The poke bowl that took over North America: a bowl of rice, the fish on top, and as many toppings again, with sauce over everything. It’s a meal, and the fish is a third of it, so the rice and toppings need seasoning of their own.
Picks
Fresh, filling, and built to order.
- The fish: AhiAhiYellowfin or bigeye tuna, the usual fish for poke in Hawaii. or salmon
- The seasoning: ShoyuShoyuJapanese soy sauce, brewed from soybeans and wheat. and sesame oil on the fish, and spicy mayo over the bowl
- Onions, seaweed, and crunch: Green onion, sesame seeds, and furikakeFurikakeA dry Japanese seasoning for rice: toasted sesame, nori, salt and a little sugar, often with bonito or dried egg.
- How it’s served: A bowl of seasoned rice, about 1:1:1 rice, fish, and toppings: avocado, cucumber, edamame, pickled ginger
Where it comes from
Poke became popular across North America from 2012, and the number of Hawaiian restaurants serving it doubled between 2014 and 2016. Most poke bowls outside Hawaii are closer to Korean hoe-deopbap, a raw-fish rice bowl, than to Hawaiian poke (Wikipedia).
| Constraint | Pick it explains |
|---|---|
| Sold as a lunch meal | Rice and toppings, not just fish |
| Built to order at a counter | A choice of fish, sauces, and toppings |
Why these picks
- Equal parts. Enough rice to fill you, enough fish to taste it, and enough toppings for crunch and freshness in every bite.
- Two sauces. The shoyu seasons the fish; the sauce on top seasons the rest of the bowl.
- Avocado and cucumber. One creamy, one crisp.
How it fails
- Bland rice: unseasoned and under-sauced. Season the rice as for sushi, or sauce the whole bowl.
- Too much going on: more than four or five toppings and the fish gets lost.
Recipes
Simple rice bowls for the cooked-protein version of the same bowl.