With the Super Bowl happening this weekend, everyone is posting all their favorite game-day appetizers. Believe me when I say that there will be plenty of chicken wings and queso on my appetizer table. But, I wanted to make something for the game that has a different flavor profile. This Salmon Poke Dip is delicious!
This dip is a very different kind of dip from most game day recipes so I think it will be welcome at your party. It’s dumb-easy to make. You just chop up the ingredients and stir them together with a light sauce.
The hardest part of the whole recipe is honestly just finding good fish to use for the poke dip!
Let’s dig in and make something a little different!
What kind of salmon should you buy?
This is a raw recipe. That means it’s very important that you get sushi-grade salmon which is okay to eat raw.
There are some tutorials online about how you can turn normal salmon into sushi-grade salmon by salting it and/or freezing it. That’s all well and good. Personally, I just trust the professionals and just buy it ready to go.
It can be a bit confusing about what is considered sushi-grade or not so I always just ask.
Many times sushi grade salmon is frozen and that is okay! It will thaw well and still be fine to eat raw.
If you live near Whole Foods or an Asian market, they will frequently have sushi-grade fish if you ask.
As a last resort, you can actually cube and sear or roast this fish and make the dip. (Like in these salmon bowls). It won’t be as light, but it still decent flavors.
What is a traditional poke bowl?
Traditional poke bowls are a very common dish in Hawaii and are generally chopped, very fresh seafood, with a mix of rice and pickled vegetables with various sauces. There are SO many variations of poke and most places allow you to customize your own.
This is a great history of the dish from the Hawaii Ocean Project.
I call this dish a poke dip just because I used raw fish, chopped the fish in a similar way as poke, and also used vegetables and sauces that are frequently seen in poke bowls.
How to make crispy wonton chips
You could use any crispy chip to serve alongside this salmon dip, but I like to make little wonton chips with are very light and very crispy. They are the perfect vessel for the light salmon pieces.
These are very easy to make. Just cut your wonton skins into quarters (get the square ones) and then lay them out on a lightly greased baking sheet. It’s okay if they overlap a bit and bake them at 350˚F for 8-10 minutes. Stir them once while they bake to ensure even cooking.
The resulting wonton chips will be super-crispy (they get even crispier as they cool). It’s okay if some are browner than the others.
Making this salmon poke dip
Okay. Let’s get to the star of the show, this salmon poke dip! You can make this while you bake the wonton chips.
The key to this dip is to chop up your salmon in bite-sized chunks, a bit finer than you would see in a traditional poke bowl.
Next, I recommend chopping the other vegetables (red pepper, cucumber, and scallion) and chop them slightly finer than the salmon so they stir in nicely and you don’t have any huge chunks of vegetables.
Next add the sauce ingredients to the mix and stir everything together. The sauce ingredients I added to the recipe are a good starting point but you might need to add more of the ingredients to fit your tastes.
Some people might prefer a creamier mix, a spicier mix, or a saltier mix and you can add more mayo, soy sauce, or sriracha to get to those flavors.
Once you have this salmon poke dip done, it is ready to serve or you can store it in the fridge and chill it for a few hours.
Serve it with baked wonton chips and garnish with sesame seeds and crunchy seaweed!
Substitutions
There are some really great substitution ideas for this salmon poke dip recipe.
- If you can’t find sushi-grade salmon, tuna might be easier to find. It’s a 1-for-1 substitution in this recipe and would be great.
- To make it spicier, add a diced jalapeno to the dip.
- Finely dice a ripe avocado and add it to the poke dip for a creamier option.
Leftovers
This is probably no surprise but this dip doesn’t keep super well. It’s intended to be eaten within a day or two of making it since it is raw seafood.
If you do have leftovers of the dip though, it goes great on a rice bowl for lunch or you can wrap it with rice in seaweed for little sushi handrolls.
Want another salmon appetizer option? Try these Lox Wonton Cups or these Salmon Spring Rolls!
Spicy Salmon Poke Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound salmon, sushi grade, chopped
- 1 cup minced cucumber
- 1 cup minced red pepper
- 4 scallions, minced
- ¼ cup mayonnaise, like kewpie
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 25 wonton skins, quartered
- Crumbled seaweed, garnish
- Sesame seeds, garnish
Instructions
Making Wonton Chips:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Spray a baking sheet lightly with nonstick spray and spread out wonton chips on the baking sheet. It's okay if they overlap some. Bake for 8-10 minutes, stirring a few times as they bake. Remove and let cool once they are browned. They will get crispy as they cool.
Make the salmon poke dip:
- Chop salmon and add to bowl with chopped cucumber, red pepper, and scallions. Stir in mayonnaise, sriracha, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir together well.
- Spoon salmon poke dip into a serving bowl and top with crunched seaweed and sesame seeds. Serve with crispy wonton chips.