Name: Tropical tuna poke bowl
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2-4 cups cooked rice ((or sub brown rice or even quinoa)); 1 cup soy sauce ((or sub tamari or coconut aminos)); 3 tsp fresh ginger ((minced)); 1 tbsp sesame oil ((or sub chili oil or half/half)); ¼ cup (black) sesame seeds; 2 tbsp avocado oil; 1 lbs fresh tuna ((yellow fin preferably)); 1 large carrots ((julienne)); ½ medium cucumber ((thinly sliced lengthwise)); 4 radishes ((thinly sliced)); ½ bell pepper ((yellow, orange or red)(thinly sliced)); ½ small red cabbage ((shredded)); ½ medium avocado ((sliced)); 1 small mango ((cubed)); a pinch s+p; 1 tsp sugar; 1 cup vinegar ((white or apple cider)); ½ tsp chili flakes ((optional)); ¼-½ tsp wasabi paste ((mix it with the soy dressing)); 2 green onions ((chopped)); 4 tsp (black) sesame seeds ((toasted))

Who’s in for a tropical bowl for lunch? I know, poke bowls aren’t anything new, but I still eat them a lot. I love all the fresh and vibrant ingredients next to each other in a bowl. And I recently discovered my kids do too, so now we eat this tropical tuna poke bowl even more often.

This poke bowl I made with a twist; I rolled the tuna in sesame seeds and seared it quickly in a hot skillet only to get a crispy sesame crust; the inside is still beautifully pink/rare. And cubed mango makes it extra colorful and tropical. And it adds an extra layer of flavor. An oldie but goodie, want to have lunch with me?

tuna poke bowl ingredients — *‘deconstructed tuna poke bowl’; my kids’ preferred way to eat it (so they can decide theirselves what to put in their bowl)*

A bowl full of fresh vibrant veggies, seared tuna and a simple ginger-soy-sesame dressing to go with it. Ready in just 15 minutes; just one of the reasons why I make this so often.

How I make this tropical tuna poke bowl?

prepare rice and let it cool off

To make this tropical tuna poke bowl I start with preparing the rice. Just straight forward rice. Follow the instructions on the bag or box. I fluff it with a fork after it is ready and let it cool off.

marinate the tuna = make the dressing

In the meantime I marinate the tuna. The marinate is actually the same as the dressing. So 2-in-1; make the marinate and you have dressing straight away!

I mix soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos; whatever you prefer), freshly minced or grated ginger and sesame oil (or I sometimes use chili oil). I divide it in 2; one batch will be used as a marinate, the other batch will be the dressing to serve on the side.

I place the tuna for the poke bowl in a mixing bowl and add 1 batch of the dressing. It only has to marinate for a couple of minutes (you are actually just coating the tuna).

sear the sesame crusted tuna

In the meantime I add sesame seeds to a plate and heat up a skillet with a little bit of avocado oil. I take the tuna out of the marinate and roll it in the sesame seeds until totally covered, then I carefully place the crusted tuna filet in the hot skillet and sear all sides quickly. After taking it out of the skillet, I let it cool off a bit on a plate.

prep the veggies

While the tuna is resting I cut all of the veggies and fruit that go into this poke bowl; carrots and bell pepper sliced in thin strips (julienne), cucumber and radishes sliced with a cheese slicer to get super thin slices, avocado in thin wedges and cabbage shredded.

pickle the cucumber (optional but so worth it)

I quickly pickle the cucumber in a mixture of vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper (and optionally dried chili flakes). 5-10 minutes is more than enough.

assembling the bowl

With a cup (a ¼, ⅓ or ½ size cup, depending on how hungry I am and/or how many carbs I crave) I scoop up (brown) rice, press it down slightly and turn it upside down in the middle of a (small) salad bowl.

I slice the tuna and add it to the bowl, just as the other ingredients. To make the poke bowl pretty, I make sure to mix up the colors a bit. I serve the dressing on the side. To spice it up a bit, I sometimes add a little bit of wasabi paste to the dressing to give it a bit of a kick. I serve it as it is or top it with green onions and extra (black) sesame seeds. That’s it!

This tropical tuna poke bowl is so fresh! I love it! I am sure you will too. It is

fresh – wholesome – easily adaptable – vibrant – easy and quick – & very delicious

Looking for more fresh, light and easy lunch ideas? How about some veggie spring rolls, gado gado, this quinoa bowl, Niçoise salad or my broccoli salad?

Tropical tuna poke bowl

A bowl full of vibrant and fresh veggies, mango and sesame crusted tuna with a ginger-soy-sesame dressing.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Course lunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine Hawaiian

Servings 4 bowl

Ingredients

2-4 cups cooked rice (or sub brown rice or even quinoa)

Tuna marinate/ dressing:

1 cup soy sauce (or sub tamari or coconut aminos)
3 tsp fresh ginger (minced)
1 tbsp sesame oil (or sub chili oil or half/half)

Searing the tuna:

¼ cup (black) sesame seeds
2 tbsp avocado oil
1 lbs fresh tuna (yellow fin preferably)

The veggies:

1 large carrots (julienne)
½ medium cucumber (thinly sliced lengthwise)
4 radishes (thinly sliced)
½ bell pepper (yellow, orange or red)(thinly sliced)
½ small red cabbage (shredded)
½ medium avocado (sliced)
1 small mango (cubed)

Cucumber pickling brine (optional):

a pinch s+p
1 tsp sugar
1 cup vinegar (white or apple cider)
½ tsp chili flakes (optional)

Garnishing (optional):

¼-½ tsp wasabi paste (mix it with the soy dressing)
2 green onions (chopped)
4 tsp (black) sesame seeds (toasted)

Instructions

Prepare the rice following the instructions on the package. Fluff it with a fork after it is ready and let it cool off.
In the meantime marinate the tuna. The marinate is actually the same as the dressing so mix soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos), ginger and sesame oil and divide in 2 batches. Place the tuna in 1 batch of the marinate/dressing in a mixing bowl and combine. Set aside for a few minutes. The other batch is the dressing.
Add sesame seeds to a plate. Heat up a skillet with a little bit of avocado oil. Take the tuna out of the marinate and roll it in the sesame seeds. Place the crusted tuna filet in the hot skillet and sear all sides quickly. Transfer to a plate and let it cool off for a bit.
While the tuna is resting, cut all the veggies and fruit; slice carrots and bell pepper into thin strips (julienne), cucumber and radishes with a cheese slicer to get super thin slices, avocado in thin wedges and shred the cabbage.
Optionally quickly pickle the cucumber in a mixture of vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper (and optionally dried chili flakes) for 5-10 minutes.
With a measuring cup (a ¼, ⅓ or ½ size cup, pick to appetite) scoop up rice, press it down slightly and turn it upside down in the middle of a (small) salad bowl to create a dome shaped rice ball.
Slice the tuna and add it to the bowl. Also add the veggies and mango (color coordinate if you like). Serve the dressing on the side. Optionally add a little bit of wasabi paste to the dressing. And top it with green onions and extra (black) sesame seeds.

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