Ahi Poke Bowls with Pineapple and Avocado.
Hello dreamboat.
My current favorite thing, right here. It’s right up there! I want to faceplant into that bowl and resurface in four months when it’s sunny and hot outside. And preferably, I’ll be swimsuit ready.
This recipe is doing double duty today.
First, Valentine’s Day! This is the simplest and lightest meal that you can make for your loved one. Or WITH your loved one, if the idea doesn’t make you roll your eyes ten thousand times in the kitchen. (not I… not I.)
Second, when Lent rolls around I tend to share a few of the seafood recipes we are loving, mostly salmon. Even though there are quite a few tilapia recipes on my site, we haven’t eaten tilapia in probably over a year – but use those recipes I have for some other flakier, white fish. I was almost ready to share a new salmon recipe this week then I’m like NO. No no no no no no.
Get out of the box! I have a million salmon recipes here. We eat it often, but I wanted to share something else that we’ve been loving and eating at home. And it’s different. And shockingly, EASY!
Because you don’t have to cook it.
Okay, don’t freak out.
Funny story. The first time I ate actual sashimi was with Eddie. I don’t know if it was one of our first dates or in this limbo period where we were just talking but not necessarily dating – since a majority of this readership consists of millennials, tell me something. When you met your significant other for the first time, did you do one of the text-all-day things? When Eddie and I first exchanged numbers, we texted nonstop for days. In fact, for a few of those days I was on the west coast and three hours behind him – and I still remember texting him at 1AM pacific standard time, so 4AM eastern standard time. These days I can barely get him to stay awake until 10PM to watch a movie with me, whomp whomp.
Anyhoo – we did that texting thing a bunch before actually dating. I know, I said it was a millennial thing.
So on one of our real first dates, we ate sushi! I had eaten rolls before, but I don’t think I’d had pieces of raw fish, straight up, until that moment.
(I realize that there has never been a time when “funny story” is just a figure of speech as much as RIGHT NOW.)
And then.
Something terrible happened.
Eddie got the flu. But he got the flu a day after we ate sushi. I know you know where this is going.
It wasn’t the sushi that did it, he was truly sick. But since then, the thought of anything sushi related turns his stomach. It’s the WORST. For me, of course. That’s what this is all about, right?
But I get it. Earlier this year, on the day that I made this recipe, I got mastitis. I’ve never been so sick in my life and while that pasta was incredibly delicious, I can’t even look at the photos.
Universe, why did it have to happen with sushi though?
Luckily (for me, again), a year or two ago we ordered seared ahi tuna while out and Eddie actually ate it and loved it. LOVED it! I think it was the whole “seared” thing that sold him.
So with the promise of rice and a few other ingredients (and let’s face it: tortilla chips), I convinced him to taste this delicious tuna and fall back in love. At least for the time being. And he did just that, so much so that we ate it again for the Super Bowl Sunday night. Lots of tortilla chips involved in that sitch.
Let’s talk bowls!
The base is rice – whatever rice you want. I made sticky rice from short grain white rice I found at a local Asian grocery store but it was a bit of a process. You can use whatever you have on hand and most importantly, whatever you love! Making the rice is probably the most time consuming part of this entire recipe.
You want lots of flavor for the tuna, and I wildly adore toasted sesame oil. Mix some delicious ingredients together and toss the tuna in the mess for tons of flavor. Add some thinly sliced scallions and sesame seeds and you’re good to go! If you want to skip the rice, you can scoop it all up with tortilla chips.
YES.
BRB, need a chip.
Totally optional but incredible: adding chopped avocado and pineapple. Add those right before serving or eating. I like to do cucumber half moons and some seaweed salad if I have it. The easiest thing for me is to buy a seaweed salad packet and follow the directions, which usually just include rehydrating the seaweed and tossing it with some things you have on hand like the toasted sesame oil, soy sauce and rice vinegar. SO GOOD.
If you’ve never had a poke bowl or get freaked out at the idea of preparing this yourself, seriously – go buy the tortilla chips. Or even better: make them yourself. And scoop up every last bit of love!
Ahi Poke Bowls with Pineapple and Avocado
Ingredients
- 1 pound sushi-grade ahi tuna, cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 garlic clove, freshly grated
- 4 green scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 avocados, 1 cubed and 1 sliced
- 2/3 cup cubed pineapple
- 1 seedless cucumber, cut into half moons
- your favorite rice for serving, about 1 cup per bowl
- seaweed salad, if desired for the bowl
- tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Place the tuna in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oil, vinegar, sesame seeds, ginger and garlic. Pour over the tuna and toss to coat. Stir in the green onion. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.
- Right before serving, stir in the cubed avocado and the pineapple.
