Trout Poke Bowl

Poke bowls are Hawaiian seafood bowls that usually use raw or marinated fish served over rice or salad with vegetables and sauce. In Hawaiian, “poke” is pronounced “POH-keh“. The “e” at the end is pronounced like the “ay” in “okay”. They evolved from a traditional Hawaiian dish called poke, meaning “to cut” or “to slice,” which involved raw fish seasoned with local ingredients like sea salt, seaweed, and kukui nuts. Poke bowls date back to when the ancient Polynesians settled the Hawaiian Islands. When the Japanese settlers came to the Hawaiian Islands, they infused their own flavors, ingredients and ideas into the traditional Hawaiian poke bowls. They started adding soy sauce, sesame oil and used different kinds of fish too. Today, anything goes. You are only limited by your own imagination.

Poke bowls are very healthy since they contain vegetables, lean fish and proteins and often fruit as well. Poke is very similar to it’s Japanese cousin, sashimi. The main difference between the two dishes is that the Japanese slice their fish very thin and the Hawaiians cut their fish into cubes.

Poke bowls are typically eaten cold, as the raw fish is a key component and is traditionally served chilled. However, some recipes may include warm ingredients like cooked tofu or seared tuna, and the rice can also be served warm or reheated. Ultimately, it’s a matter of preference, and some people enjoy the contrast of cold fish with warm rice.

I decided to make my own version of a poke bowl, using my canned trout. They were delicious and very healthy. I loaded them with vegetables too. My poke bowls were served warm. The rice was hot, and everything else was cold or room temperature.

Each tin is one serving, so for the two of us, I used the two tins of trout that I had. Since they were slightly different varieties, I just mixed them together and then portioned them out for each bowl.

Trout Poke Bowls

1 tin of trout for each portion, drained and shredded

1 shredded carrot

1/2 cup shelled edamame beans, cooked according to package directions

1/2 avocado, cubed

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1/2 cup baby corn

1/2 cup water chestnuts

1/2 cup green onions, sliced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped rough

2 tsp pickled ginger

2 cups cooked rice or wild rice

3 TBSP soy sauce

3 tsp sesame oil

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1-2 tsp rice vinegar

4 TBSP Siracha sauce

sesame seeds for topping

Cook the rice and the edamame beans. I used wild rice because I like it better with trout. I like wild rice with “wild” trout. While the rice is cooking prepare all the other ingredients. Cook the edamame beans in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes, then allow to cool for a bit. Once the beans have cooled enough to handle them, remove the shells.

Make the dressing by whisking together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, mayonnaise and Siracha sauce.

When the rice is cooked, add about a cup of rice to the bottom of the bowl, then started decoratively placing the other ingredients around the bowl. Drizzle the dressing over all the ingredients, then top with the sliced green onions and sesame seeds. I served it with some potstickers on the side and a cool refreshing Chardonnay to complete the meal. Delicious, easy-peasy and very healthy too. Definitely my kind of meal. 🙂 You can use any kind of fish and it can either be cooked, raw or tinned too. We loved our poke bowls for dinner, and the girls got to enjoy the oil and trout skin with their breakfast, in their bowls too. The whole family got to enjoy these delicious bowls. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.