Keto Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl
Note: This recipe was first posted on my original blog, Celebration Generation, on September 25, 2020. It was transferred over to this blog - existing comments and all - on 9/27/2021
Spicy Salmon Poke is tasty, easy to make, & nutritious... but did you know it can be low carb? Try my Keto Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl Recipe!
Recently, we’ve been on a bit of a sushi/poke/chirashi kick. Between the opening of a reasonably priced (but high quality!) Sushi place nearby *that delivers*, the discovery of a poke bowl place not far away (That also delivers!), and just... a psychological need for bright, colourful, happy food lately? Yeah.
3 recipes have come out of that raw fish bender - my Low Carb Keto Chirashi Bowl , Low Carb Tuna Mango Poke Bowl , and - finally - this one - Keto Spicy Salmon Poke!
What is a Poke Bowl?
As I’d mentioned in the Tuna Mango Poke recipe, Poke is a Hawaiian dish of seasoned raw fish served on rice. (Pronounced “Poke-eh”) .
The origin of the dish was with fishermen snacking on seasoned bits of raw cut-offs from their catch, and has evolved and become popular in more mainstream cuisine.
Basically, fish is marinated in soy sauce and other seasonings - like green onions, and/or sesame oil. It can be dressed up with items like seaweed, sesame seeds, pepper flakes, etc to accent those flavours.
This is marinated for a short while - fish doesn’t need a long marination time - and served over warm, seasoned rice.
When served as a meal, you can add all kinds of vegetables to bulk it out and make it a more filling, nutritious meal, as we’ve done here.
Ingredients
“Rice”
Traditionally, poke is served on warm seasoned rice. Actual rice, I mean - though this recipe is a low carb version.
If you’re like to go full carb traditional with it, check out my How to Make Sushi Rice post, on Celebration Generation.
I’ve been trying to watch my carbs lately, so swapping the rice out is an easy way to make poke bowls fit in with my dietary needs a little better.
Generally speaking, my go-to low carb rice options are celery root - AKA Celeriac- and cauliflower. Both allow for keto-ifying normally higher-carb dishes.
Given the choice between the two options, I tend to prefer the celery root. I like the mild celery taste it adds to whatever I put on it, sometimes it really adds to a dish!
For my low-carb poke bowls though, I prefer the taste of cauliflower rice. I just find it’s a better pairing with the seasoning in the sushi rice.
Not a fan of cauliflower? You can also serve this over shredded, zoodled, or ribboned cucumber. These are all popular low carb “rice” options at our favourite poke bowl restaurants.
The Salmon
You will need to use sashimi-grade salmon for this, which means must have been commercially flash-frozen before sale.
No matter how fresh or how high quality - fresh fish comes with a high risk for parasites, and the commercial freezing kills them off.
Trust me, NO ONE wants raw fish-related food poisoning. (Related: Avoid grocery store sushi unless you’re looking to spend quality time in your washroom. Yikes.)
To safely thaw frozen sashimi-grade fish, place it in the fridge overnight, and use it the next day. When using it, it should LOOK fresh - and smell like the ocean. If smells “fishy”, don't use it.
A Note on the Marinade
If you need this keto spicy salmon poke bowl to be gluten-free, simply use gluten-free soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce in the marinade. That’s it - everything else is naturally gluten-free!
Vegetables
As part of the recipe I’ve shared, I’ve listed the vegetables that we tend to use in our spicy salmon poke bowls... but it’s by no means set in stone.
Sometimes we’re REALLY in the mood for edamame, and use a lot more of it. Sometimes we can’t find watermelon radish. It’s all good.
The veggies chosen are a great set that work well with the salmon and sauce flavours, but feel free to use whatever you like/have access to. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any vegetable that would not go at least decently in this poke bowl.
Garnish
I’m not sure if nori - dried seaweed - counts as a vegetable or not, but sesame seeds definitely don’t - and both of them go really well as additions to these salmon poke bowls.
Neither contributes much in the way of carbs, btw, so have at it!
Sauce
This whole bowl is tied together with a healthy drizzle of my Dynamite Sauce . It’s a quick and easy sauce to make - just about 30 seconds of effort - but it’s SO tasty... and, again, low carb!
Keep a bottle on hand - it’s got about 3 weeks worth of life in the fridge - and use it on sushi as well!
More Low Carb Fish & Seafood Recipes
Looking for more low carb or keto fish recipes? I’ve got you covered!
Low Carb Keto Chirashi Bowl
Grilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp
Crunchy Keto Coconut Shrimp
Keto Crab Cakes
Keto Clam Chowder
Low Carb Shrimp Curry
Keto Jambalaya
Hot Smoked Sockeye Salmon
Pesto Shrimp Palmini
Low Carb Spinach Feta Salmon Pinwheels
Keto Sushi
Seared Scallops with Dijon Wine Sauce
Keto Cod au Gratin
Baked Sesame Ginger Salmon [Keto]
Keto Fish Cakes & Tartar Sauce
Share the Love!
Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @LowCarbHoser - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!
Also, be sure to subscribe to my free email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense.
Well, the published nonsense, anyway!
And now... on to that Keto Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl Recipe!
Keto Spicy Salmon Poke
Equipment
Ingredients
Marinated Fish
- ½ lb Sashimi grade salmon
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 2 tablespoon Thinly sliced green onions
- 1 teaspoon Grated fresh ginger or ginger puree
- Crushed Chilies To taste
Low Carb Sushi “Rice”
- 1 Small head cauliflower
- 2 tablespoon Seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Sugar
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
For Assembly:
- Purple Cabbage thinly sliced
- English cucumber sliced
- Avocado
- Edamame defrosted and salted
- Watermelon Radish thinly sliced
- Green Onions thinly sliced
- Jalapeno slices
- Nori cut into small ribbons
- Sesame seeds
- Dynamite Sauce
Instructions
For Marinated Fish:
- Trim salmon, if needed. Using a sharp knife, slice salmon into small chunks - ½" cubes or so. Place in a glass bowl.
- Mix together Soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Add green onions, ginger, and chilies, whisk well to combine.
- Pour marinade over fish. Stir well to coat.
- Cover marinating fish with plastic wrap, chill for 30 minutes.
For Low Carb Sushi “Rice”:
- Chop cauliflower into small florets, transfer to a food processor.
- Blitz until cauliflower resembles rice. Transfer to a microwave safe dish.
- Microwave for about 5 minutes - stirring every once in a while, until hot and cooked through.
- Mix together rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Pour over hot “rice”, stir well to combine.
To Assemble:
- Divide warm “rice” between two bowls. (I like to use wide, shallow bowls for this).
- Arrange vegetables, nori, and marinated salmon on top of the rice.
- Drizzle with Dynamite sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Serve immediately
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