The Ultimate Guide To Poke Bowls

While poke has long been a treasured dish among Hawaiians, there has been a noticeable spike in poke's popularity in recent years across the world. Impressive standalone locations have been popping up, while regional mini chains are expanding, and some are blowing up into national franchises within the contiguous United States. And it's not just an American phenomenon — the poke diaspora is strong around the globe. There are international poke outposts across various countries, which just to name a few, include Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.

The word "poke" roughly translates into "to cut" or "to slice". After a nice haul of fish, the traditional approach was to chop it into cubes, rub it with sea salt and top it with crunchy nuts and a flourish of seaweed. As Chinese and Japanese sailors introduced shoyu and sesame oil to the islands, poke evolved into what's generally found today.

Over the years, as poke's popularity has grown, it's become more than just fish and a drizzle of sauce. It also has a multitude of health benefits, so it's no wonder that it's become a trend. There are all kinds of proteins to consider. Many different types of dressings along with an assortment of vegetables, fruits, and all manner of salty, spicy, and crispy toppings abound. The amount of options can becoming overwhelming, so let's take a look at all the ways you can and should build the ultimate poke bowl.

Poke bowls occupy rarefied air in the culinary spectrum. This is food that keeps you going for bite after bite after bite, fills your belly, and has many health benefits. A poke bowl order that goes beyond fish and rice that can easily cover the USDA's daily recommended food groups.

Starting with the protein, fish contains potent amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to be beneficial for heart health. They aid in lowering triglycerides, blood clotting, and overall help guard against heart-related illnesses. You have tons of options as far as fibrous veggies and fruits that not only add extra vitamins, but provide a pop of color that will get your tummy rumbling. If your base is rice, you're covered with belly-filling carbs. For flavor, the top of a poke pyramid provides a conservative, not overly indulgent coat of sweet, salty, oily sauce that's just enough to make the underlying ingredients really shine.

Here's the downside to consider with poke, though, it's advised to not consume it on a regular basis. Due to the way the oceanic food chain works, larger fish unfortunately contain levels of mercury that make it a bit unwise to partake on the daily. Though in moderation, poke is a healthy meal that will help fill many of the recommended daily food group requirements.

If you don't know where to start with a poke bowl, you're going to want to put a laser focus on the tuna selections. Tuna is the requisite introduction to the magical world of poke.

Ahi tuna is found around the islands of Hawaii in the species of yellowfin and bigeye. Yellowfin tuna's name actually refers to the hue of its scales, not the ruby red flesh inside, and has delicate flavor notes that serve up well with any toppings you choose. Bigeye comes at a higher price point and you're better off seeking it out at sushi establishments as you're not likely to find it at poke restaurants. There's also typically the option of albacore tuna, which is a migratory species and found in oceans around the world, including the Pacific. If you like heat, ask for spicy tuna which tends to be a fiery mash of the fish blended with peppery sauces.

Salmon is not native to Hawaii, but remains a popular poke ingredient regardless. If you're squeamish around raw meat, but a big fan of seafood in general, meaty poke proteins extend to cooked shrimp, octopus, crab (imitation crab, more often than not) and occasionally you'll also come across squid.

Given the tender, chewy texture of poke and the pillowy cloud of rice in the foundation, it's only natural to look to nature for a bounty of vegetables to provide some much needed crunch to your bowl. Beyond the textural benefits, you're getting a ton of vitamins and minerals from all that produce. And it doesn't hurt that the more veggies you add, the more you'll encounter a bowl that's chock full of appetizingly colorful eye candy.

Start by pairing one ocean based treat with another and toss a scoop of shimmering seaweed salad onto your poke bowl, which will give it extra brine and sweetness. Bright green edamame peas and slices of scallions will add some additional snap. For root veggies, look toward red radishes, chartreuse pickled daikon, or matchstick snippets of bright orange carrot. Throw in some thin slices of purple cabbage, and you can really taste the rainbow. And, though they're a bland shade of white, you can't go wrong with bean sprouts if you want your poke bowl to have one more layer of crispy bite to it.

While adding fruit to fish might sound a bit strange, hear us out. Let's start by setting the record straight when it comes to avocados and cucumbers, which are incredible additions to a poke bowl, and are both in fact fruits. Avocados' inherent creaminess serves well to even out any strong piquant notes within your order, and we would particularly advise adding some crunchy toppings to balance out the texture. Cucumber's mildly sweet flavor, overall juiciness, and crunchy skin provide multiple benefits to your bowl. And both add a nice verdant hue to contrast pink red ahi.

For a stronger hit of sugar, you can generally find mango to top off your bowl — coming from Southeast Asia, it's no surprise that the fruit traveled across the Pacific and became popular in Hawaii. Pineapple is notoriously tied to Hawaii, but it's actually indigenous to South America and is typically found at poke chains. Lime wedges can also occasionally appear at the poke buffet if you want to add a zesty, sour squeeze of citrus to the top of your bowl. While these strong fruity flavors go well with all of the proteins at your poke station, we would recommend keeping them to small doses to let the fish be the star.

If you're craving a poke bowl, you don't need to break the bank on a trip to the Hawaiian islands — though the archipelago has tons of cuisine to try beyond poke and is a bucket list destination for any devout foodie. Within the contiguous United States, you will have access to legit poke virtually anywhere.

Southern California has many Sweetfin locations, which boast extensive and creative ingredient options, and they strive to serve fish that honors sustainability and responsible aquaculture. With its home base in Orlando, Florida, Island Fin Poke has locations all around the country and future plans to serve 15 states. Getting its start in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2015, the rapid expansion of Pokeworks includes outposts that extend all the way out to Vermont. Just Poké has roots in the Pacific Northwest with many locations across the Seattle, Washington, metropolitan area. Finally, Poke Mahi has the Southeast corridor well covered, and Poke Bros has 79 spots around the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

You've made it to the source. It took some time, but you're on one of the resplendent islands of Hawaii, and now firmly within the epicenter of poke paradise.

There is a bit of irony in the fact that for all the time and effort it took you to get here, some of the best poke bowls on the planet can be found at gas stations and grocery stores mere feet away from cereal boxes and canned tomatoes. Sitting on top of the throne is Foodland – it's a can't-miss, must stop for any poke lover and locations can be found on the Big Island, Maui, Oahu, and Kauai. We can only speak to anecdotal evidence, but those we know who were born and raised on the islands swear up and down by Foodland.

If you're island hopping, you have a lot of options. But if you're contained to one particular locale, we would recommend Da Poke Shack on the Big Island, Fresh Catch on Oahu, South Maui Fish Co. on Maui, and Kauai Poke Co. on Kauai.