How to Make a Delicious Ora King Salmon Poke Bowl: A Healthy Recipe

November 27, 2024

How to Make a Delicious Ora King Salmon Poke Bowl: A Healthy Recipe

Poke (pronounced "POH-keh") is a traditional Hawaiian dish of cubed raw fish seasoned with salt, kukui nut, and seaweed in its original form — the contemporary poke bowl with sushi rice, soy-sesame marinade, and extensive toppings is a more recent evolution that emerged from Hawaiian-Japanese fusion cooking. Ora King Salmon is an excellent choice for poke: its high fat content (18–22%) produces a buttery, rich cube that holds up to the marinade without becoming watery, and its clean flavor works well with both the soy-sesame base and bright toppings. As an ASC-certified farmed salmon from an approved aquaculture facility, it also does not require prior freezing before raw service — an important practical advantage over wild Pacific salmon.

Why Ora King Salmon for poke

Raw preparations benefit most from Ora King's distinguishing characteristics: the high intramuscular fat that gives it a melt-in-your-mouth quality at room temperature or slightly chilled, the clean flavor with no fishiness, and the deep orange color that makes a visually striking bowl. The Ora King Salmon Dry Age variant concentrates these qualities further and is particularly suited to raw service.

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the salmon marinade:

• 8 oz Ora King Salmon, skin off, cubed 3/4-inch
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari (tamari for gluten-free)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp honey or agave
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

For the base:

• 2 cups cooked sushi rice (short-grain); season with 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt while warm
• Or: brown rice, farro, or mixed greens for a lighter base

Toppings:

• 1 avocado, sliced or cubed
• 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup edamame, steamed and shelled
• 1 sheet nori, cut into thin strips
• 2 tbsp green onion, thinly sliced
• Pickled ginger and wasabi to serve
• Optional: spicy mayo (2 tbsp Kewpie mayo + 1 tsp sriracha), furikake, microgreens

Method

1. Rice: Cook sushi rice; while warm, fold in seasoned vinegar mixture. Spread on a sheet pan to cool to room temperature — do not refrigerate (cold rice loses its texture).
2. Marinate salmon: Whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, and sesame seeds. Add salmon cubes; fold gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate 15–20 minutes. Do not over-marinate — beyond 30 minutes the salt in the soy sauce begins drawing moisture out of the fish and changing the texture. The salmon should be lightly coated, not swimming in marinade.
3. Toppings: Prep all vegetables. Steam edamame 2–3 minutes; cool. Cut nori into strips just before assembling (nori softens quickly).
4. Assemble: Divide rice between two bowls. Arrange salmon over the rice. Place toppings in sections rather than mixing — the visual arrangement is part of the dish. Drizzle any remaining marinade over the bowl. Finish with nori, sesame seeds, green onion, and optional spicy mayo. Serve immediately with pickled ginger and wasabi on the side.

Raw salmon handling note

Ora King Salmon is ASC-certified farmed salmon from an approved aquaculture facility — it is exempt from the FDA parasite-destruction freezing requirement that applies to wild Pacific salmon. You do not need to freeze it before raw service. Use salmon that is as fresh as possible; keep refrigerated at 32–34°F; consume the same day or within 24 hours of delivery. "Sashimi-grade" is a marketing term, not a regulatory standard in the US — the meaningful indicators are freshness, supplier reputation, and proper cold-chain handling.

For premium Ora King products: Ora King Salmon Dry Age, King Salmon Fresh Steaks, Copper River King Salmon. For video technique, subscribe to the Global Seafoods YouTube Channel.

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