Shrimp poke bowl

Mise en place — set out in the order it goes in

1. 

   Mayo + srirachaKewpie · srirachaStep 1

2. 

   Sushi ricemade ahead, body-warmStep 2

3. 

   Shrimppeeled, deveined, tails offStep 3

4. 

   Soy glazesoy · mirinStep 5

5. 

   Pickled gingerstore-bought gariStep 6

6. 

   Toppingsgreen onion · sesame (optional)Step 8

Prep order — what happens when, and what overlaps

Make the sushi rice first — it needs about an hour including soaking and cooling to body temperature (see the sushi rice page).

Step by step

1. 

   1Spicy mayo

   2 min

   • Stir together in the mixing bowl:
     • japanese mayo (kewpie) 4 tbsp
     • sriracha 1 tbsp
   • It should be a pale pink-coral. Taste; add a little more sriracha if you want it hotter. Use a bowl big enough to mix the shrimp in later.

   

2. 

   2Rice into the bowls

   3 min

   For this step

   • Sushi rice2 bowls

   Divide the sushi rice between two bowls — body-warm or room temperature, not hot.

3. 

   

   3Cut the shrimp in half lengthwise

   ~6 min

   For this step

   • Large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off400 g

   • Lay a shrimp on its side on the board, back toward the knife.
   • Hold it with your fingertips curled under, and cut along the back, through the line where the vein was, all the way through, into two long halves.
   • Repeat with the rest, then pat the halves very dry with paper towels — dry halves sear instead of steaming.

   

4. 

   4Sear

   medium-high~2 min

   For this step

   • Neutral oil1 tbsp

   • Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
   • Lay the halves in one layer, cut side down. Sear about 1 minute, until the edges turn pink.
   • Flip and cook about 30 seconds more, until just pink and opaque. Don’t crowd the pan — two batches if needed.

   

5. 

   5Soy glaze

   medium-high~30 s + 5 min cooling

   For this step

   • Soy sauce1 tbsp
   • Mirin (optional, or a pinch of sugar)1 tsp

   • Splash in the soy sauce and the mirin (or sugar).
   • Toss for 20–30 seconds, until the soy has bubbled down and coats the shrimp. The pan should be almost dry.
   • Tip them onto a plate and spread out to cool for about 5 minutes.

   

6. 

   6Chop the ginger finely

   ~3 min

   For this step

   • Pickled ginger (gari), store-bought2 tbsp (~20 g)

   While the shrimp cool, chop the pickled ginger finely, into small bits the size of a grain of rice.

   

7. 

   

   7Mix until pink-coral

   ~2 min

   • Add the cooled shrimp and the chopped ginger to the spicy mayo.
   • Fold thoroughly until every half is coated and the whole mix is one even pink-coral — no white streaks of mayo, no bare shrimp.

   

8. 

   8Assemble

   ~3 min

   • Spoon the pink shrimp mix over the rice.
   • Top with, if you like:
     • green onion, thinly sliced (optional) 1
     • toasted sesame seeds (optional) 1 tsp