Sesame Seared Tuna Sushi Bowls

Lightly seared, sesame crusted ahi tuna tops this scrumptious sushi bowl, filled with edamame, avocado, sushi rice and sweet sesame sauce!

Homemade sushi bowls are high in protein and easy to make low carb by using cauliflower rice instead of sushi rice!

A sushi bowl is essentially a deconstructed sushi roll that is easy to make at home. Instead of rolling all of the ingredients up tightly in a roll, you can simply toss them in a bowl and dig in!

I like to add a little extra somethin' somethin' to my bowls by topping them with sesame crusted tuna. It's easy to make and delicious on top of sushi rice with a combination of fresh toppings, like avocado and jalapenos!

Jump to:

• How to sear ahi tuna
• How to make sushi bowls
• What to put in the bowls
• Make it vegan
• Make It low carb
• Meal prep it
• Add a protein
• More high-protein bowls
• Recipe
• Comments

How to sear ahi tuna

• Start with a high-quality piece of ahi tuna. Visit your local fish market or ask the butcher at your grocery store for sashimi grade ahi. This guarantees that the ahi is safe to eat raw or rare in the middle.
• In a shallow bowl or rimmed plate, combine white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, salt and pepper.
• Brush all sides of the ahi tuna with sesame oil, then coat the tuna in the sesame seeds on all sides.
• Heat sesame oil in a large skillet on the stove over high heat.
• Once the oil starts smoking, it's hot and ready for the tuna. Add each piece of sesame crusted tuna to the skillet and sear for approximately 30 seconds on all sides. Just long enough to toast the sesame seeds and sear the outside of the ahi tuna.
• Remove the tuna from the skillet and use the sharpest knife you have to slice the tuna into ¼ inch slices.

How to make sushi bowls

A sushi bowl combines everything you love about a sushi roll, in a bowl! It's an easy way to make sushi at home and you can add all of your favorite sushi ingredients to the bowl.

• You'll want to start with a base of sushi rice. Check out this recipe for Instant Pot Sushi Rice. It's so easy to make in just 30 minutes. You can start it before making the sushi bowls, then let it cook while you prepare the other ingredients for the bowls.
• Decide what type of fish you want to put on the sushi bowl and prepare it accordingly. For these bowls, I added sesame seared tuna. If you're doing the same, this is the time to prepare the tuna. You can also slice up raw sashimi-grade tuna, salmon, yellowtail or your preferred fish, to add to the bowl.
• Once the sushi rice and fish are prepared, place the sushi rice in the bottom of a bowl, top with the fish and add the toppings of your choice.

What to put in the bowls

The possibilities for sushi bowl toppings are almost endless, but here are a few of my favorites.

• Edamame - it just makes sense to add this sushi restaurant favorite to a sushi bowl! I purchase bags of frozen, shelled edamame at the grocery store, then heat them in a small bowl in the microwave before adding them to the bowl.
• Jalapenos - if you're someone that likes a little spice in your sushi, fresh sliced jalapenos are a deliciously spicy addition to a sushi bowl!
• Nori - this is the Japanese name for edible seaweed and also what almost all sushi rolls are wrapped in. This makes shredded nori a great addition to a sushi bowl! You can find shredded nori at your local Asian market or online.
• Avocado - I don't know about you, but avocado is a MUST in every sushi roll I order at a restaurant. Which means it's also a MUST when I make sushi bowls at home!
• Cucumber - if a dynamite roll or California roll are on your go-to order at a sushi restaurant, try adding some diced cucumber to sushi bowls at home.
• Sweet Sesame Sauce - I love adding this homemade sesame sauce to sushi bowls. It's easy to whip up in 5 minutes with just 6 ingredients and perfectly compliments the sesame seared tuna.
• Soy Sauce - if you want a simple sauce option, serve soy sauce on the side of your sushi bowl.
• Wasabi - to spice things up a bit, serve a little prepared wasabi on the sushi bowl, or mix it into soy sauce on the side.
• Spicy Mayo - if spicy tuna rolls are your jam, serve spicy sriracha mayo on the side of these sushi bowls to get the same flavor at home. You can purchase spicy mayo pre-made at the grocery store, or mix mayonnaise with sriracha at home for a homemade spicy mayo.
• Green Onions - crisp, chopped green onions add crunch and flavor on top of sushi bowls.
• Togarashi - this spicy Japanese seasoning blend adds a dash of color and spice on top of a sushi bowl. You can find togarashi at your local Asian market, in the Asian section of most grocery stores or online.
• Pickled Ginger - if you can't get enough pickled ginger on the side of your sushi at a restaurant, then add some to the side of your sushi bowl!
• Quick Pickled Onions - for even more pickled goodness, add a spoonful of pickled onions to the bowls.

Make it vegan

It's easy to make a vegan sushi bowl. Simply replace the tuna with sesame tofu, vegan tempura or extra fresh vegetables.

Edamame and nori are both high in protein. Load up your vegan sushi bowls with these ingredients for a great protein-rich, plant based recipe.

Make It low carb

Replace the sushi rice with cauliflower sushi rice to make low carb sushi bowls. This one replacement will take the bowls from 56 carbs per bowl, down to 23 carbs per bowl.

Meal prep it

I actually do not recommend meal prepping sushi bowls. Since the bowls are made with rare or raw fish, they should be eaten within 24 hours of purchasing the fish.

Add a protein

Tuna is one of the highest protein foods out there. Each of these bowls packs 57 grams of protein per bowl! No need to add additional protein to these bowls.

All seafood is high in protein, so even if you replace the tuna with salmon or yellowtail, you will still be getting a bowl rich in protein.

More high-protein bowls

Looking for more protein-rich bowls? Check out these delicious recipes!

• Tex Mex Egg Roll In a Bowl
• Greek Chicken Quinoa Bowls
• Indian Meatball Curry Bowls
• Low Carb Italian Sausage and Zucchini Bowls
• Blackened Chicken Salad

Recipe