Spicy Salmon Salad Rice Bowls
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This is one of my favorite things to make with sockeye salmon. The lean meat lends itself so well to this salad combined with kewpie mayonnaise and sriracha. I provide instructions for how to cook the salmon though I typically use leftovers from baked or seared salmon dinners. It’s a flexible recipe. Sometimes I omit the greens altogether, others I use sautéed spinach or I serve it over a bed of massaged kale; occasionally I’ll combine the sushi rice with half sautéed cauliflower rice for some hidden vegetables (I’m aware that makes me sound like a child).
Like my spicy shrimp bowl with crispy rice and kale and my baked salmon hand rolls recipe, as it’s a great option for those who don’t enjoy eating raw fish, are in an area where high-quality raw fish is inaccessible, or are pregnant and unable to eat sushi.
Spicy Salmon Salad Rice Bowls
Table of contents
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Salmon – I love using sockeye salmon in this recipe. The wild Alaskan fish has a bright red color, firm texture, and rich salmon flavor. When cooked it retains its bright color. Because it is a thin, lean fish it cooks quickly. Other types of salmon will take longer to cook. Whatever leftover salmon you have works great in this recipe. Salmon is a hard food to reheat the next day so instead I just repurpose it into a cold salad.
- Sriracha – This chili garlic sauce is a great way to add spice to a recipe. It’s made from chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt and is a mild sauce, ranking at about 1,000-2,500 Scoville units. Sambal oelek can also be used in place of sriracha for a less sweet sauce.
- Mayonnaise – I love using Kewpie mayonnaise in this recipe if you can find it, though regular mayonnaise will do just fine. Kewpie is a type of Japanese mayonnaise that has added seasoning. Look for it at Asian markets, gourmet markets or online.
- Avocado – When shopping for avocados, look for ones that are firm but “give” slightly when gently squeezed in your hand. Either thinly slice the avocado or cube it.
- Rice – While this recipe can be made with any leftover cooked rice, I prefer using short-grain white rice, also known as sushi rice. Make sure you rinse the rice several times before cooking it. The water should just about run clear. Once it’s done cooking, fluff it with a fork.
- Furikake – Furikake, which means “to sprinkle over”, is a Japanese condiment made with finely chopped seaweed, dried fish, sesame seeds, sugar, salt and MSG. For a classic Japanese version I like this brand of furikake here and for a nontraditional, Jewish inspired everything chili furikake from Holy Tshili.
How to Make Spicy Salmon Salad Rice Bowls
For the salmon salad:
- Season the salmon. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels, then season with kosher salt.
- Cook the salmon. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the oil and heat though. Add the salmon skin-side down and cook until the skin is crispy and golden brown, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip the fish and continue to cook until just cooked through, about an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove skin and let salmon cool. Remove to a bowl and peel the skin off and set it aside for another use or discard. Let the salmon cool completely.
- Mix the spicy salmon salad. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the salmon, mayonnaise and sriracha. Use a fork to combine until the salmon is shredded and the mixture is combined. Stir in the green onion.
- Chill. Cover and chill until ready to use. The salmon salad can be made up to two days in advance.
For serving:
- Rinse the rice. Rinse the rice with cool water until the water runs clear. Drain and add the rice with 1 cup of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat or cook in a rice cooker.
- Cook the rice. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- Assemble rice bowls. Divide arugula among serving bowls. Top with a scoop of rice and a scoop of the salmon salad. Top with avocado slices, cucumber, a drizzle of soy sauce and furikake.
- Serve. Serve immediately.
Tips and Tricks for This Recipe
Swaps and substitutions
- Like the famous Tik Tok salmon bowl recipe, these rice bowls with salmon salad are a great way to utilize leftover salmon!
- Try using crispy rice instead of sushi rice as the base of this bowl. Or cook the rice in a rice cooker (one of my favorite kitchen appliances).
- Swap baby spinach, sautéed spinach or sautéed kale as the base of this bowl.
- Sauté cauliflower rice in a bit of vegetable oil and season with salt. Either combine with the rice, using half of each, or use the cauliflower rice as the base.
What to do with salmon skin
When the salmon is done cooking I like to peel the skin off in one piece, then chop it into 1” strips and toss it in a bit of cornstarch. Fry the skins in a little vegetable oil until crispy all over. Dip in ponzu sauce for a little snack while you make the rest of the recipe. A great no-waste snack!
How to Bake Salmon
The salmon can be baked instead of pan-seared. Heat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Place salmon on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Rub with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until just cooked through, about 8 minutes for sockeye and 16 minutes for Atlantic salmon.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this recipe, I recommend checking out these:
Spicy Salmon Salad Rice Bowls
Ingredients:
For the salmon salad:
- ½ pound sockeye salmon fillet
- Kosher salt, as needed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, or another neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
For serving:
- 1 cup short-grain sushi rice
- 1 cup packed wild arugula
- 1 medium Haas avocado, pitted, peeled & sliced
- ½ medium English hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon furikake
Instructions:
For the salmon salad:
- Pat the salmon dry with paper towels, then season with kosher salt.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the oil and heat though. Add the salmon skin-side down and cook until the skin is crispy and golden brown, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip the fish and continue to cook until just cooked through, about an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove to a bowl and peel the skin off and set it aside for another use or discard. Let the salmon cool completely.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the salmon, mayonnaise and sriracha. Use a fork to combine until the salmon is shredded and the mixture is combined. Stir in the green onion.
- Cover and chill until ready to use. The salmon salad can be made up to two days in advance.
For serving:
- Rinse the rice with cool water until the water runs clear. Drain and add the rice with 1 cup of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat or cook in a rice cooker.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- Divide arugula among serving bowls. Top with a scoop of rice and a scoop of the salmon salad. Top with avocado slices, cucumber, a drizzle of soy sauce and furikake.
- Serve immediately.
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Simple preparation and delicious results! We eat salmon at least once a week and I’m always on the hunt for different ways to prepare it. This satisfies my craving for poke bowl flavors on a weeknight. I roasted salmon in oven in the same pan I used for roasting green beans with cumin and sesame seeds, which I added to the bowl. Other additions: pickled onions & radishes, pickled ginger and seaweed salad, because I had these in my fridge. Glad I found your blog!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Cheryl! Great recommendations on the additions too!!
This recipe gets a big thumbs up from me. An absolutely fantastic way to repurpose leftover salmon with what are basic pantry staples. Thank you Kylie!
I’m so glad! Thank you for sharing Apurva!