- To make the bowls, place 1 cup of rice in the bowl. Cover with a handful of cucumbers (I like to toss mine in toasted sesame oil), seaweed salad (see post above for my tips, I buy a packaged one and follow the directions) extra sliced avocado and a big scoop of the tuna and marinade. Top with extra sesame seeds. This is wonderful eaten with tortilla chips!
Did you make this recipe?
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79 Comments on “Ahi Poke Bowls with Pineapple and Avocado.”
Poke is literally one of our favourite dishes! We made it with fresh salmon for one of the first recipes on our blog. I love this version though, since Cheese happens to love pineapple and I am obsessed with avocado. Gotta try this!
i haven’t tried it with salmon before, but it’s next on the list!!
Ahhhh sooo pretty!! Total Face-plan-food!!
This looks SO GOOD but unfortunately I’m deathly allergic to pineapples and avocado… it’s the woooooorst.
oh my gosh. saddest thing ever.
Such a beautiful and delicious looking dish….as always.
Question….do you eat everything you make? I always wonder if this is dinner tonight or are there people lined up at your door for your incredible food?
hi alicia! haha yes we do – it all depends on what i’m making when. this is by no means a daily diary of food, if that makes sense. i usually try to have about two weeks worth of recipes made ahead of time, but that differs with testing the recipes and what not. most things i make are portioned for around 2-4 people (luckily eddie eats for 4…) so it’s easy to eat, and with large scale desserts i try to make + test those around weekends or parties or get togethers! if it’s a big recipe making day, i do often give things away to friends or family. totally changes week by week!
As a microbiologist, I still vividly recall each & every one of the horror stories the professors used to tell us in an effort to scare the heebie jeebies out of us. . .so let’s just say that I avoided sushi like the plague. That is until a date took me to a sushi bar and well. . . those professors sadistic tales became history.
Since then sushi has continued to be one of my favorite types of food. As a matter of fact, it was the food that I missed the most when I lived in Kenya (yes. . .there is sushi in Africa. . .no. . .you don’t eat it). So. . .I’m glad you managed to tempt Eddie back into the whole raw fish thing with these divine Ahi Poke bowls. I have been having a major ahi tuna craving. . .and with this crappy weather we have been having I think this Ahi bowl is just what I need to perk my day right up.
oh my gosh… i don’t even want to know. eeeeek.
Uhhhh, I think i will make this for my boyfriend! He’s Aussie and LOVES sushi, and is obsessed with pineapple and avocados.
I definitely remember the non-stop-texting phase haha
For me and my boyfriend, it was love at first sight (we met 3 times and then I moved in with him in Australia, even though I’m from Europe) and we chatted non-stop during this ‘dating’ time. Thank God for FaceTime, as this made things a million times easier!
face time is a godsend! i’m sure if it was around when eddie and i started dating, we would have been doing that nonstop too. and omg – 3 times? i love love stories.
I could eat this everyday of my life. *swoon*
Haha. I totally did the up-all-night then all-the-next-day texting thing with my boyfriend after our first date. :) This recipe looks good!
Ok where is our local Asian grocery store? Am i missing something here? The only one I can think of is Penn Ave in Wilkinsburg and the thought scares me. Please clue me in where I can buy all the delicious Asian things!
lotus in the strip!! it’s on the corner of penn and 17th. (i think)
oh but i do find almost everything at whole foods. they don’t have sushi rice (unless i’ve just missed it multiple times) and i do have to go to penn ave fish for the sushi grade tuna.
Whole Foods does sell sushi rice – It’s in the bulk section :)
I’ve been reading how Ahi poke dishes are the new “trend”….I’s be just to scared of the raw”ness” :P Hahaha!
YUM!
Looooooove this! I know the feeling of having an aversion to a food after getting sick. I started a juice cleanse one day and had only gotten two drinks in – both green. I also got a stomach bug the same day. Needless to say, it’s still difficult for me to smell and eat cucumbers and celery!
You need to make nori chips!!!! Fried or baked. You would love them! Seriously. so crispy and they taste incredible with this sorta thing.
Oh my gosh, YAAASSSS. I make seared tuna a lot, but for some bizarre reason it never occurred to me until I was eating some poke at a restaurant last weekend that I actually CAN make that at home too… Sooooo happy to see this on your bloggy today, I’ll start with your recipe! You never steer me wrong. :)
Wow this looks so yummy! I love raw fish yummy yummy!!
http://xoxobella.com
Wow! This looks amazing. You got me with the first picture :) I have recently started loving something similar to this in a layered stack form but Ive never tried it at home or in a bowl. Love bowls of yummy things. This is happening in my house tomorrow. I wonder if I can get my man to try it. He DOES NOT like sushi things. Maybe this will change his mind.
