Description
A quick and easy Japanese-inspired Salmon Rice Bowl that’s bursting with flavor! This Soy-Glazed Seared Salmon Rice Bowl features perfectly flaky salmon, soaked in a sweet teriyaki-style marinade and pan seared to golden perfection. Topped with fresh namasu (Japanese-style quick pickled veggies), it’s a simple, 45-minute meal that’s big on taste and sure to become a new favorite!
This is a flexible recipe – have fun with it and be sure to check the Recipe Notes, below, for easy variations and meal prep tips!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups cooked short grain white or brown rice
- cucumber and carrot namasu (Japanese pickled vegetables), below
- 1 pound fresh wild-caught salmon, skin removed and diced into 1-inch cubes
- 2 green onions, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce (can sub tamari if gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon mirin (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil or high smoke point vegetable oil of choice
- kosher salt and white pepper, to season
- for serving, as desired: furikake (Japanese nori seasoning), toasted sesame seeds, thinly sliced green onions, etc.
for the cucumber and carrot namasu (Japanese pickled vegetables):
- ½ English cucumber, sliced in half lengthwise and cut into very thin half-moons
- 1 small carrot, peeled and grated
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- kosher salt, to season
Instructions
- Prepare the pickled veggies: Place the sliced cucumber and grated carrot in a medium bowl. Season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and stir to combine well. Let stand for 15-20 minutes, during which time the salt will draw excess moisture out of the vegetables. Rinse the vegetables well, draining any excess water, and use paper towel to pat the vegetables as dry as possible. Meanwhile, prepare the pickling liquid. Combine the sugar & rice vinegar in a small bowl or jar, seasoning with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Microwave for 30 seconds to dissolve the sugar. Pour the warm pickling liquid over the seasoned cucumber and carrot. Mix gently to combine. Cover and chill before serving, or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="27653,27654"]
- Marinate the salmon: Meanwhile, as the pickled veggies soak, prepare the salmon. Add the brown sugar, soy sauce and mirin to a medium bowl. Stir to combine well. Transfer half of the marinade to a small bowl and reserve for serving. Add the cubed salmon and sliced green onion to the medium bowl with the marinade. Stir to coat. Set aside to marinate for 20-30 minutes.
- Sear the salmon: Once the salmon is marinated, it’s ready for its quick sear. Add the oil to a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the salmon to the skillet, shaking off and discarding any excess marinade. Cook 2 minutes, then flip and cook 90 seconds – 2 minutes longer, or until your desired doneness is reached. Work in batches as necessary and resist the temptation to mess with the salmon as it cooks to ensure you achieve a beautiful golden sear. Transfer the seared salmon to a plate and set aside for serving.
- Build bowls and serve. Add the rice to a large, shallow bowl, then top it off with the namasu pickled vegetables and seared salmon. Drizzle some of the reserved soy marinade over top. Finish as desired with a generous sprinkling of furikake (Japanese nori seasoning), toasted sesame seeds, and/or thinly sliced green onions. These bowls are great as-is, though you can definitely add in extra veggies as desired. We like quick sautéed bok choy (pictured) or thinly sliced cabbage, though roasted broccoli, asparagus, or even just a handful of your favorite greens would be great too. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredient Notes:
- Protein: We like making these salmon rice bowls using wild-caught salmon, though the marinade is very flexible and works well with a number of different proteins – shrimp, thinly sliced chicken or steak, you name it! Feel free to use whatever you love most or already happen to have on hand.
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine, a staple ingredient in Japanese cooking. Mirin is similar to more well-known sake, though it tends to have a higher naturally-occurring sugar content (from fermentation) and lower alcohol content. You can find mirin in the “international” aisle of most conventional grocery stores these days, though it’s also readily available at Asian grocery stores. Imperfect-yet-quick substitutes for the mirin in this recipe include dry sherry or dry vermouth.
- Storage and Reheating: Store leftover soy-glazed salmon, namasu, and rice in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator. The namasu and rice are best within 4-5 days, while the salmon is best within 2 days of cooking. I like leftovers best cold, though you can reheat the salmon and rice in the microwave until warmed through and assemble a bowl with namasu veggies for serving.
- 10-20-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for these salmon rice bowls comes from prepping the namasu and salmon marinade. Prep either or both in advance to cut down on active prep at dinnertime – it’ll take 20 minutes, tops:
- Prepare the namasu pickled veggies according to Step 1 of Recipe Directions above. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (~10 minutes active prep)
- Prepare the salmon marinade according to Step 2 of Recipe Directions above. Rather than marinating the salmon as described, transfer the marinade to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. At dinnertime, simply pour half of the marinade over the cubed salmon, let it soak for 20 minutes, then sear as directed above. (~10 minutes active prep)