With minimal effort you’ll impress a crowd, delight your family, and feel like a bonafide chef after serving up our Soy Ginger Salmon Rice Bowl. Sweet and savory toppings paired with tender salmon, a delicious spicy mayo, marinated cucumbers and fluffy white rice allows each family member to customize the flavors in their bowl.
Best EVER Salmon Rice Bowls
This rice bowl has it all; tangy, sweet, sour, savory, spicy, mellow, crunchy, juicy, fluffy. So, as hard as it might be, trust us when we say that this impressive bowl is simple to throw together. A majority of the ingredients belong to the flavorful salmon marinade and the rest can be chopped and prepped ahead of time. And if salmon isn’t your thing, try our shrimp rice bowl or fish taco bowl.
Do You Have an Air Fryer?
Easily make this recipe even more simple by making Air Fryer Salmon Bites!
What You Will Need
- avocado oil: option to sub with olive oil, if you prefer.
- lemon juice and lemon zest: a little bit of acidity to amplify all the flavors.
- fish sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, & worcestershire sauce: essential ingredients that have an unami flavor and pair perfectly with those garlic and ginger flavors.
- garlic and ginger: talk about a powerful pairing! These two pack a powerful punch of spice, pepper, and subtle sweetness.
- ground black pepper & kosher salt: simple seasonings that are always a must!
- chili garlic sauce: add more or less to adjust the spice level of the marinade.
- mayonnaise: Any store bought mayo will do, or use our whole30 mayo recipe.
- sriracha: Feel free to add more depending on your desired spiciness.
- fresh salmon fillets: just pick-up some salmon from your local grocery store or fish market.
- mango, edamame, green onions, & carrots: fresh ingredients that make the perfect rice bowl toppings!
- marinated cucumbers: option to buy from the store, but we promise that the homemade version is 10X fresher and tastier.
- rice: Choose whatever is the most convenient. We like using basmati rice.
Prep Ahead Tips
Do yourself a favor and prep some ingredients ahead of time. You could even prep the veggies, which will be a helpful reminder to get the salmon marinading overnight. Washing, slicing, and chopping in advance saves you clean up on the day of and leaves you with just the salmon to cook, which is done in minutes.
How To Make A Salmon Rice Bowl
Combine the marinade ingredients in a mason jar. Place the cap on top and tightly close. Shake to combine all the ingredients and set aside. Note that about half of this sauce will be used to marinate the salmon and the other half will be used to pour over the completed rice bowls.
Pro Tip
Trust us and double the salmon marinade/sauce. Remember that half of the sauce is used to top the rice bowls at the very end, and it’s so good that you might want a little extra to make your bowl extra saucy.
Next, combine the sriracha and mayo in a small bowl and stir to combine. Give yourself permission to add a bit more sriracha if you’re looking for a bit more heat.
Now remove the skin from the salmon with a sharp knife and cut it into 1-inch cubes.
Place the cubed salmon in a large bowl or a reusable silicone bag. Carefully pour a little less than half of the marinade over the salmon and toss, ensuring that all of the salmon is covered in the marinade. Let the salmon marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight.
How To Cook Salmon For Rice Bowl
Start by bringing a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add the avocado oil and swirl it around the skillet, ensuring that it coats the surface. Remove the salmon from the marinade and place the salmon cubes on the skillet in batches, to ensure that the pan doesn’t get overcrowded. Cook for 3-5 minutes per side or until they’re fully cooked. Once you’ve cooked all of the salmon, remove it to a plate to let rest for about five minutes.
Now it’s time for the fun part. Bowl assembly! Divide equal amounts of rice in each bowl and top it with mango, edamame, green onion, cilantro, carrots, marinated cucumbers, cooked salmon, and a dollop of creamy Sriracha mayo.
Top it all off by drizzling the remaining marinade over your salmon and rice bowls and sprinkle with some sesame seeds for that finishing touch.
Recipe FAQs
- Should I use fresh or frozen salmon? We’re usually pretty flexible when it comes to fresh or frozen options, but this salmon rice bowl recipe shines the brightest when fresh salmon is used. Frozen salmon is super convenient, but it also tends to contain more water and can impact the overall dish. Make sure it is fully thawed before cooking.
- extra saucy: Because this marinade/sauce is that delicious, we like to double the recipe to make our bowls even saucier or to save for our next recipe.
- gluten-free: Make this recipe gluten-free by using Tamari instead of soy sauce.
- storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Salmon Rice Bowl
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Marinate Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Description
This Salmon Rice Bowl recipe is packed with flavor and so easy to make! The perfect dinner for busy weeknights!
Ingredients
Marinade/Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (tamari for gluten-free)
- 1 teaspoon worstershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- pinch of ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- pinch of kosher salt
Sriracha Mayo:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sriracha (more to taste)
Salmon Bowl:
- 1 pound fresh salmon, skin off and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 cups mango, diced
- 2 cups edamame, shelled
- 1 cup green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots, julienned
- 1 batch marinated cucumbers
- 4 cups cooked rice of your choice (I used basmati)*
Instructions
- Sauce/Marinade: Combine the Marinade/Sauce ingredients in a mason jar. Place the cap on top and tightly close. Shake to combine. Set aside. (Note: about half of this sauce will be used to marinate the salmon, the rest will be used to pour over top the completed bowls).