I’m from Hawaii, and one of my favorite restaurants there makes an appetizer called the Ahi Poke Tower. It is so delicious. Here’s a link to the menu item with a picture of it: http://www.unclesfishmarket.com/food/item/uncles-original-poke-tower/
I’ve actually made it myself a few times. I put sushi rice on the bottom (sweetened with rice vinegar, salt, and sugar), ahi poke on top, a layer of guacamole, and then another layer of poke on top (this should be more finely chopped). At the restaurant, it’s actually more of a tartar as the top layer. Then I sprinkle it on the top with some furikake or chopped nori, and eat it with tortilla chips. It’s so good! It’s a lot like your poke bowl but in tower form.
This sounds absolutely DELICIOUS! I love poke but it’s always scared me to make at home. Where do you find good sushi-grade tuna?
Tuna, soy sauce and pineapple, sounds like Heaven to me! x
http://jessicawoods.fr
pretty much the only thing I order at sushi restaurants now. Never thought about making it on my own. Thanks for the recipe!
I had a totally similar experience with Moroccan food. I haven’t been able to go back to a gorgeous restaurant because of the flu! I’m so glad he got over it because seriously this looks amazing!!!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
This recipe looks delicious and I know it’s not part of your job to advocate ethical consumption but… tuna, really? :( I so enjoy reading food blogs (especially yours, which is so creative and colorful) but can’t help wishing they would touch upon sustainability issues now and then, mindful eating and all that. This isn’t meant to criticize you personally at all, only I recently read more about overfishing of the oceans and that’s what got me to delurk, so while I’m here already I may as well add that I love your whipped feta everything. Also the first time I had sushi I hated it but now I’m all about the veggie rolls could eat soy sauce & wasabi with anything!
This recipe looks soo good! Aaaand I 100% relate to the “texting all day” early periods of a relationship, definitely how it started for me and my boyfriend!
I am in love with raw fish of any kind so this looks amazing! I’m trying to figure out what to drown my sorrows in on Sunday night since my husband is going to be out of town for work and this is definitely in the running. I’m not exactly sure where I can find sushi grade tuna in my area but I’m sure they must sell it somewhere!
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Haha no freakin’ way! On my second date with my now wife I got her trying her first ever sushi/raw fish in the middle of London! She’s still not a huge convert like I am, but it was a big bold move considering she’s quite fussy! I love tuna tartare, so will certainly be getting this on – I just need to find a local fishmonger with good enough quality tuna.
I’ve also only just got her enjoying avocado, so that’s going to happen. Cheers!
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This looks AHi-MAZING! Can’t wait to try!
Btw…this totally reminds me of food you would get on a Hawaiian vacation. I’d love to see if you have any ideas on something with Jerk pork or chicken with some Jamaican flavors :) Just throwing it out there!
ugh, I love this. these poke bowls are gorgeous! I am such a sushi fiend, I can’t imagine living with anyone who wouldn’t touch it. Bless your soul.
We eat ahi poke AT LEAST once a week. These bowls are so good, I’ve featured one on my site before too! Love your idea for adding pineapples to the mix. Might have to try that one!
Your Poke bowl looks amazing! I can do ceviche, but I don’t know about raw. I just can’t get into that texture. sigh.
But is sure is pretty.
Ok this is absolutely gorgeous. I looove poke, when I went to Hawaii it was errrrwhere and I couldn’t get enough. I can’t believe I haven’t made it yet!
The prettiness of this dish overwhelms my anxiety of eating poke that I didn’t buy at a restaurant:)
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I am OBSESSED with poke bowls lately so I can’t wait to try your version with pineapple!
We have a new poke bar in town that looks so delish, but with how easy this is to make I HAVE to try it at hoem sometime!
Also, my BF and I are so ~milennial~ that rather than texting back and forth for days before we became ‘official’, we used Facebook Messenger ;)
Just made this for Vakentine’s Day lunch and it blew our socks off!!! The flavors all together, the sweet and salty, smooth and crunchy – sheer heaven! We in Colorado and our Whole Foods now carries frozen sushi grade tuna & salmon and we used that – a pound was generous for my husband, myself and our 16 yr old son and there were only empty bowls to wash. We added frozen mango to the avo/Pineapple combo and it was tasty. Thanks so much!!!!! Love your recipes!!!!!
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This looks SO freaking delicious I can’t even contain my excitement! Nate and I do date night and this needs to be made next time. It’s not easy to find sushi-grade ahi tuna around here, though, so I’ll have to keep my eye out for it!! On a different note, it’s my birthday tomorrow, so will you just make some for me please? haha!
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We love to eat Poke. I’ve always wanted to make poke dishes myself but really struggle to find sushi grade tuna. I’ve read a lot about it, and it seems really complicated to find, at least where I live (Bakersfield, CA). Do you have any suggestions on what/where to look for sushi grade tuna?
Hi Jessica –
I’m publishing a story on poke recipes for the Life by Daily Burn site and would like to include your recipe in the round-up. We’ll provide photo credit and link directly to your blog for the recipe. Let me know if you’re interested!
Thanks!
Tiffany
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