Wasabi Shrimp Poke Bowl
I used to eat poke bowls every Friday when I go to town for work. Months of working from home certainly made me miss this routine terribly. So I made this simple wasabi shrimp poke bowl to reminisce about the delicious poke Fridays and satisfy my cravings.
See Also:
The poke places I frequent are casual and always serve their poke bowls in a round takeaway bowl (even if you are eating there). I find it quite difficult to eat with the bowl filled to the brim. You have to eat the top half first, before you can reach the salad and/or rice at the bottom. So I used a plate instead so that all the toppings can be seen for photography, plus it is also easier to eat.
FRESH COOKED PRAWN (SHRIMP)
Typically, poke bowls consists of sashimi grade salmon or tuna as the main protein. I have not been going to the Japanese supermarkets recently, so I can’t get fresh sashimi-grade fish. Therefore I am making my first poke bowl with shrimps instead, using takeaway cooked whole shrimps from Sushi Express. Alternatively, you can thaw frozen cooked shrimps or boil your own shrimps.
SEASONED WASABI MAYO SHRIMP
In a bowl, mix mayonnaise, wasabi paste, rice vinegar & honey to form a paste. The resulting taste should be sweet, tangy and mildly hot. Add a bit of green tea powder (optional) for an added natural green hue and added antioxidants. As the brand of wasabi paste varies in its heat and sharpness, tweak the honey & vinegar to taste. I recommend using hon-wasabi (real wasabi) that is not as sharp or lingering, such as the one in the picture above, which I bought from Kuriya Supermarket.
POKE BOWL TOPPINGS
With romaine lettuce as the base of the poke bowl, here are the toppings I used for my bowl:
- fresh pineapple – Since poke bowl is Hawaiian in origin, fresh & sweet pineapples are a definite must-have for me.
- jalapeno (pickled green chilli in vinegar) – they add extra tang and heat to the bowl.
- Thai lime wedge – squeeze the lime over the salad just before eating.
- avocado – Adds healthy fat to the bowl
- others – cherry tomatoes, shelled edamame, brown rice (or any favourite carb)
- 1-minute soy-sesame dressing – mix 3 parts soy sauce & 2 parts pure sesame oil. There is a popular poke place here that serve this dressing upon request. Even though a dressing is not common, I do find poke bowls are too plain without one.
Other suitable toppings which are not included this round –
- tobikko (flying fish roe)
- red pomegranate seeds
- diced cucumber
- fried fish skin
- wakame (seasoned seaweed) salad
- and more …
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD
Place salad greens to line the plate and arrange the wasabi shrimps & toppings on top. Serve with a side salad dressing.
Wasabi Shrimp Poke Bowl Recipe
As a convenient short-cut, this recipe uses takeaway cooked shrimps from a sushi shop. You can also buy fresh cooked shrimps from Don Don Donki (SG), or thaw from a bag of supermarket frozen cooked shrimps. If you wish to cook the shrimps from scratch instead, bring a pot of water to boil. Add prawns and boil until they are just cooked (less than 3 minutes). Peel and devein the prawns. This will add about 15 mins to this recipe.
Check out the ingredients and step-by-step photos on the previous page.
Ingredients:
- 12-16 cooked shrimps (prawns) de-shelled
- 2 servings (about 60-80g each) cut romaine lettuce or salad greens
Toppings (for two bowls)
One scoop refers to an ice-cream scoop.
- 2 servings cooked brown/red rice (or any favourite carb)
- 2 scoops shelled edamame
- 2 scoops fresh pineapple chunks
- 2 scoops chopped spring onions
- 2 heaped tbsp pickled jalapeno
- 2 scoops halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 scoops diced avocado
- sprinkle of black/golden roasted sesame seeds
(A) Wasabi Mayo Sauce (for shrimps)
As different brand of wasabi paste varies in its heat and sharpness, tweak the honey & vinegar to taste. See ingredients here.
- 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
- 1 tsp wasabi paste
- 1 tsp honey to taste
- 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar to taste
- 1/4 tsp green tea powder optional, gives the sauce a natural green hue
(B) Sesame-Soy Dressing
- 3 tsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp pure sesame oil
Directions:
- Make wasabi mayo sauce by combining (A) to a smooth paste. Season to taste. Add cooked shrimps and coat them evenly in the sauce. Set aside in the fridge.
- Make sesame-soy dressing by placing (B) in a tightly-lid salad dressing container. Shake well just before serving and divide into two servings.
- Assemble wasabi shrimp poke bowl. Line each plate with romaine lettuce. Divide and add marinated wasabi mayo shrimps and toppings to fill each plate. Serve with salad dressing at the side.
Noob Tip:
Even though not all poke restaurants serve their poke bowls with dressing, I find poke bowls too plain without one. This simple 1-minute soy-sesame dressing goes very well with a poke salad.