This is one of those meals that you are always excited about! It’s rich, flavorful, filling, and nutritious. This salmon and rice bowl has brown rice, salmon, avocado, cucumbers, carrots, scallions, and of course a creamy and delicious spicy mayo to top it all off! It’s perfect.
The inspiration behing my salmon & rice bowl:
I call this my “decomposed sushi bowl” because that is essentially what it is! It’s sushi in a bowl – so good!
It’s inspired by something similar I once had at a restaurant and loved. I was in the mood for something substantial and sushi-like – but not exactly sushi.
Does that make any sense at all? Do you ever crave something super random?! I do – all the time 🙂
So I asked the restaurant if I can make a meal the way I would at a salad bar where I would choose what went into my bowl, and it worked – it hit the spot! It was a bowl filled with tons and tons of goodness. I recreated it at home of course and decided that it’s got to be a part of my recipe rotation for weeknight dinner. And the rest is history!
salmon Rice bowl ingredients:
- Brown rice
- Salmon
- Lots of spices
- Cucumbers
- Avocados
- Shredded carrots
- Scallions
- Spicy mayo
- Sesame seeds
- Cilantro (optional)
Just a few simple steps:
Bake the salmon and the rice – same temperature so super convenient! While that is going chop up the veggies and make the dressing. Then you are ready to assemble your bowls! It’s that simple.
Make it for a crowd!
You can make this in a really big bowl or serving dish instead of individual bowls and have everyone serve themselves from there! You can also serve everything individually on serving dishes and have everyone create their own bowls. This comes in handy if you have picky eaters or somebody wants one of the veggies but not the others.
Can I change this bowl up if I want?
Absolutely! This is one of those dishes that is super flexible and can be fun to play with. Make it your own! Some ideas to try with this are:
- Adding roasted sweet potatoes, mushrooms, or peppers.
- Using any of your favorite dressings like a creamy balsamic or a creamy yogurt dressing.
- Using white rice, quinoa, or spinach as the base.
- Using any of your favorite raw veggies like purple onions instead of green, adding in tomatoes, corn, etc.
- Dip a cracker or tortilla chip in the bowl for some extra crunch – it’s heaven!
Meal Prep the salmon & rice:
This recipe comes in so handy when it’s meal prepped. You can enjoy it for lunch or dinner, and if you are planning a week of healthy meals this one is a winner. Some things to keep in mind when meal prepping are:
- Keep the rice and salmon separate until ready to serve so that you can heat them before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Chop up all the veggies and place them in a bowl or container to go.
- Make the dressing and place it in small containers to be added to the salad containers.
Salmon and Rice Bowl
Ingredients
For the Brown Rice:
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
For the Salmon:
- 4 pieces salmon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
For the Bowl:
- 4 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 avocados sliced
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon water to dilute the dressing (adjust as needed)
Instructions
For the Brown Rice:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place rinsed brown rice and boiling water in a baking dish. Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake for 40 minutes, remove, fluff with a fork and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
For the Salmon:
- Drizzle the olive oil over the salmon.
- Season the salmon with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
- Massage the spices into the salmon really well.
- Add the salmon to the oven that has the rice in it for 15-18 minutes or until the salmon reaches a doneness you like.
For the Sweet & Spicy Mayo:
- Mix the mayo, hot sauce, and honey or brown sugar.
- Add the water slowly to get a consistency that will be able to be poured over the bowls.
To Assemble the Bowls:
- Place the rice on the bottom of bowl.
- Add the cucumbers, shredded carrots, avocado, scallions, and pieces of cooked salmon on top.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds and mayo dressing on top.
- Mix everything together if you want the delicious dressing to be in every bite!