One of my favorite meals happens to be a Salmon Rice Bowl. My kids feel the same way. We could happily eat them 3x a week for dinner or lunch (and often do). Salmon bowls are quick and easy to make and are a flavor party!
When it comes to a quick and easy dinner (or lunch) idea. One you feel good about eating and feeding your family, these Salmon Rice Bowls fit the bill. They are flavorful, easy to customize and super satisfying too.
With the advent of single-serve cooked sticky rice like our favorite Bibigo brand, making a rice bowl has never been faster or easier! Especially if you are making a meal for one.
Table of Contents
Type of salmon to use
- The prepackaged frozen salmon cubes are great. Skin on salmon or skin off salmon portions work just as good.
- If using fillets, you can choose to flake the salmon atop the rice after cooking or serve the whole fillet overtop the salmon bowl.
- Wild caught is always suggested if possible, however use what you have or have access or enjoy most.
How to cook your salmon
- I find blackened salmon gives great flavor, keeps things quick and is simple.
- Season salmon cubes with blackening seasoning (homemade or store bought, see notes) and cook in a little avocado or olive oil on all sides till done to your liking. I LOVE Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic seasoning, but any Cajun or blackening seasoning will do.
- If using a a salmon fillet with skin, season on both sides, heat oil in your pan. When hot, gently add salmon, skin side down (don't crowd pan). Cook till skin crisps up, flip and cook till done to your liking.
- Alternately, you can make simple Pan-Asian sauce for your salmon bowl. Check out my 1 minute video on how to do that. Even by itself as a salmon fillet its SO SO tasty!
TIP: Salmon skin has amazing nutrients in it. Often, after flipping, I pull the skin off, toss it back in the pan and crisp fully. When crisped up correctly, it's way better than any potato chip!
Ingredients Salmon Rice Bowl
- Salmon
- Rice
- Toppings such as chopped cucumber, edamame, scallions, avocado slices, matchstick cut carrots or peppers etc.
- Sauce ingredients: mayo and sriracha.
Top you salmon bowls with your favorite fresh ingredients or with what you have on-hand. Keep it simple with salmon, rice, chopped cucumbers, and scallions plus the sauce or go all out and add extras like shelled edamame, avocado and/or other favorites.
Variations
- I make this amazing Korean Carrot Salad every other week. It is a flavorful add in to a salmon bowl. If you enjoy kimchi or pickled ginger, you will love this make once and enjoy all week carrot salad.
- Instead of the suggested sauce, top with chili crisp instead.
- Add a fried egg on top for even more protein and flavor.
- Use sticky rice, white rice, brown rice or whatever rice you enjoy most. For the best eating experience we enjoy sticky rice for this (jasmine rice).
- Use purchased Yum-Yum Sauce vs making your own.
What kind of salmon should I use?
- You can use any sort of raw salmon, wild-caught is best if you can. Salmon cubes, salmon fillets (skin on or off), flaked salmon. Whatever you have.
- If you have leftover salmon, simply flake that apart and use that. Or you can use the leftover salmon and make these yummy Salmon Sliders.
- In a pinch you can certainly use canned salmon Just drain it, season it and toss it with some of the sriracha mayo, then add it to the bowl.
Tips
- If you enjoy spicy, in addition to the suggested sriracha mayo sauce, drizzle your Salmon Rice Bowl with Sriracha as well.
- Have all ingredients chopped and ready to go for bowl assembly. Things move quick once the salmon is finished cooking.
Quick & easy recipes to try
Colleen Kennedy is the author of 3 cookbooks and has appeared on QVC and other shows inspiring home cooks of all levels. She has a popular TikTok channel @ColleensCooking with hundreds of short recipe videos. Colleen lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and kids, she started Soufflé Bombay in 2009. Read more about her here.
Salmon Bowls
Ingredients
- 12 oz salmon fillets or cubes
- blackening seasoning or Cajun seasoning
- avocado or olive oil
- 12 oz rice more or less, whatever you want
- ½ cup scallions
- 1 cup chopped cucumbers chopped in quarters or sliced
- your favorite add ins like sliced avocado, carrots, edamame, red onion, sesame seeds etc.
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 TBS sriracha more or les depending of your spice preference
Instructions
- Chop cucumbers, scallions and whichever other add ins you are using. Set aside.
- Mix your mayo and sriracha. Set aside.
- Cook your rice.
- Blot salmon dry and season with blackening seasoning, Cajun seasoning or salt and pepper.
- Place oil in pan and heat till hot. Med-high heat. Adding additional oil when necessary.
- Add salmon (skin side down if there is skin) and cook till done. If using cubes, cook on each side a minute or so. Until done to your liking.
- Add rice to your bowls, top with salmon, vegetables, sriracha mayo and an additional drizzle of sriracha if you like and enjoy!
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