5 Jersey Shore restaurants with poke on the menu - Asbury Park Press

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The thought of fresh raw fish piled high atop a fluffy bed of rice, with tantalizing toppings like edamame, inari and seaweed salad, is enough to make a sushi aficionado drool.

Without the bounds of rolls, sushi shops can get creative with their concoctions, adding in modern twists like zucchini noodles and quinoa to the mix.

Which is why poke has turned into the new "it" dish in restaurants across the country.

While authentic Hawaiian poke sticks to the basics (rice, raw fish and limited toppings), some of these Jersey Shore shops put deliciously adventurous twists on this historic dish.

The House of Poke, Ocean Township

The House of Poke gives customers the power: Order a cooked dish, a signature classic or build-your-own bowl.

The bowls come with one, two or three proteins (tuna, spicy tuna, salmon, spicy salmon, shrimp, shrimp tempura, baby octopus, eel, tofu, chicken or kani sticks). Then you choose your base (sushi rice, white rice, brown rice, mixed greens or zucchini noodles) and toppings (including watermelon radish, edamame and ginger).

Cooked varieties served over rice include the chicken teriyaki bowl (with scallions and sesame seeds), coconut shrimp bowl (with cucumber, mango, pineapple, kani salad, sweet chili and scallions), beef bowl (with caramelized onions, egg yolk, scallions, chili flakes and sesame seeds) and the chicken karaage bowl (with Japanese fried chicken, homemade marinade, scallions and cilantro).

The signature bowls are where the authenticity of raw fish comes through, with choices like The Spice is Right (spicy tuna, spicy salmon, mango, pickled jalapeno, ginger, cherry tomato, edamame, cucumber, red cabbage, sriracha aioli, sesame oil, wasabi tobiko, garlic chips, radish sprouts, chili flakes and wasabi peas) or The HOP (with tuna, salmon, shrimp, sweet corn, cucumber, sweet onion, kani salad, seaweed salad, sweet teriyaki sauce, poke special sauce, scallions, onion crisps and lotus chips).

Go: 1013 Route 35, Instagram.

Little Sumo's, Surf City

Little Sumo's is one of this reporter's favorite restaurants.

They're a seasonal shop known for their sushi (and massive sushi platters for parties), including rolls like the Barnegat Light (with marinated tuna, avocado and cucumber, topped with local tuna and scallops) and the Surf City (with spicy blue crab, shrimp tempura, local tuna, cucumber and avocado, topped with spicy mayo and eel sauce).

They also have delicious poke bowls. My favorite is the Samurai (with fresh salmon, spicy mayo, cucumber, inari, masago, avocado and seaweed salad over sushi rice), but they also feature options like the Kraken (madako a.k.a. Japanese octopus, miso dressing, avocado, seaweed salad, masago, carrot and cucumber over sushi rice).

More on Little Sumo's:Sushi at the Shore: 10 restaurants you have to try

Check it out before the cold season, for some of the freshest seafood on the island. They also just expanded to the space next door (what used to be The Bookworm) to feature a larger dining room.

Go: 1513 Long Beach Blvd.; 609-494-3223, littlesumoslbi.com.

NJ Poke, Point Pleasant and Toms River

NJ Poke is known for build-your-own poke bowls.

Choose between white rice, brown rice, quinoa, zucchini noodles, mixed greens, romaine, or a 50/50 mix between two choices as the base. Protein choices include ahi tuna, butter steak, salmon and shrimp, with toppings like avocado, hijiki seaweed and edamame. Add a sauce like Green Goddess or NJ Poke ponzu.

There are also pre-made poke bowl favorites, like the NJ Poke (ahi tuna, crunchy fried spam, scallions and cucumber topped with spicy mayo over greens tossed in shallot vinaigrette over white rice), or the vegan and gluten free Garden State (with avocado, naked edamame, cucumber, shredded carrots and roasted red peppers over a 50/50 base of quinoa and zucchini noodles topped with Green Goddess sauce).

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Another menu option: crab poppers (fresh cut jalapenos stuffed with crab, tossed in spicy mayo, and topped with wasabi mayo, crispy onion and black sesame seeds). There are also freshly shaken bubble teas and milkshakes,

Go: For Point Pleasant:3003 Route 88, 848-232-1308; For Toms River: 1922 Hooper Ave. Unit 6, 732-608-9853; a menu for both locations can be found at njpoke.com.

Poke Burritos, Howell

Poke Burritos specializes in both bowls and burritos. Some signature burritos are the Spicy Tuna (with sesame seeds, purple cabbage, cucumber, radish, jalapeno, kimchi, avocado, tempura crunch and spicy mayo), and the rainbow burrito (with tuna, salmon, crab, sesame seeds, mixed greens, cucumber, edamame, avocado and yum yum sauce).

If poke bowls are more your style, they have both build-your-own bowls, with a choice of one or two proteins, or signature bowls. Build-your-own bowls come with a choice of base (sushi rice, organic brown rice, green salad and zucchini noodles); proteins like tuna, salmon or shrimp; mix-ins like cilantro, pineapple and half moon cucumber; sauces like spicy mayo or Yum Yum; and crunch for some texture (shredded nori, wasabi bean, crispy wonton strips, tempura flakes or peanut).

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Some popular signature bowls are the Salmon Lover (with lettuce, half moon cucumber, onion, edamame, pickled ginger, avocado, sesame seeds, nori, wasabi bean and spicy mayo), and the vegetarian Green Bowl (with tofu, mixed greens, half moon cucumber, onion, kale, edamame, mango, broccoli, carrot, avocado and sweet mango sauce).

Go: 4122 Route 9, 848-290-9535, pokeburritoshowell.com.

Yuzu Kitchen, Manalapan

Yuzu Kitchen is a go-to for Asian fusion cravings — from ramen to sushi burritos to authentic Japanese soda.

They are known for their casual decor and savory ramen options, like the Tonkotsu original and miso ramens (with pork belly), and chicken shoyu ramen. Their sushi burritos are fresh and filling. Try the Firecracker (shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, avocado, cucumber, tobiko, tempura flakes, scallions, spicy mayo and eel sauce).

But the real star of the show is their simple poke. Yuzu's salmon poke features edamame, mango, enoki, jalapeno, cilantro, chili oil, hijiki, fried ginger and orange ginger sauce, but the fish takes up most of the plate.

They also have meat poke, such as the Korean chicken poke (with chicken thigh, Korean hot sauce, sautéed onions, garlic, carrots, scallions, wood ear mushrooms and sesame seeds topped with shredded nori).

Go: 356 Route 9 North; 732-414-2303, yuzukitchennj.com.

Gabriela L. Laracca joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2021 and eagerly brings her passion for cuisine and culture to our readers. Send restaurant tips to glaracca@gannett.com.