Here’s a dinner idea we could eat on repeat every night of the week: Salmon Rice Crunch Bowls! This tasty bowl of salmon and rice has a few flavor secrets that make extra crave-able. The chunks of tender fish are covered in a salmon marinade that’s savory, garlicky and a little sweet. Combine that with fluffy rice and fresh veggies, then cover it with a spicy mayo to really make it pop. Sprinkle it with crunchy fried onions to seal the deal!
Ingredients in this salmon rice bowl recipe
This salmon rice bowl is so much fun, we might eat it every day of the week if we could. It’s become one of our favorite salmon recipes to date, and you can make it with leftover or canned salmon, too. The crunch part of the bowl is a riff on our pal Pinch of Yum’s recipe for Crunchy Roll Bowls. It mimics the textures and flavors in a sushi crunch roll, using purchased crispy fried onions to mimic the crunchy tempura flakes (genius, Lindsay!). Here’s what you’ll need for this salmon rice bowl:
1 recipe Marinated Salmon Long grain white rice Avocados English cucumber Carrots Radishes Mayonnaise Sriracha hot sauce Crunchy fried onions Chunky sea salt or soy sauce
About those crispy fried onions
Other than the marinated salmon, the crispy fried onions are the key to this salmon rice bowl! After trying this flavor secret, we now like to sprinkle crispy fried onions on all our bowl meals and salads. Here are a few tips:
Grab a can of purchased crispy fried onions. That’s right, the kind that go on green bean casserole. Sprinkle over the whole bowl as a garnish. This mimics the texture of a sushi crunch roll, and also brings a little savory onion flavor to the party. Use them for sprinkling on any bowl meal or salad. They’re especially fun on on a Caesar salad or kale Caesar.
Keys to the marinated salmon
This salmon rice bowl is good with any type of salmon, so you can use your favorite salmon recipe. But what really makes it shine is this marinated salmon! It adds an extra punch of flavor with soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and garlic. Here are a few things to know:
Place the salmon in shallow dish, then pour in the marinade mixture. The recipe below makes about ¾ cup marinade which works for 1 pound of salmon. Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. You can allow the salmon to marinate for up to 3 hours refrigerated; if so, allow it to stand at room temperature 30 minutes before cooking. Tap off excess marinade and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Removing excess marinade is important if you’re pan searing so the pan won’t spit (it’s not as necessary for grilling, since excess marinade can fall between the grates). Cook using your favorite cooking method. Make pan seared salmon, broiled salmon, or grilled salmon following these linked methods.
Variations on this salmon rice bowl
Want to make an even quicker salmon rice bowl? Use different flavors? Here are a few ideas:
Speed it up with smoked salmon or canned salmon. This makes a super quick weeknight meal. If using canned salmon, drain it and mix it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper before serving. Smoked salmon has enough seasoning on its own. Use different vegetables. Use whatever you have on hand! Try broccoli, edamame, shredded red cabbage, or sliced bell peppers. Add a handful of pickled red onions for a tang pop. Add a different flavor profile. Swap out the spicy mayo for cilantro lime dressing and use quick black bean and corn salad for the vegetables for Latin-style flavors.
How would you customize this salmon rice crunch bowl? Let us know in the comments below!
Tips for buying salmon
The most important thing about this salmon and rice recipe is the quality of the fish. In a bowl meal that’s got a great sauce like this one, you can get away with slightly lower quality than the typical salmon recipe. However, keep in mind that lower quality salmon can taste fishy, have a mushy texture, and sometimes oozes that white stuff (called albumin) when it’s cooked. While it’s not harmful, it doesn’t look appetizing! Here’s what to know when shopping for salmon:
1 to 1 1/2-inch thick fillets are nice for marinated salmon; you might find it labeled center cut at the store. Look for wild caught salmon. Fish that is wild caught in your country is usually a sustainable choice. (There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide.) Buy fresh salmon if possible. Salmon that’s fresh from the fish counter usually has the best flavor. Frozen can work too, but try to find highest-quality frozen salmon. Avoid the economy-sized bags, which we’ve found have thinner fillets that taste more fishy.
More salmon recipes
Love cooking with this versatile fish? Try these tasty salmon recipes:
Go for tasty Stuffed Salmon or Miso Salmon Make this Marinated Salmon for an easy dinner Go for Sockeye Salmon with Lemon or Easy Salmon Steak Opt for Honey Garlic Salmon or Greek Salmon Salad
This salmon rice bowl recipe is…
Gluten-free, dairy-free and pescatarian. 5 from 5 reviews