- Marinate Salmon: Place cubed salmon chunks in a medium-sized bowl or reusable silicone bag. Pour a little less than half of the sauce over the salmon – just enough to coat the salmon. Reserve the rest for later. Toss to coat the salmon and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight.
- Sriracha Mayo: Combine the Sriracha Mayo in a small bowl; stir to combine. Taste and add any additional Sriracha, as-desired.
- Prep Remaining Ingredients: While the salmon is marinating you can prep the rest of the ingredients: mango, edamame, green onions, cilantro, carrots, marinated cucumbers and rice.
- Cook Salmon: Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add avocado oil; swirl to coat the pan. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan, add the salmon pieces to the skillet and let cook approx. 2-3 minutes per side or until fully cooked. Remove and set on a plate to rest 5 minutes.
- Serve: Divide rice between bowls and top with mango, edamame, green onion, cilantro. carrots, marinated cucumbers and then cooked salmon along with some Sriracha mayo. Top salmon with remaining Marinade/Sauce and sprinkle with some sesame seeds if you want and enjoy!
Notes
- Prep Ahead: this is a great recipe to prep ahead of time! Make the sauce, marinate the salmon, make the marinated cucumbers, rice, etc. When it comes time for dinner you can quickly cook the salmon (which only takes a few minutes) and dinner will be ready in no time!
- Extra Saucy: feel free to halve again or double the Sauce/Marinade (it’s SO good) if you want extra sauciness at the end!
- Gluten-Free: to make this recipe gluten-free use Tamari in place of soy sauce.
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Air Fryer Salmon Bites: option to make air fryer salmon bites for this bowl, if you want!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 412
- Sugar: 8.2 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 14.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.2 g
- Protein: 20.6 g
- Cholesterol: 39 mg
Dena says
Delicious!! I will make again soon, everyone loved it.
Erin says
So happy to hear that!
Angelina says
That salmon was so very good! Thank you!
Darlene says
I haven’t made this yet but would love to minus the edamame because of the soy!
Any suggestions for a substitute?
Thanks!
Erin says
I would just omit!
Amber says
This was really delicious but boy is it a lot of work! Definitely glad I started prep in the morning. Looking forward to the second night tonight, when everything is pretty much done! Switched out the sriracha mayo for avocado mayo with lime, basil and mint.
Melissa Bacque says
Cooked this two weekends in a row!
TiffanyLH says
Made this tonight with arctic char and didn’t follow all the sides to a T since I had limited prep time & didn’t heed your advice to make some things ahead. Also left out the lemon zest and chili garlic sauce in the marinade since I needed to get dinner on the table asap. I only marinated the fish for 10 minutes but my family still raved about it, asked me where I got the new dinner idea from, and my 14 year old even said “it (the fish) tastes like candy.” Needless to say, we’re adding this to the rotation. Thank you so much for the recipe & dinner inspo!
Bridget says
This was so good!! Love it!!
Shannon says
This is an amazing recipe! I will order salmon when we go out to eat, but have always been a little intimidated to make it at home. The instructions seemed simple and easy to follow and the combination of flavors sounded intriguing. It did not disappoint! SO GOOD!!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Shannon!! Thanks for coming back to leave a review – I really appreciate it!
Amy Jackson says
My (adult) children declared this restaurant worthy! Delicious!
Erin says
Love to hear that, Amy!
Erin says
Just made this for dinner tonight. SO GOOD! All the flavors and different textures are on point. The marinated cucumbers added a nice tang. Will be making again for sure!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Erin!
Monica says
Would this work with shrimp instead of salmon?
Erin says
I think it would work great! Of course, just adjust the cook time as shrimp cook super fast – other than that you are good to go!
Monica says
Thank you!
Amy says
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes! I struggle to get my husband to eat fish, he devoured this! This is on my weekly rotation! So delicious!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Amy!
Deb says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Great combo of flavors. I made it exactly to the recipe and I think the only change I would make next time is to cook the cubed salmon in the oven on a sheet pan. It would cut down on the mess. This will be going in our regular rotation. Thanks for the great recipe!
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed it, Deb! Thanks leaving a rating and review – I appreciate it!
Michelle says
This looks so good! Do you think I could bake the marinated salmon cubes in the oven? Would love to be a little more hands off.
Erin says
Hi Michelle – you definitely can! You won’t have the nice sear on the outside, but I totally get wanting to be more hands off! I would try placing the marinated salmon cubes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at about 375 degrees F. for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. You could also do 10 minutes at 375 and then end with a few minutes under the broiler- that might crisp them up just enough! Let me know if you try it!
Michelle says
Thank you Erin! I made it tonight and it was a hit, so tasty! I used steelhead trout as it was what I had on hand and baked at 375 for 10 min, broiled for 3-5min like you suggested. Broiling did help crisp up the trout. Would definitely make it again!
Dara says
what are your thoughts on using coconut aminos instead of tamari?
Erin says
I think you could definitely do that if you want – coconut aminos are naturally a little sweeter (as you may know), very similar to teriyaki sauce almost, so the overall dish may taste a bit sweeter – but I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing! Let me know if you try it!
Katie says
We loved this! Salmon was perfect. We omitted fish sauce because we didn’t have it on hand but it was still great! Will definitely make again.
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Katie! And thank you so much for coming back to leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it!