My niece Devyn has been a poke bowl (pronounced- Poh-Keh) devotee way before they became a huge sensation. She loves sushi, so naturally the poke bowl became the next step in her quest for ways to eat raw fish.
She’s frequented quite a few places near her home on Long Island, and has created her own repertoire of these customizable creations at home. She’s the star of the family with her killer tuna poke bowls.
That’s Devyn in the photo above enjoying a poke bowl with white rice, Ahi tuna, scallions, onion, cucumber, masago, spicy mayo, topped with seaweed salad, sesame seeds, and onion crisps. YUMMY!!
My first ever encounter with poke was back in 2016 when I was a bartender at the now closed Neptune restaurant, “Yvonne’s.” Yvonne created tuna poke nachos with a secret spicy sauce and house made chips with sesame seeds baked into the chips. To this day, I cannot find a better version of this delicious creation.
According to an article in People magazine written by Stephanie Emma Pfeffer, Poke means “to slice or cut” in Hawaiian and refers to chunks of raw, marinated fish — usually tuna — which is then tossed over rice and topped with vegetables and umami-packed sauces.
The bowl starts with a base layer of rice, usually Jasmine, but not always, topped with your choice of sushi-grade tuna, salmon, or snapper. If you’re not a raw marinated fish person, you can ask for tofu, or cooked fish such as crab if it’s available as a menu option.
Green onions, sesame seeds, and sea salt and the vegetables of your choice are then added. Then of course, your choice of sauce. You can choose from ponzu, shoyu, soy, or whatever is available at your local poke bowl place. Sesame oil, avocado, and wasabi mayo must be added to my poke bowl.
Thanks to the lovely lady on the JFW Facebook page for telling me about NJ Poke here in Toms River.
Poke places are popping up all over the place, so I thought I’d share a list of some of the best ones in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
Poke Burritos - 4122 US-9, Howell Township, NJ 07731
As you can tell by the name. this place goes beyond the poke bowl. The poke burrito is not served in a tortilla. From the looks of the photos on their website, the poke burritos are just bigger versions of sushi rolls. Bonus: They have ramen on the menu.
