Kid & Planet-Friendly Poke Bowls

Although the historical debate surrounding whether poke bowls were first prepared by native Polynesians or Hawaiians is unclear, one thing is for certain: the word “poke” means “cut crosswise into pieces” and refers to a quick dish with raw fish made by fishermen. They would cut the directly caught raw fish into small pieces, sprinkle it with salt and seaweed, add some other common, local ingredients, and eat it in a bowl.

Nowadays, when we order poke bowls, we can still find the staple ingredients: fish (usually salmon or tuna) and rice, but there might also be veggies and tropical fruit. A combo of protein, carbs, and fiber, poke bowls feature valuable nutrients and are a truly balanced meal. They are also quick to make and recipes are super flexible, so everyone is welcome to experiment!

We love to turn any good and healthy recipe into one that is also healthy for the planet and suitable for kids’ taste buds—so we’re excited to present two climatarian and kid-friendly poke bowl ideas with our sustainably-grown Kvaroy Arctic salmon.

It’s vital to raise adventurous eaters, so we encourage you to check out those poke bowls ideas at home with your family.

Fish Options

Oven-baked salmon or smoked salmon are both great choices for children, but even our salmon hot dogs can be a delicious option as an introduction to the poke tradition. (For the baked salmon, first massage the fish with half a teaspoon of maple syrup.)

Grain Options

Rice was the grain that fishermen in Polynesia and Hawaii used, and we really love the smell of white jasmine rice, but whole-grain rice or even quinoa can be a filling base for your kids’ poke bowls.

Veggies and Fruit

Usually, there are various poke bowl recipes with plants like edamame, pineapple, mango, avocado, cucumbers, radishes, red onions, peppers, and carrots. We encourage you to choose whatever is available to you seasonally, locally, or frozen. For this particular recipe, we got a chance to boil some frozen edamame and use some salsa made of mango, pineapple, and red onions.

Toppings

The options are limitless—from sesame and seaweed to ginger and green onions. As we aim to be eating more ocean-friendly foods, we focused on adding crunchy seaweed as it’s incredibly healthy both for people and the planet!

Sauce

Tamari, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, mayo

Prep time for the smoked salmon brown - 10 minutes.
Prep time for the oven-baked salmon - 25 minutes.