Cooked Salmon Poke Bowl

Poke bowls are one of those meals that feel fresh, satisfying, and just plain fun to eat. This Cooked Salmon Poke Bowl gives you all the classic poke bowl vibes: fluffy rice, bold sauce, and colorful toppings, without using raw fish. It’s easy, approachable, and perfect for making poke bowls at home!

Poke bowls originally come from Hawaii and traditionally feature raw, marinated fish served over rice. I absolutely love poke bowls, but sourcing sushi-grade fish isn’t always the easiest, especially since I grew up in Colorado and now live in the mountains of Ecuador. While it’s not impossible to find, it’s definitely not an everyday grocery run situation!

That’s why this poke bowl with cooked salmon has becomeone of my go-to versions. You still get all the fresh, bold flavors of a poke bowl, but with perfectly cooked salmon that feels a little more accessible and low-stress. And the sauce? It’s truly the cherry on top! It doubles as a marinade and a drizzle, pulling the whole bowl together in the best way.

Baked Salmon Poke Bowl Ingredients

• Salmon: Use your favorite salmon. If it is frozen, thaw it in the fridge before using.
• Poke bowl sauce: Savory, tangy, and slightly spicy, used as both marinade and drizzle! This is super easy to whip up!
• White rice: Long-grain white rice makes a fluffy, neutral base.
• Toppings: I topped mine off with cucumbers, edamame, avocado and shredded carrots. You can use any toppings you prefer!

Air Fryer Salmon Poke Bowl Variations & Substitutions

• Baked Salmon Poke Bowl: Don’t have an air fryer? Bake the salmon at 400°F for 10–12 minutes until cooked through and lightly caramelized.
• Rice Options: Swap white rice for jasmine rice, brown rice, or even sushi rice if you prefer a stickier base.
• Soy Sauce Alternatives: Use tamari for a gluten-free option or coconut aminos for a slightly sweeter sauce.
• Spice Level Adjustments: Add more sriracha for heat or reduce it for a milder bowl.

How to Make This Easy Cooked Salmon Poke Bowl

1. Make the Poke Bowl Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, minced garlic, lime juice, and sriracha until smooth. Reserve ¼ cup for the marinade, and set the rest aside to serve. 
2. Marinate the Salmon: Add the cubed salmon to the 1/4 cup of poke bowl sauce and gently toss to coat. Let it marinate while you prepare the other components.
3.  Prepare the Rice: Rinse the rice under cold water. In a medium pot, combine the rice, water, oil, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15–20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
4. Air Fry the Salmon: Lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil or line it with parchment paper made for air fryers. Place the salmon cubes in a single layer, leaving space between each piece. Air fry at 400°F for 7–9 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until the salmon is cooked through and caramelized on the edges. (Cook time may vary slightly depending on the size of the cubes.)
5. Assemble the Bowls: Divide the cooked rice evenly among four bowls. Top each with the air-fried salmon, cucumber slices, edamame, avocado, and shredded carrots. Drizzle the spicy sauce over the top and serve immediately.

Alternative Ways to Cook Your Salmon

Feel free to bake the salmon instead of air fry it. Bake it at 400°F for 10–12 minutes until cooked through and lightly caramelized.

You can also pan-sear the salmon cubes in a hot skillet with a little oil for 2–3 minutes per side. Grilling or roasting the salmon whole and cubing it afterward also works well for meal prep, but the cubes won’t be as neat!

Topping Ideas for Baked Salmon Poke Bowls

The topping options for these cooked salmon poke bowls is endless!! Here are some topping ideas you might like to try:

• Sliced cucumber
• Spicy Sriracha Mayo
• Shelled edamame
• Ripe avocado slices or cubes
• Shredded carrots
• Mango or pineapple for sweetness
• Pickled red onions
• Radish slices
• Green onions
• Sesame seeds
• Crispy wonton strips or fried onions
• Seaweed salad

Cooked Salmon Poke Bowl FAQs

More Favorites to Try

Air Fryer Salmon Poke Bowl Recipe

This Cooked Salmon Poke Bowl delivers all the classic poke bowl flavors with tender cooked salmon, fluffy rice, and a bold, savory sauce. It’s an easy, approachable way to make restaurant-style poke bowls at home without using raw fish.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 3 to 4 bowls (depends on how hungry you are!)

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Hawaiian

Calories: 608

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

For the Salmon:

• 1 lb salmon skin removed and diced into cubes
• ¼ cup poke sauce recipe below, reserve remaining sauce to drizzle on bowl

For the Rice:

• 1 ½ cups of long grain white rice rinsed
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp salt

For the Poke Bowl Sauce:

• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove
• Juice of ½ lime
• 1 tsp sriracha more to taste

Toppings:

• Cucumber
• Edamame
• Avocado
• Shredded carrots

Method

 

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, minced garlic, lime juice, and sriracha until smooth. Taste and adjust the heat by adding more or less sriracha as desired. Reserve 1/4 cup of the sauce for the marinade. Set the rest of the sauce aside for serving.
2. Add the cubed salmon to 1/4 cup poke bowl sauce and gently toss to coat. Let it marinate while you prepare the other components.
3. Rinse the rice under cold water. In a medium pot, combine the rice, water, oil, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15–20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
4. Lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil or line it with parchment paper made for air fryers. Place the salmon cubes in a single layer, leaving space between each piece. Air fry at 400°F for 7–9 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until the salmon is cooked through and caramelized on the edges. (Cook time may vary slightly depending on the size of the cubes.)
5. Divide the cooked rice evenly among four bowls. Top each with the salmon, cucumber slices, edamame, avocado, and shredded carrots. Drizzle the spicy sauce over the top and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowlCalories: 608kcalCarbohydrates: 78gProtein: 43gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 3504mgPotassium: 1044mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 63IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 3mg

Notes

• Cut the salmon into evenly sized cubes. Try to keep your salmon pieces roughly the same size so they cook evenly in the air fryer!
• Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Giving the salmon cubes a little space allows hot air to circulate properly, which creates lightly caramelized edges instead of steamed fish.
• Marinate briefly, not too long. Since the sauce contains soy sauce and acid from lime juice, a short marinade is all you need. Letting the salmon sit too long can affect the texture, especially once it’s cooked. No need to marinade for longer than about 30 minutes!

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!