dinner/recipes/seafood

Ahi Tuna Poke Quinoa Bowl

Posted January 14, 2016 by Stephanie
ahi tuna shoyu quinoa poke bowl - www.iamafoodblog.com

Confession: I’ve never been to Hawaii. I feel like I’ve been to quite a lot of places in the world, but for some reason I never made it to Hawaii. I don’t know why because I feel like I would fit right in. Hawaiians are known for their love for spam and I love spam! They grow pineapples and I like to eat pineapples. They’re obsessed with poke, and I am too!

ahi tuna shoyu quinoa poke bowl - www.iamafoodblog.com

I cannot wait to taste authentic Hawaii poke because I’m pretty sure that I’ve butchered this beloved Hawaiian favorite. I didn’t want to mess with it too much, so I based my recipe off of my dear friend, Alana, who is Maui born and raised. I peppered her with a ton of questions like, what is limu and can I add crispy onions? Limu is a sort of seaweed (technically algae) and apparently adding crispy onions is kind of like sacrilege. But Alana said that I could call this mainland poke and kind-of-sort-of get away with it?

ahi tuna shoyu quinoa poke bowl - www.iamafoodblog.com

But then I had to go and put poke on quinoa, so I think that officially eliminates this for being anything remotely like a poke bowl. See, while I was chatting with Alana, I was throwing around ideas and she was answering me pretty much immediately. Then I mentioned that I wanted to do a poke quinoa bowl and there was radio silence for a good long time…

ahi tuna shoyu quinoa poke bowl - www.iamafoodblog.com

Thing is, Alana was right: poke does taste better on rice! But maybe that’s just because I’m a rice fiend? The quinoa was pretty good too but don’t let any Hawaiians know that I think that. How about you guys, do you have any poke rules?

ahi tuna shoyu quinoa poke bowl - www.iamafoodblog.com

Ahi Tuna Poke Quinoa Bowl very slightly adapted from Fix Feast Flair
serves 2-4, based on hunger levels


  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely grated garlic
  • 1 lb. fresh ahi (sashimi grade) tuna, cut into bite-size cubes
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions
  • 1/4 cup finely diced onion
  • smoked sea salt, to taste
  • toasted sesame seeds, to taste
  • 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
  • short grain white rice, or quinoa, to serve
  • edamame, if desired
  • sprouts, if desired
  • crispy shallots, if desired

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauces, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. In a separate, appropriately sized bowl, gently toss together the tuna, green onions, and diced onion. Add the soy sauce mix to the ahi and toss until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour minimum.

When ready to serve, taste the poke and adjust the seasoning as needed with extra soy sauce, sesame oil, and smoked sea salt. Scoop out an appropriate amount of rice or quinoa into bowls. Add a generous amount of poke to the bowls and sprinkle on sesame seeds. Finish the bowls with avocado slices, edamame, sprouts, and crispy shallots. Enjoy!

ahi tuna shoyu quinoa poke bowl - www.iamafoodblog.com

23 Comments

  1. We looooove ahi poke! It is one of the first things we ever made for our blog. It’s extra yummy if you add a fresh seaweed salad!

  2. quinoa sounds like an interesting base! i’ve never seen that one at any of the shops. i love poke over a mix of rice and greens, and one of my favorite things to have in poke bowls is roe- it adds such a nice salty pop!

  3. Amy says:

    I’ve been hearing so much about poke recently, and I definitely like what I hear! I’m a long way off from Hawaii, but maybe if I make this and close my eyes then I can imagine that I’m on a sunny beach instead of in rainy England!

  4. Tori says:

    This looks super delish, and personally, I love that you used quinoa instead of rice. Don’t worry, I won’t tell the Hawaiians!

  5. I went to Hawaii once a long time ago but I would love to go again and just really savour all the flavours going on there. I think you’ve just picked your next vacation destination- that is, if the Hawaiians forgive you for using quinoa instead of rice ;)

  6. This looks amazing! I’ve never been to Hawaii either… it’s definitely up there on my travel list!!

  7. Alana says:

    PERFECTION! I am obsessed with these–I love all those edamame yummies and especially love those crispy shallots!! Mainland poke is looking pretty darn tasty rn. And I can’t wait till the day we are eating poke bowls together in Hawaii!!! :D :D :D

  8. GET TO HAWAII GIRL! Seriously, I lived on poke on my honeymoon in Kauai (and also teriyaki FRIED chicken. dead). I love poke so much, these photos kill me.

  9. these pictures are so gorgeous and the poke bowls look so fresh! I love it.

  10. I love poke too but have never made it. You HAVE to go to Hawaii now! :) They actually have poke at Costco that I’ve purchased before and it’s pretty good. I am printing this out now and will be making it sometime soon–we have an awesome fish market in Berkeley that has sashimi grade fish so oftentimes we will have a sushi night. Thanks!

  11. Heghineh says:

    Wow ,that looks so refreshing and so appetizing, love the colors too,I will try it over the weekend.
    thank you for sharing

  12. MizzJ says:

    haha serving it on quinoa is probably sacreligious but hey the poke looks so tasty who cares!

  13. Dan says:

    Looks good. You can also substitute the AHI with Salmon or Hamachi(Yellow tail). Winnahs!

  14. Healthy and looks tasty. Definitely going to make this soon.

    Who Let the Mum Out?

  15. Alice says:

    Definitely making this for my friends-i’ve been eyeing the ahi tuna at whole foods for a while now

  16. Anne Moseley says:

    Any reviews from anyone who has made the recipe??

  17. Alexandria says:

    Oh my god! Do I love this chic or what!! I just found this blog today!! im a blogger too and i have to say : this phoyography is perfection! Love!

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