Salmon Poke Bowl Recipe

Who could blame you for dreaming of Hawaii? The poke bowl is brightly colorful, subtle in some ways, aggressive in others, light but satisfying, healthful, fresh, casual yet refined, beautiful, and, above all, scrumptious. Poh-kay? Poh-keh? Poh-kee? You'll have to go to Hawaii find out for sure. If you're already there, we're jealous. If you're not don't worry. It's easy to make this bowl yourself at home.

If you're new to all this, first things first: poke is raw. Unlike ceviche, in which an acidic dressing "cooks" the protein, poke is completely raw. In essence, poke is diced raw fish, coated in savory sauce. The sauce typically contains shoyu, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sometimes green onion or shallot, and sometimes also sriracha and sesame seeds. You can  add ginger or grated garlic if you like (use a microplane - no big chunks please.)

Traditionally poke is made with yellowfin tuna. Today's postmodern eater hates rules, however, so contemporary diner's can find poke made with all kinds of fish, and even octopus. Salmon, which some have called "the butter of the sea" makes for a very satisfying alternative to tuna. Like tuna, there are different varieties of salmon. Because poke exists to highlight the fresh fish, you should use only sashimi grade salmon in your poke. Sashimi grade salmon is farmed and frozen in a special way that kills parasites, which are often present in wild, river-dwelling salmon. Typically sushi-grade salmon must be frozen until solid and stored at -35C for at least 15 hours. To get the right stuff, find a trustworthy fish market, because salmon is, sadly, often mislabeled, both in terms of origin and species.

Salmon poke is super healthful. For starters, salmon is much lower in toxic mercury than tuna. Yet it is still a healthful source of protein, and good fats like omega 3s, which support a healthy heart, brain, eyes, and blood vessels, and may also reduce inflammation. The colorful array of veggies has the nutrition of the rainbow, with nutrients like vitamins B-12, C, and D, magnesium, potassium, folate, iron, manganese, zinc, and niacin. Poke is a healthful meal that feels light but is really quite substantial.

Like a new car, you can dress up your poke with all kinds of options. If you think about it, everything in life is optional.  The important thing is to balance flavor, texture and temperature. Beauty is also key to a great poke. Fan those veggies out to make it fancy.

Ahi Poke Bowl