History

Poke travelled from Hawaiian fish counters into California fast-casual in the mid-2010s, and Sweetfin, which opened its first shop near the Santa Monica beach in 2015, helped define the LA build-a-bowl version: spicy tuna over bamboo rice, gluten-free sauces and vegetable bases in place of the Hawaiian deli case.

Common allergens: Fish, Soy, Sesame

Make it at home

Yield Serves 2Hands-on 20 minTotal 20 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 300g sashimi-grade ahi tuna, cubed
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sriracha mixed with 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 spring onions, sliced
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • 300g cooked short-grain rice, warm
  • Cucumber ribbons, edamame, avocado

Method

  1. Whisk soy and sesame oil, fold in the tuna and let it sit 5 minutes in the fridge.
  2. Stir the sriracha mayo separately.
  3. Divide warm rice between bowls, arrange cucumber, edamame and avocado around the edge.
  4. Pile the dressed tuna in the centre, drizzle with spicy mayo, finish with spring onion and sesame.

Tip from the editors. Buy fish sold specifically for raw eating and dress it just before serving; soy soaks in fast and over-seasons in minutes.

Where to eat the poke bowl

The poke bowl in Santa Monica

Sweetfin ★ 3.9

Poke$downtownMon-Fri 10:30-22:00; Sat 11:00-22:00; Sun 11:00-21:00

Sweetfin builds chef-driven poke bowls on Broadway in Santa Monica, an entirely gluten-free kitchen of bamboo rice, kale noodles and citrus ponzu fish.

Try: Poke bowls

Tip: Every bowl base swaps free, so try the kale noodle base; the whole menu is gluten-free by default.

829 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401

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