Gluten Free Salmon Poke Bowl Recipe

This gluten free salmon poke bowl is so flavorful and easy to make at home! Made with sushi grade salmon marinated in a simple sauce of coconut aminos, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. Served over rice with lots of delicious toppings and a simple spicy mayo. Easy to personalize and makes the best fresh lunch or dinner. Makes 2 poke bowls, but recipe can easily be doubled. Gluten free, dairy free, Whole30 / paleo option.

The best homemade poke bowls

There is so much to love in a loaded poke bowl.

The crunchy textures, bold and zippy flavors, and the contrast of the creamy pieces of marinated fish against the bite of perfectly cooked rice.

YESS PLEASE. Drooling.

If you’ve never had it before and you like sushi or raw fish dishes, poke is a real must try.

There’s plenty of awesome poke restaurants here in Seattle (this one is our favorite! They have tons of GF options) but it’s also a super easy / fun dish to put together at home.

The most important thing is to find high quality sushi grade salmon or tuna (your local fishmonger can help with this), and then you can sort out what you’d like to top your bowls with.

The options are limitless! We have our favorites that I’ll share in this recipe but you can go wild with whatever you enjoy the most.

Why you’ll love this poke bowl recipe

It is:

• Fresh and delicious
• Easy to make
• A perfect warm weather meal!
• Impressive yet approachable
• Bright and full of flavor
• Light and filling
• Satisfying
• A show stopper of a dish!

What is a poke bowl?

Pronounced poh-KAY, poke bowls are a native Hawaiian dish that were originally made with any type of fish or meat cut into small pieces. And indeed, the word poke simply means “to slice or to cut”.

As the popularity of the dish has grown, so have the many variations – typically influenced by Japanese and Korean flavors.

The most well known version of a poke bowl is made with cubes of raw fish (usually tuna) marinated in a simple poke sauce of soy sauce, sesame oil, and onion. But you really can use any type of seafood, and it doesn’t even have to be served raw.

You can serve poke by itself as an appetizer or a snack, but for a more filling meal you’ll often see it piled on top of a bed of rice and surrounded by a wide variety of flavorful and interesting toppings, like we’re doing in this recipe!

Ingredients and substitutions

This poke bowl is made with tender marinated bites of salmon, white rice, and an array of colorful and texturally interesting toppings. Once you gather the basic components you can make it your own by choosing whatever variety of toppings you like!

Here’s what you need for this recipe

• Salmon poke – The salmon poke in this recipe is made with a combination of fairly classic flavors with a few swaps to make it soy free. The sauce is composed of coconut aminos, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and a little sriracha for a bit of a kick. It’s then bolstered with other flavorful ingredients like grated ginger, green onions, jalapeño, and sesame seeds. You could, of course, use tamari or soy sauce instead of the coconut aminos and leave out the sriracha and jalapeño if you don’t want it to be spicy.
• White rice – White rice is a classic base for poke bowls, but you could also use cauliflower rice or even salad instead!
• Cucumber salad – I love a crunchy, salty cucumber salad in our poke bowls. This one is made with diced cucumber, rice vinegar, sesame oil, coconut aminos, and kosher salt.
• Spicy mayo – A simple spicy mayo adds a delightful creamy note. Made with mayo, sriracha, rice vinegar, and coconut aminos.
• Extra toppings – Edamame, radish, avocado, extra jalapeño, cilantro, green onions, and sesame seeds are a few of our favorites, but feel free to add whatever calls to you!

If you omit the edamame from the toppings and use coconut aminos instead of tamari or soy sauce the bowl will be 100% soy free.

What’s the best type of salmon for poke?

You’ll want to make sure you find sashimi or sushi grade salmon to make these poke bowls. Head to a store with a good fish counter and your fishmonger should be able to help you! You’re looking for fish that has been frozen immediately after being caught, and stored at the proper temperature.

You can even ask them to cut the skin off for you to make prep a lot easier!

And if you don’t have any local options for buying high quality fish that’s safe to eat raw, you can always order it online, or prepare these poke bowls with cooked salmon instead!

What type of rice for poke bowls?

Our favorite rice for poke bowls is short grain white rice or sushi rice. But you can use whatever rice you like – jasmine rice, brown rice, and even cauliflower rice are all delicious options!

Can you use tuna instead of salmon?

Absolutely! You can make these poke bowls with either salmon or tuna – or a combination of both!

How to make salmon poke bowls

These bowls are made with a few different components, but you’ll use mostly the same ingredients for all of them. Once everything is prepped you’ll be able to assemble quickly for a fast and fresh meal!

Here’s the step-by-step

• Prep the salmon poke. Add cubed salmon to a medium sized bowl and set aside. In a small bowl combine coconut aminos, rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and sriracha if using. Stir to combine. Pour over salmon, and add green onions, jalapeño, grated ginger, and sesame seeds. Gently mix to coat and move to the refrigerator to marinate while you make the rest of the recipe.
• Prep the rice. If cooking rice fresh, allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before assembling bowls. If using cold rice, warm in the microwave and allow to cool for the same amount of time
• Make cucumber salad. Add diced cucumber to a small bowl with rice vinegar, coconut aminos, kosher salt, and sesame oil. Mix to coat and move the refrigerator to chill with the poke.
• Make the spicy mayo. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Season to taste with more sriracha if desired and set aside.
• Assemble the bowls. Divide rice between 2 bowls. Top with salmon poke, cucumber salad, and any other desired toppings. Drizzle with spicy mayo and serve!

How to make the recipe paleo & Whole30 compatible

All you need to do to make these poke bowls paleo friendly and Whole30 compatible is to serve the poke over cauliflower rice or salad, and omit the edamame!

How long do you marinate the fish for poke?

I would suggest giving your fish at least 15-30 minutes to marinate before serving. You can also make it up to 8 hours ahead of time if you’re prepping in advance.

For the absolute best texture and flavor the sweet spot is probably about 1-2 hours.

How long will it last in the refrigerator?

Poke is best eaten the same day it’s made, but will keep for up to 2 days in a well sealed container if it is kept nice and cold in the refrigerator.

If you enjoyed this recipe, we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review it below! It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe. 

Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!

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