Meal Prep with Poké
Poké always felt like one of those things I could only order at a restaurant, but really, it’s extremely easy to make at home. In fact, if you have a vacuum sealer and some vacuum seal bags, you can make a whole bunch of it really cheaply and store it for a long time.
So first and foremost, First things first, the vacuum seal bags and a vacuum sealer. You can use regular freezer bags, but your salmon will take more space. Next sushi-grade salmon (which is a completely subjective determination made by the company packing it). I like to get mine from Wild Fork, a shop that specializes in frozen goods that has a full, 3.5 lb Atlantic salmon fillet for $13/lb. If you don’t have a wild fork near you, either order a frozen salmon fillet from www.mpsgroceries.com or find any farm-raised frozen salmon fillet at your local grocery store and you’ll likely be okay.
When you’ve defrosted the salmon, cube it up into bite-sized pieces, and if you’re particular about texture—no sinewy or chewy bits—take your time trimming, I’ll be posting a guide about it and link it here when it’s done. Don’t toss the tough parts Mince them finely with whatever tool you prefer, add some spicy sauce and you’ll have some spicy salmon ready to go either for a roll or for a poké.
Now for the sauce. Sure, you could buy it, but I don’t like to clutter my kitchen with sauces so I home-make mine. It’s not complicated: It’s mostly soy sauce, some rice vinegar, a sweetener like honey or sugar, garlic, ginger, and some heat if you like it spicy—think sriracha or chili paste. Mix it all together, taste as you go, and tweak it until it works for you.
Once everything’s prepped, mix the salmon with the sauce, portion the mixture into your vacuum seal bags, seal them up, and freeze. When you’re ready to eat, defrost the portions in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a couple of hours. Serve it over rice or lettuce, and don’t hold back on toppings—edamame, avocado, cucumber, and some furikake. The beauty of poké is that it’s endlessly customizable.
The best part? These frozen packets last for weeks, so you’re never far from an easy, nutritious dinner. There’s something deeply satisfying about pulling out a frozen packet of poké you’ve made yourself. Plus, it tastes incredible—much better than anything you’ll have at your local poké joint. Good luck! And as always, comment if you have any questions.
