Pantry Tuna Poke Bowls (35g Protein)

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Real poke is cubes of raw ahi from a fish counter, and I am not going to pretend canned tuna is the same thing. But the canned version gets you 35g of protein per bowl, costs a fraction of sashimi grade fish, and you can make it on a random Tuesday with no shopping trip.

The trick is treating the tuna with some respect: big chunks, a proper dressing, and five minutes to absorb it. Done that way, this stops being sad desk lunch and starts being something I actually look forward to.

Why this works

Canned tuna fails in bowls for two reasons, water and mush. Pressing the cans nearly dry fixes the first, because any water left in the tuna dilutes the dressing into nothing. Folding instead of stirring fixes the second. Tuna breaks down fast, and the difference between poke style chunks and tuna salad is about three extra stirs. The five minute rest matters too; canned tuna is a sponge, and it soaks up the soy and sesame in a way fresh fish never needs to.

Ingredient notes

Solid white albacore gives the biggest, firmest chunks and is worth the extra dollar here. Chunk light works and has a stronger flavor; tuna in oil also works, just drain it well and go lighter on the sesame oil. Kewpie mayo is richer than American mayo because it is all yolk, and it makes the sriracha mayo noticeably better, but Hellmann’s is fine. If you do find sashimi grade tuna on sale, cube 450g of it, skip the resting step, and use this exact dressing. Short grain rice holds the bowl together, but day-old jasmine from the fridge is completely acceptable.

Pantry Tuna Poke Bowls

A no-cook poke style bowl built from canned tuna, soy sesame dressing, and whatever crunchy vegetables are in the fridge.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4 bowls

Calories: 540

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 4 cans tuna in water, drained well 5 oz / 142g cans, solid or chunk
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated optional
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise Kewpie if you have it
• 2 tsp sriracha more or less to taste
• 4 cups cooked short grain rice warm or room temperature
• 1 cup shelled edamame thawed from frozen
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Method

 

1. Drain the tuna hard. Press it in the can lid or a sieve until no more water comes out. Watery tuna makes watery dressing, and that is the number one way this bowl goes wrong.
2. Whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar, and ginger in a medium bowl.
3. Add the tuna in big pieces and fold gently two or three times. You want chunks coated in dressing, not tuna salad. Let it sit 5 minutes to absorb.
4. Stir the mayonnaise and sriracha together. Thin with a teaspoon of water until it drizzles off a spoon.
5. Divide the rice between four bowls. Arrange the tuna, edamame, avocado, cucumber, and carrot on top in sections.
6. Drizzle with the sriracha mayo, then finish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Tips and storage

This is a strong meal prep candidate with one rule: store the dressed tuna, rice, and vegetables separately and the components keep 3 days. Dress the avocado day-of or skip it for prep boxes. If you like bowls you can assemble ahead, the lemongrass pork meal prep bowls follow the same separate-components logic. And when you want the cooked-fish version of a rice bowl night, the teriyaki salmon bowls are the next step up in effort.

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