Tuna Poke Bowl
Serves: 2
Time: 30 mins
The poke bowl is still one of my fav salads at the moment.. I love it and will happily order a poke bowl every time I see it on a menu. It’s great that there are so many different variations that you can create. They are so easy there’s no reason why you should limit them to only enjoying when you dine out. You can swap the tuna for salmon or chicken if seafood is hard to get, even beef or pork. Honestly, you could swap it out for almost anything. Tofu or tempeh is a great alternative for a plant based option. If you're not keen on buckwheat then rice or quinoa are great alternatives or leave the grains out and load up with extra veg instead.
Leftovers
If you buy extra tuna then there will be plenty enough ingredients for lunch tomorrow, otherwise you can simply add a tinned tuna or just run with it vegetarian.
Sashimi or not sashimi
Sashimi tuna really is the best choice for this dish but I know it can get a bit $$$. When you're at the fish counter, before you dive straight in and buy the sashimi, have a little look at the quality and different cuts of tuna they have on display in the steaks(tuna)section. There is a bit of trimming involved in getting those perfect cuts of sashimi and sometimes you'll find a cheaper end piece that is still sashimi grade but wasn't pretty enough to make the cut.
What you'll need
1 1/2 cups of buckwheat
4 handfuls of baby spinach
1 packet of cherry tomatoes
1/2 bunch red radishes
2 carrots
2 limes
2 tablespoons of wasabi paste
200g sashimi tuna or protein of choice
Pickled ginger or sushi ginger
1 thumb size piece of ginger
We often have red cabbage in the fridge which is a good addition if you need to use up leftovers.
From the pantry
Black sesame seeds
Coconut oil
Crispy fried shallots
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
Olive or Sesame oil
Optional Extra for Lunch
extra sashimi tuna or tinned tuna
Option for Veggo’s
1 block firm tofu
Feeding Four
I have added an extra 200g sashimi tuna to the shopping list and 1 extra packet of cherry tomatoes, this will give you enough for four.
Prep and Cook
Take tuna out of the fridge.
Cook Buckwheat
Ordinarily, I would say follow the instructions on your packet, but they don’t always produce the desired effect and I like my buckwheat to still have a slightly nutty texture so…
Rinse buckwheat thoroughly under running cold water.
Bring a pot of water up to the boil and add your buckwheat then turn down to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
Cook till al dente - approx 10 mins.
Strain and set aside to cool.
Prep Salad
Slice cabbage as thin as possible.
Peel and julienne (small thin sticks) carrot.
Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
Wash and slice radishes into rounds.
Wash baby spinach leaves.
Make Dressing
The dressing for tonight is an essential part of the recipe, the dressing really makes this dish.
In a jar combine your peeled and finely grated ginger, lime juice, fish sauce, oil (sesame or olive) and salt and pepper.
Shake well.
Cook Tuna
Slice tuna into two similarly shaped pieces lengthwise.
Use a butter knife to spread wasabi paste over each side of your tuna. (This doesn’t need to be thick).
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds onto a dinner plate and roll both your pieces of tuna in it. (Give the plate a light tap on the bench beforehand, this will make the seeds nice and even).
Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a good non stick fry pan.
Cook each side of tuna for 20 seconds…..I literally count 1 Mississippi...(If you are using salmon fillets instead cook them for 40 seconds each side).
Remove from pan straight away.
Let the tuna rest for a minute or two then slice the tune into thin pieces using a really sharp knife.
Plate it Pretty
Start with a pile of buckwheat at the top and carefully group the ingredients in sections around the bowl, you can work clockwise or anti it won’t matter but leave the tuna to last.
Drizzle generously with the dressing and top with pickled ginger.
Enjoy!
Lunch tomorrow
I could literally eat this every week it’s so fresh and tasty. As you know I am quite partial to tinned tuna! If you’ve bought extra fresh tuna to have for lunch, make sure you pack that baby into a box with a cool pack - you don’t want that getting warm.