Everyone Loves A Salmon Bowl
The internet loves a good salmon rice bowl, or more precisely maybe TikTok tells you that you should be eating one right now. We were inspired to create this healthy sushi salmon bowl by our love for salmon sushi rolls—the airy crispness of seaweed against the luxurious combo of salmon and avocado and a little bit of crunch from fresh cucumber is everything we want to eat. Our rice is seasoned—although not in the traditional sushi rice way—with the delicious garlic-and-ginger sauce that the salmon is cooked in, and with a creamy, spicy drizzle of sriracha mayo. For more yummy salmon bowl goodness, try our Coconut Rice Salmon Bowl!
Ingredients to Make The Best Ever Salmon Sushi Bowl
This list looks long, but fear not! If you’ve got a decently-stocked pantry, we bet you’ve got these ingredients in your fridge and cupboard already:
For the salmon: salmon fillets, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger.
For the sushi bowl: Brown rice, avocado, English cucumber (or regular in a pinch), nori (seaweed).
For the mayo: sriracha, mayo.
How Do We Love Thee, Garlicky Salmon with Ginger? Let Us Count the Ways.
This quick and easy salmon cooking technique is not just reserved for sushi bowls—although it is particularly wonderful served this way. On a really busy night, you could easily make a lazy, 10-minute meal out of just this gingery, garlicky, Asian-inspired salmon and a big green salad. And now, let us count the reasons we love this Japanese seared salmon:
Warm, gentle ginger spice. Is there anything better than fresh ginger with fish? (No, the answer is no.)
Soy-sauce-y, umami-richness. Enough said.
Quick to cook! Have your fishmonger slice your salmon fillet into four even pieces, so that they’ll cook at the same rate. A quick sear on each side—about 90 seconds per side—and that fish is done. Six minutes is our kind of cooking time.
How To Make Salmon Rice Bowls:
Salmon sushi bowls are more about assembling than cooking, which means they’re perfectly suited to accommodate a huge variety of dietary preferences and restrictions. Whether you’re entertaining or just making an every day meal for your family, lay out the various rice bowl toppings, and let everyone DIY their own sushi bowls! No fighting, no extra work, just a bunch of happy people. Our salmon sushi bowl recipe comes together in three simple steps:
Cook the salmon filets. A 90-second sear on each of the 4 sides, and a quick simmer in the sauce to lock in the gingery, savory flavors.
Prep the other rice bowl toppings (If this step doesn’t involve nibbling as you go, you’re stronger than we are). You could also add other veggies here, if you’re trying to bulk up on vegetables.
Whip up the spicy mayo. Or, better yet, have a helper do this while you cook the salmon.
Gather the hungry hordes, and let them do the rest!
How To Make Sriracha Mayo
What sauces go with salmon? Sriracha mayo is our new favorite condiment, and our DIY sriracha mayo recipe is as easy as they come. Drizzle it over this easy salmon rice bowl for a little hint of kick—and to counteract the virtuousness of the rest of the rice bowl’s ingredients—and slather any leftover sriracha mayo on tomorrow’s sandwich. Sriracha mayo is just as basic as it sounds. You’ll need:
Mayonnaise. Its rich creaminess helps to cool the heat of the sriracha.
Sriracha. Fiery zing for a spicy salmon bowl.
Rice vinegar. This is the “secret” ingredient—slightly sweet, mild rice vinegar thins the sriracha and mayo sauce, making it extra drizzly and perfect for pouring over your salmon bowl.
Love that sriracha flavor? You can also try this Asian Slaw With Sriracha Dressing.
Are Salmon Sushi Bowls Healthy?
Yes! This salmon and rice bowl is absolutely a healthy, balanced, vitamin-rich meal. Go easy on the sriracha mayo if you’re counting calories, but otherwise this is a dinner you can feel good about feeding to your family. Here are four reasons our salmon bowl is ultra-nutritious:
Brown rice instead of white. Brown rice a super healthy, mineral-rich whole grain—but you knew that, right?
Salmon! Salmon's super good-for-you combination of omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, selenium and vitamin B12 are certainly healthy, and studies have shown that eating it can possibly protection against basically all of the scary things—some cancers, Alzheimer's, high blood pressure, and even asthma, depression, macular degeneration and rheumatoid arthritis.
Avocado! Yet more healthy fat!
Nori! AKA dried seaweed, is rich in protein, iodine and other minerals. Plus, kelp aquaculture (seaweed farming) is on the rise because it has been shown to be beneficial to the health of our oceans. Win, win and win!
Tools You’ll Need:
- Large skillet.
- Sharp knife.
- Cutting board.
- And a rice cooker would be super helpful, but isn’t completely necessary.
Other Healthy Rice Bowl Recipes
Because once you go bowl, you’ll—well, you’ll just really like them and want to make more.
Chicken Teriyaki Sushi Bowl or Vegetarian Burrito Bowl with Avocado Crema because you definitely need more than one bowl in your cooking arsenal.
Come for the creamy coconut rice, stay for the sliced mango in this Coconut Rice Salmon Bowl.
Chicken Fajita Burrito Bowl. All the flavor of a burrito, minus the tortilla!
This Quinoa Bowl has garbanzo beans, edamame, and tons of other great veggies.
Other flavorful bites: Spinach Feta Wrap, Braised Tomatoes with Burrata, and Tomato and Avocado Bruschetta.
For more salmon recipes, try Baked Salmon with Grapefruit Salad or Asian Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner.
Bowled Over By this Bowl?
Snap a photo of your salmon sushi bowl and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed it to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!
