Seared Tuna Poke Bowl

You’ll love these sushi bowls! Filled with perfectly seared ahi tuna, slivers of white onions, and topped with a sweet soy sauce. Then the seared tuna poke bowl is finished with thinly sliced jalapeños, cilantro

If you enjoy this recipe, try Korean Black Bean Noodles next – filled with flavor and slurpy goodness!

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Why you’ll love this recipe

I love ahi tuna bowls and rather than spend the ($15 and

✔️ It’s a great weeknight meal. Only 20 minutes to make!

✔️ Fresh ingredients, healthy and delicious!

✔️ less expensive than your favorite poke restaurants too!

In

When Dan and I first met he turned up his nose at anything “fishy”. Not raised on fish or seafood, I have to say I’m proud of him for trying new bites.

Now we enjoy oysters on the half shell, grilled shrimp, fish tacos and even poke! This makes me a happy gal!

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for the ahi poke bowl recipe!

• sashimi grade or sushi grade ahi tuna steak – visit your fish monger or meat market for fresh raw fish to make the marinated tuna.
• soy sauce
• sesame seeds and star anise (spice)
• sesame oil for flavor, corn oil or olive oil for searing
• mango
• white onion
• avocado

Instructions

Poke bowls are finished with an extra drizzle of sauce, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, chopped cilantro, Sriracha, chopped nuts, wasabi, pickled ginger – really the combinations are endless!

Steps to sear tuna

1. For this meal, start with fresh ahi tuna steaks. I go to our local fish market and they slice it fresh. One ½ pound slice is plenty for two servings
2. Heat your grill pan or grill on high for five minutes, you want your grill screaming hot.
3. Brush the tuna steak with oil and lightly salt/pepper each side.
4. Place the steak(s) on the hot grill for 1 minute 30 seconds on side one, flip and grill on side two for another 1 minute 30 seconds. The steak will be perfectly seared on the outside and still pink on the inside.

Building the bowl

Learning how to make this ahi tuna poke bowl recipe is simple! Sear the tuna, you’ll want brown or white rice and then choose your favorite topping.

1. Make the sweet soy sauce, set aside to cool.
2. Fill bowls with cooked rice.
3. Mash avocados, place a dollop on each bowl.
4. Dice seared tuna. Place in a small bowl. Add onions and two tablespoons of sauce, mix well. Pour over warm rice.
5. Top bowl with minced cilantro, sesame seeds and sliced jalapeños.

FAQ’s

Poke (pronounced POH-keh),

Poke is a Hawaiian dish. It’s typically diced raw fish or cooked fish that’s been marinated. It’s tossed in sauce soy sauce based sauce is served over a bowl filled with rice. Optional vegetables or fruit is added and it’s often drizzled with additional sauce.

sushi-grade tuna, ahi or yellowtail
salmon
shrimp
crab
squid
scallops
if you’re state-side you’ll often see shredded white meat chicken and seared vegetables too!

Of course! Make sure you buy sushi grade tuna, especially if you’re eating it raw.

No, just be sure to buy sushi grade tuna so it’s safe to consume if it’s not cooked/fully cooked.

Warm sushi rice, sticky rice, white rice, brown rice, jasmine rice or even basmati rice!

Tips

Traditional poke bowls are packed full of white rice or brown rice. Take it one step further by swapping out the rice for salad greens.

When you sear the fish, use an oil with a high smoke point. Not all cooking oils have a smoke point that, once exceeded, will negatively affect the food’s flavor but also its nutritional value.

Finish the bowl with a drizzle of sauce. Often that last drizzle is a mayonnaise based sauce. Though delicious, I recommend a sweet soy sauce or ponzu sauce. It’s a great swap and keeps the meal light.

A light sauce will celebrates the flavor of the seared tuna rather than mask it.

Variations

Poke can have a variety of toppings, I don’t recommend doing all of these at once, that would be overwhelming! Pick two or three to top your poke bowl with. Here are some of my favorites.

• creamy avocado
• mango
• seaweed salad
• edamame
• grilled shishito peppers
• kimchi
• diced cucumbers or a cucumber salad
• sliced green onions
• sliced red onion
• wedges of lime and fresh lime juice
• masago
• sliced jalapeños
• white or black sesame seeds
• cilantro
• peanuts or cashews
• pickled ginger
• edamame beans
• macadamia nuts
• wasabi
• red pepper flakes
• fried onions
• top with a drizzle of spicy mayo

If you’d prefer a spicy tuna poke bowl, finish spicy sauce like a good amount of sriracha.

Related Recipes

• Easy Teriyaki Chicken Bowl Recipe – one of my most favorite recipes! Sweet grilled teriyaki chicken – so good!
• This is another great quick and easy recipe, Korean BBQ Beef Bowl – great simple marinade with so much flavor!
• Teriyaki Noodles that are better than take-out! This is a great quick and easy meal. Add some protein like leftover rotisserie chicken or thinly sliced steak if you’d prefer something meaty.
• You’ll really enjoy the combination of spices in this recipe for a Korean Style Beef Broccoli Rice Bowl
• Easy Homemade Ramen Bowl – YUM! Be sure to make that poached egg for the top. It totally makes the meal.

Serve with

• I love using the flavors in the cilantro lime rice recipe and have used the flavorings with brown rice as well.
• Topping the bowl with mashed avocado is delicious! You can use diced mango, spicy mango salsa or this strawberry salsa, YUM!
• Serve a platter of teriyaki ramen noodles on the side along with homemade pot stickers – so good!

A seared tuna poke bowl is easier to make than you think! Rice topped with a dollop of mashed avocado and diced mango – so simple! Mixing the tuna with slivers of white onions and sauce gives it so much flavor!

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Seared Ahi Tuna Poke Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ pound fresh ahi tuna steak sushi grade, ahi tuna recommended
• 1 cup soy sauce
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup water
• 4 tablespoon white onion slice the onion into slivers
• 1 mango peeled and diced
• ½ lemon juiced
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted plus additional teaspoon for garnish
• 1 tablespoon corn or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 star anise
• 1 jalapeños sliced
• 2 tablespoon cilantro minced

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Instructions

• Start by making the poke sauce. Place small heavy bottom pan over medium high heat. Combine soy sauce and the brown sugar, water and star anise. Bring to a boil and stir until the brown sugar dissolves.
• Reduce heat to medium and stir occasionally. Continuing cooking for about ten minutes. It will reduce and slightly thicken.
• Remove from heat, remove star anise. Add *toasted sesame seeds and sesame oil. Set aside to cool. Store it in a screw top jar in the refrigerator. This will keep for about two weeks.
• Peel the mango and dice.
• Slice the avocado in half. Remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh and mash together with freshly squeezed lemon. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
• Slice jalapeños and mince cilantro.
• For the seared tuna, heat your grill pan or grill on high for five minutes, you want your grill screaming hot.
• Brush the tuna steak oil and lightly salt/pepper each side.
• Place the steak(s) on the hot grill for 1 minute 30 seconds side one, flip and grill on side two for another 1 minute 30 seconds. The steak will be perfectly seared on the outside and still pink on the inside.
• Remove from the heat and dice into cubes.
• Add cooked rice and or salad greens to a bowl.
• Add a scoop of avocado and diced mango to each bowl.
• Mix the cubed tuna and slivered white onions with about 4-5 tablespoons of poke sauce. Split between the two bowls, pouring the excess sauce over the bowls.
• Garnish each poke bowl with chopped cilantro, sliced jalapeños and sesame seeds.

Notes

Nutrition

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First published. March 23, 2018, updated February 12, 2023 with better instructions