Try making these vibrant Salmon Poke Bowls with healthy brown rice, pickled vegetables and avocado. Swap out the salmon for tofu for an easy vegan option!

I have to admit that I was heavily inspired by the cover of Bon Appetit’s January issue to whip up these vibrant salmon poke bowls and share them with you.

Did anyone else see it? It was staring back at me from my coffee table all month long and I couldn’t get poke bowls out of my mind until I finally made them. A bowl of crisp, colorful vegetables and fresh marinated seafood served over rice seemed like THE cure for the winter doldrums.

I’m very into how customizable poke bowls can be. From the base- brown rice, white rice….ooohhh black rice would be amazing, wouldn’t it- to the toppings and even the protein source, everything is up to you, really.

This is exactly what makes a DIY poke bowl party such a good idea. Just set out portions of all the ingredients and let your guests build their own poke bowls!They really couldn’t be easier to prepare. No cooking required, except for the rice. But that’s barely cooking, especially if you use a bag of microwaveable frozen brown rice like I did. Shortcuts are a beautiful thing. For my salmon poke bowls, I used fresh, sashimi grade salmon and marinated it in a savory vinaigrette made with rice wine vinegar, soy sauce (use tamari if you wish to keep it gluten free), Sriracha and sesame oil.

I also went ahead and quick pickled some cucumber and watermelon radish, and made the cucumbers into ribbons with a mandolin for extra presentation points. I love the notes of sweetness and acidity that the pickled vegetables lend to this dish. Besides that, I added raw carrots (for crunch), avocado (because duh) and then it’s all about the garnishes, baby. I like lots of them.

Spicy jalapeño, thinly sliced scallions and gomasio are a must for my salmon poke bowls. If you haven’t heard of gomasio, it’s basically a Japanese seasoning made with unhulled sesame seeds. You can usually find it in the spice aisle or the Asian food section at the grocery store, but if you can’t find gomasio, toasted sesame seeds are a suitable substitute.

I also made vegan poke bowls, because even though the salmon is absolutely beautiful in this recipe, I’ll probably end up making the tofu version more often simply due to that fact that I try to limit my animal consumption to about 1-2 servings per week. To achieve this easy vegan swap just replace the salmon with cubed tofu; everything else is the same. Pour the marinade over the tofu and let it soak up the flavor while you prepare everything else.

Whether you prefer salmon poke bowls or opt for the veggie kind, either way they’re the ultimate fresh/healthy/quick meal.  Plus they’re so pretty!

If you make my version of salmon poke bowls please take a picture on Instagram and tag it #LePetitEats, I’d love to see your creation!

5 from 4 votes

Print

Salmon Poke Bowls

Try making these vibrant Salmon Poke Bowls with healthy brown rice, pickled vegetables and avocado. Swap out the salmon for tofu for an easy vegan option!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword poke bowl recipe, salmon bowl recipes, sushi bowl salmon

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 500 kcal

Author Denisse Salinas

Ingredients

FOR THE PICKLED VEGETABLES:

• 1 English cucumber thinly sliced into ribbons using a mandolin
• 1 watermelon radish thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

FOR THE POKE BOWLS:

• 1 pound salmon or tofu cut into ¾ inch cubes
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 large carrot julienned
• 1 avocado thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeño thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup scallions thinly sliced
• Gomasio seasoning or sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once sugar has dissolved remove from heat. Pour liquid into two separate bowls and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer cucumber slices and watermelon radish slices into the separate bowls of pickling liquid. Set aside until ready to use.

2. Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, Sriracha and sesame oil in a bowl and add salmon (or tofu). Set aside to marinate while assembling poke bowls.

3. Divide brown rice evenly among serving bowls. Top each with carrot, avocado, picked vegetables and salmon (or tofu). Garnish with jalapeño, scallions and gomasio.