Packed with bold flavours and vibrant colours, Prawn Poke Bowls are a firm favourite in our kitchen. Whether you call them shrimp poke bowls or stick with the prawn version, they're all about that winning combo of juicy prawns, creamy avocado and crisp veg and mango on a warm bed of rice. Effort-worthy lunch or a fresh weeknight dinner!
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Poke Bowls: The Latest Obsession
Poke bowls (pronounced poh-keh) have exploded in popularity - and it's easy to see why. Traditional Hawaiian poke started as a simple dish of raw fish, seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onions. Today, poke bowls have evolved into fully loaded meals, typically built on a base of rice and topped with everything from pickled veg and creamy avocado to spicy dressings and cooked proteins.
These colourful bowls are now a global food trend, and for good reason - they're fresh, customisable, and genuinely satisfying. Whether you're into the classic raw fish options or prefer cooked toppings like prawns or tofu (like in our Teriyaki Tofu Poke Bowl recipe), homemade poke bowls are a great way to mix things up midweek. Fancy trying more? Don't miss our Seared Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl, Smoked Salmon Poke Bowl, or our Teriyaki Chicken Poke Bowl - they're some of our absolute favourites.
Ingredient Notes
If you had a peek at a recipe card, you probably thought: wow, that's a long ingredients list. But truth be told, the same ingredients are repeatedly used for the different elements of these prawn poke bowls. Here's everything you'll need:
- sushi rice: poke bowls also taste great with long grain white rice like basmati or jasmine rice, and you can also make them with short grain brown rice or even cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
- raw prawns: we recommend using large shelled and deveined prawns (which typically have a prefix of Jumbo or King). Thawed, if frozen.
- pantry staples: rice vinegar, sugar, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey (or brown sugar), chilli flakes (a.k.a. red pepper flakes).
- garlic and fresh ginger.
- lime juice.
- cucumber: short cucumbers with less seeds, like Persian or Lebanese cucumbers work best. We used English cucumbers with the seeds scraped out.
- mayonnaise: we typically use regular mayo, but kewpie mayo will give you the best results.
- sriracha sauce: or Chiu Chow Chilli Oil, or ¼ teaspoon chilli powder. Skip the spicy element if you don't want spicy mayonnaise dressing.
- fresh veggies: alongside pickled cucumber, we used carrot, edamame beans and avocado, but experiment with other fresh vegetables like purple cabbage, spring onions, bell peppers. Pickled red onion and roasted seaweed work beautifully too.
- mango: or pineapple.
Step-By-Step Method
Step 1: Cook The Rice
1. Cook the rice following the instructions on the package, but as a general rule of thumb, place the rice in a colander and rinse, mixing the rice, under cold water until the water runs clear. Leave the rice to soak in water for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
2. Add the drained rice to a pot with 220 ml of cold water and cover with a lid. Bring it to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. (lid on).
3. Take the pot of rice off the heat and leave it undisturbed (keeping the lid on) for 10 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, sugar and salt. When the rice is cooked and rested, stir in the vinegar mixture, mixing it with a wooden spoon.
Step 2: Marinate and Cook The Prawns
1. In a bowl, mix soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, and lime juice. Dab the prawns with a piece of paper towel to remove surface moisture. Then toss the prawns in the marinade and let them sit for 10-15 minutes.
2. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the marinated prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until pink and lightly caramelised. Avoid overcooking. Drizzle a little lime juice over after cooking for freshness.
Step 3: Pickle The Cucumber
1. As the prawns are marinating, prepare your cucumber. In a bowl mix, the rice vinegar, sugar and salt.
2. Add the sliced cucumber, toss to combine and cover the bowl with a plate.
3. Let it sit at room temperature whilst you prepare the rest of the poke bowl.
4. When ready to use as a topping, drain any liquid and stir in some sesame seeds (optional).
Step 4: Prepare the Dressing
1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.
2. Taste and adjust saltiness (soy), tang (vinegar), or spice (sriracha) as needed.
3. Thin the sriracha mayo with a little water if it's too thick to drizzle.
Step 5: Assemble Prawn Poke Bowls
1. Divide the seasoned rice between bowls. Top it with drained pickled cucumber, mango cubes, edamame beans, julienned carrots and avocado.
2. Arrange the cooked prawns on top.
3. Drizzle everything with sesame mayo and a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Storage and Making Ahead
If you're making Prawn Poke Bowls as part of your meal prep, it's best to store each component separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Cooked prawns should be eaten within 2 days, while the rice and chopped veg will keep for up to 3 days.
Always assemble the bowl just before or the morning of serving to keep everything fresh and avoid soggy textures, especially important when dealing with seafood and delicate ingredients like creamy avocado.
More Rice-Forward Recipes
Our new favourite? Chipotle Ground Beef Burrito Bowl! A few more delicious rice bowls below:
Prawn Poke Bowls
Ingredients
Rice Base:
- 170 g (1 cups) sushi rice + 220 ml water
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Prawns:
- 200 g (7.05 oz) raw prawns shelled and deveined, thawed if frozen
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon honey or brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes optional
- squeeze of lime juice
Quick Pickled Cucumber:
- 80 g (2.82 oz) cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds optional
Sesame Mayo Dressing:
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sriracha or Chiu Chow Chilli Oil, or ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
Other Toppings:
- 1 carrot julienned or coarsely grated
- ½ small mango cut into small cubes
- 80 g (½ cups) edamame beans
- 1 small avocado mashed or cut into small cubes
Instructions
Cook The Rice:
- Cook the rice following the instructions on the package, but as a general rule of thumb, place the rice in a colander and rinse, mixing the rice, under cold water until the water runs clear. Leave the rice to soak in water for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
- Add the drained rice to a pot with 220ml of cold water and cover with a lid. Bring it to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. (lid on). Take the pot of rice off the heat and leave it undisturbed (keeping the lid on) for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine vinegar, sugar and salt. When the rice is cooked and rested, stir in the vinegar mixture, mixing it with a wooden spoon.
Marinate and Cook The Prawns:
- In a bowl, mix soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, and lime juice. Toss the prawns in the marinade and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until pink and lightly caramelized. Avoid overcooking. Drizzle a little lime juice over after cooking for freshness.
Pickle The Cucumber:
- As the prawns are marinating, prepare your cucumber. In a bowl mix, the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Add the sliced cucumber, toss to combine and cover the bowl with a plate. Let it sit at room temperature whilst you prepare the rest of the poke bowl. When ready to used as a topping, drain any liquid and stir in some sesame seeds (optional).
Prepare the Dressing:
- Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.
- Taste and adjust saltiness (soy), tang (vinegar), or spice (sriracha) as needed.
- Thin the sriracha mayo with a little water if it's too thick to drizzle.
Assemble Prawn Poke Bowls:
- Divide the seasoned rice between bowls. Top it with drained pickled cucumber, mango cubes, edamame beans, julienned carrots and avocado. Arrange the cooked prawns on top. Drizzle everything with sesame mayo. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Leslie says
This is such ha delicious bowl recipe! The shrimp was perfection and the pickled cucumber was the perfect touch!