Homemade fish bowl (poke-style) with salmon, sushi rice, avocado, and sesame dressing. About 520 calories and 32g protein — a Fishbowl-style bowl you can log.
Ingredients
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300 g
Salmon fillet
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160 g
Sushi rice (dry)
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100 g
Edamame (shelled)
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1 small
Avocado
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½
Cucumber
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1, sliced
Nori sheets (optional)
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2 tbsp
Soy sauce
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1 tbsp
Rice vinegar
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1 tsp
Sesame oil
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1 tsp
Sesame seeds
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1, sliced
Spring onion
Instructions
1
Cook the rice
Rinse 160 g sushi rice until the water runs mostly clear. Cook with 200 ml water: bring to a boil, cover, simmer 12 minutes, then rest off the heat 10 minutes. Season with 1 tbsp rice vinegar. Cool until warm, not steaming — hot rice wilts the toppings.
2
Cook the salmon
Pat 300 g salmon dry. Pan-sear skin-side down 4 minutes, flip 2–3 minutes, until it flakes and the center is just opaque (about 50–52°C if you use a thermometer). Rest 3 minutes, then break into large chunks. Using sashimi-grade salmon raw is optional — only if you trust the source.
3
Prep the toppings
Blanch or microwave edamame 2 minutes if frozen. Slice cucumber into half-moons. Dice the avocado last so it does not brown. Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, and a splash of rice vinegar for the dressing.
4
Build the bowls
Split the rice between two bowls. Add salmon, edamame, cucumber, and avocado. Drizzle the dressing, then sesame seeds, nori, and spring onion. Do not drown it — 1 tbsp dressing per bowl is enough.
A fish bowl you can actually log
Search “fish bowl calories” and you get restaurant poke chains — Fishbowl in Australia, poke shops everywhere else. Those bowls swing from about 480 to 700 calories because the base, dressing, and fried toppings change. This recipe is a homemade salmon fish bowl with a fixed portion: sushi rice, 150 g cooked salmon per person, avocado, edamame, and a measured soy-sesame dressing. One serving is about 520 calories and 32 g of protein.
It is not identical to a branded menu item. It is the same meal: fish, a starch or leaves, cold toppings, a salty-sweet dressing. Weigh the rice cooked if you track macros. The rice is most of the carbs; the salmon is most of the protein.
Cooked salmon on purpose
Poke is often raw. Home cooks using ordinary salmon fillets should cook the fish. Pan-sear until it flakes. If you have sashimi-grade salmon kept cold, you can cube it raw and toss it in a little soy — that version is closer to a shop poke bowl and a bit lower in calories because you skip the pan oil. Do not eat raw salmon that was sold to be baked.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Cool the rice. Steam plus avocado turns the bowl mushy.
- Salt the salmon, not the whole bowl — soy sauce already brings sodium.
- Cut avocado last and toss with a drop of lemon if you need 10 extra minutes.
- A leaves base is the biggest calorie save, bigger than skipping sesame seeds.
Variations
- Tuna bowl: Swap salmon for 300 g tuna steak, seared rare, same toppings.
- Chicken fish-bowl style: Use 300 g grilled chicken if you want a Fishbowl Chicken O.G.-style bowl without fish.
- Low-carb: Mixed leaves or cabbage instead of rice. Macros drop toward ~340 calories.
- Spicy: Mix 1 tsp sriracha into the soy-sesame dressing. Count ~5 extra calories.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Hot rice on avocado: The fruit goes grey and greasy. Cool the rice first.
- Mayo drowning the bowl: A kewpie-heavy drizzle can add 100+ calories. Measure it.
- Raw supermarket salmon: Frying fillets are not sushi. Cook them, or buy labeled sashimi-grade.
- Skipping acid: Rice vinegar in the rice and dressing keeps the bowl from tasting flat.
How to Store
Cooked salmon and rice keep 2 days in the fridge in separate containers. Assemble fresh. Do not freeze avocado. Reheat rice with a splash of water; keep the fish cold or barely warm.
What to Serve With This
- Miso soup: Light, salty, almost no extra calories.
- Cucumber salad: Extra volume if 520 calories is a light dinner for you.
- Green tea: Unsweetened, no extra sugar on a poke-style lunch.
Where restaurant bowls get heavy
Sushi rice or glass noodles versus mixed leaves is the biggest swing. Creamy dressings and crispy toppings are the second. If you want this closer to a 400-calorie lunch, keep the salmon, halve the rice, and use leaves for the rest of the bowl. The protein stays; the calorie count drops.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in a fish bowl?
This homemade salmon fish bowl is about 520 calories per serving, with 32 g of protein, 48 g of carbs, and 20 g of fat. Restaurant poke bowls (including Fishbowl) often land between 480 and 700 calories depending on the base, dressing, and crispy toppings.
Is this the same as a Fishbowl poke bowl?
It is the same idea — a customizable fish and rice bowl — made at home. Chain bowls change with menu items. This recipe is a salmon-and-sushi-rice version you can weigh and log.
Can I use mixed leaves instead of rice?
Yes. Swapping sushi rice for a big handful of mixed leaves cuts roughly 180 calories and most of the carbs. Protein stays in the salmon.
Raw or cooked salmon?
Cooked is the default here for food safety. Use sashimi-grade salmon raw only if it is sold for that purpose and kept cold. Frozen-then-thawed sushi-grade is safer than supermarket frying fillets eaten raw.
Is a fish bowl good for weight loss?
Yes at ~520 calories with 32 g of protein. The calorie climb is rice volume, mayo-style dressings, and fried toppings. Keep the dressing light and skip wonton strips if you are in a deficit.
Can I meal prep a fish bowl?
Cook rice and salmon, store separately up to 2 days. Add avocado, cucumber, and dressing when you eat. Do not leave dressed avocado overnight.
Did you make this recipe?
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