
- Cucumbers - diced small for a cool, crunchy bite that contrasts with the spicy salmon.
- Edamame - shelled edamame adds protein and a pop of green to the bowl.
- Togarashi - a Japanese seven-spice blend that adds a little extra heat and a lot of flavor. I like to mix it in with the edamame.
- Avocado - sliced or diced, this adds creaminess that balances the spice.
- Sesame seeds - for texture and a nutty finish.
- Nori - sliced seaweed sheets add a briny, savory note and a little crunch.
How To Make This Recipe
This is just the overview so you can see what you're actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you'll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Mix the cubed salmon with soy sauce, sriracha, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, and the white parts of the green onions in a container or zip-top bag.
- Let it chill in the fridge for one to two hours.
- Make your sushi rice while the salmon marinates.
- Add some cooked, slightly cooled sushi rice to each bowl, then top with the marinated salmon poke.
- Next, just add whatever toppings you prefer. We like crab salad, seaweed salad, cucumbers, edamame, avocado, nori, or any other favorites.
- Finish with the reserved green onions, sesame seeds, togarashi, and a little extra sriracha if you like more heat.
Recipe FAQ
Only if you know it's been frozen solid enough to meet FDA guidelines for raw consumption. Standard fillets from the seafood case aren't automatically safe to eat raw, so it's worth asking whoever you're buying it from.
After marinating, it's best to eat it the same day, ideally within a few hours. Raw fish doesn't keep well for more than a day, even in the fridge.
Tuna is the most common swap and works great with this same marinade. Cooked shrimp or even cubed tofu are good options too, if you want to skip raw fish altogether.
Sushi rice gives poke bowls their classic sticky texture, but you can use brown rice, cauliflower rice, or even greens if you want a lower-carb option.
Yes, you can. Dice the cucumbers, shell the edamame, and cook the rice in advance. When you're ready to eat, just marinate the salmon and put everything together.
Hawaiian poke and Japanese-style poke share the same basic idea, but they come from very different traditions. Traditional Hawaiian poke keeps things simple, usually just fish, sea salt, seaweed, and maybe some crushed candlenut or chili pepper. Japanese-style poke, which is more of a fusion take, leans on soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar, along with toppings like green onion, sesame seeds, and nori. This Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl falls closer to the Japanese-style camp, since the marinade is built around soy sauce and sesame oil rather than the salt-forward approach of classic Hawaiian poke.
Serve This With...
A poke bowl is a complete meal on its own, but you can serve it with a simple cucumber kimchi, miso soup, or some gyoza if you want to make a bigger meal.
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Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl
This spicy salmon poke bowl is loaded with fresh salmon, sriracha, avocado, and edamame over sushi rice. Ready in just 15 minutes of prep!
Ingredients
Salmon
- 2 cups fresh sushi-grade salmon, cubed
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger, minced
- 3 tablespoons green onions, white parts only (reserve the greens for garnish on the finished bowl!)
Bowls
- Sushi Rice
- Diced cucumbers
- Shelled edamame
- Togarashi (for the edamame)
- Diced green onions
- Sliced avocados
- Sesame seeds
- Sriracha
- Sliced nori
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Instructions
- Place the salmon and all of the marinade ingredients into a plastic container or plastic baggie, and let it marinate for 1-2 hours.
- Place a scoop of salmon poke on top of a scoop of sushi rice, and top with any of your desired toppings.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 Amounts Per Serving: Calories: 289Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 803mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 29gNutrition data provided here is only an estimate. If you are tracking these things for medical purposes please consult an outside, trusted source. Thanks!
