Whenever I’m craving sushi, I make these salmon sushi rice bowls. Think juicy grilled salmon, creamy egg-free garlic aioli, zingy pickled cucumber, sweet chili jam, and zingy smashed avocado all piled onto sticky rice. They’re healthy, simple, and perfect for busy weeknights. Bonus – they take less than 30 minutes.
I live for bowl food. There’s just something about layering all those flavors and textures into one bowl that makes it taste even BETTER. And this lovely salmon sushi-inspired rice bowl? This is a serious weeknight go-to for me. Quick, easy, healthy, and endlessly customizable.
Inspired by the viral TikTok salmon and rice bowl made famous by Emily Mariko, where salmon, rice, avocado, kimchi, mayo, and sriracha are all mixed together and scooped up with sheets of nori (seaweed). This recipe is my twist on that idea, while keeping those gorgeous sushi-inspired flavors front and center.
You can also easily make them your own. Toss in edamame beans, shredded carrot, cabbage, or even mango and pineapple. Or swap the salmon for tofu, grilled miso chicken, or sweet chili-glazed halloumi.
Why You’ll Love These Salmon Sushi Bowls
- Weeknight friendly. All the sushi flavors you love, without the fuss (or price tag of takeout!) and ready within 30 minutes.
- Super fresh and nourishing. The bowls are PACKED with protein, fresh veggies, and loads of flavor.
- Make it your own. Swap in extra crunchy veggies, switch up the protein, toppings, or sauces.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Rice. I’m using regular long-grain rice here for ease, but you can swap that for proper sushi rice, quinoa, cous cous, or just use lots of leafy greens to keep things low carb.
- Salmon. Go for good-quality salmon fillets if you can. You could also use smoked salmon or even canned salmon to cut prep time down further.
- Avocado. Make sure you’re using a ripe, soft avocado if you can. If you can’t find one that’s ripe, I’d skip it and use more aioli, sweet chili jam, and cucumber – unripe, hard avocado is not a fun experience.
- Cucumber. Instead of kimchi, we’re making a quick pickled cucumber with rice vinegar and salt. This provides that acidic hit that cuts through the oiliness of the salmon and avocado.
- Sweet chili jam. I’m using my sweet chili jam recipe (I recommend giving it a go!), but you could use any other sweet chili sauce or sriracha instead. To make it even fresher and fruitier, I love adding some finely chopped pineapple and a little pineapple juice to the sauce, but that’s optional.
If you want the proper sushi bowl experience, I recommend hunting down some nori (seaweed) sheets to enjoy with the bowls. They bring another lovely seafoody, salty element to the bowls and make them lots of fun to eat! You can find them at larger supermarkets, or you can pick them up from Amazon.
How to Make Salmon Sushi Rice Bowls
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the sushi bowls – the full instructions with ingredient quantities are at the bottom of the page for you.
1. Place your salmon fillets in an oven dish, then pour over the soy, honey, and lime marinade. Turn the salmon to coat it well (you can leave it to marinate for 30 minutes – but don’t worry if you don’t have time).
2. Pop the salmon into the oven and cook until lovely and charred.
3. Cook the rice while the salmon is in the oven, then set it aside until you’re ready to assemble the bowls.
4. Mix your diced cucumber with rice vinegar and salt to make the quick pickle.
5. Mix the avocado with cilantro, lime juice, and a little salt. I like to use a knife to slice it up in the bowl until it starts to break down and become creamy.
6. To serve, divide the rice between bowls, and top with the salmon, sweet chili jam, pickled cucumber, smashed avocado, and creamy aioli. Finish with a good scattering of chopped scallions and serve with the nori sheets on the side for scooping.
Salmon Sushi Rice Bowls FAQs
Yes! Pre-cooked salmon works perfectly and makes the recipe even speedier. You can also use smoked salmon or even canned salmon.
These are SUPER flexible bowls. Try crunchy veggies like shredded cabbage, carrots, or bean sprouts, or boost the protein with edamame beans. You could also swap the rice for sushi rice, brown rice, quinoa, cous cous, or leafy greens (or mix!) Juicy pieces of mango or pineapple are also delicious.
You sure can. Every element can be cooked or made in advance, then just stored separately in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble. Each element will keep for 3 to 5 days in the fridge.
Not at all. Swap in other fish (like cod, halibut, hake, snapper, or shrimp )or use chicken (try miso grilled chicken or sticky gochujang chicken, or mix things up with pan-fried tofu or sweet chilli glazed halloumi.
Cooked rice will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, stored in an airtight container. I recommend adding a splash of water and covering it with a paper towel when reheating it in the microwave to keep it fresh and fluffy.
Yes, you can! Either defrost it fully before cooking, or you can cook it straight from frozen (I often do this!) If you do that, just add a few extra minutes onto your cooking time.
Like this recipe? Try these sushi-inspired ideas next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day ๐.
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Quick Salmon Sushi Rice Bowls (Ready in 30 Minutes)
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
Whenever I’m craving sushi, I make these salmon sushi rice bowls. Think juicy grilled salmon, creamy egg-free garlic aioli, zingy pickled cucumber, sweet chili jam, and zingy smashed avocado all piled onto sticky rice. They’re healthy, simple, and perfect for busy weeknights. Bonus – they take less than 30 minutes.ย
Ingredients
For the salmon –ย
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (or lemon juice)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 4 salmon fillets (about 6oz each)
For the bowls –ย
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 medium cucumber
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (or lemon juice)
- A handful of fresh cilantro leaves, roughly torn
- 2 scallions, finely sliced
- 3 tablespoons egg-free garlic aioli
- 3 tablespoons sweet chili jam or sweet chilli sauce
- 4 sheets of nori (seaweed), optional
Instructions
- Marinate the salmon.ย Preheat your oven to 400ยฐF (200ยฐC fan bake) and line a baking dish with parchment paper (I like to do this for any easy clean up, but you don’t need to line your dish if you don’t want to). In a small bowl, mix 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of honey. Arrange the salmon fillets in your prepared dish and spoon the marinade all over the salmon, then turn to coat them evenly.ย PRO TIP:ย If you have time, you can let the salmon sit in the marinade for up to 30 minutes to maximize the flavor.
- Cook the salmon. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 8 minutes. I like to pop the dish under the broiler (grill) on high for a couple of minutes to get a lovely charred crust.ย
- Cook the rice. Add 1 cup of rice to a small saucepan along with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 ยฝ cups of water. Set the pot over medium heat. Once you see small bubbles and a little foam on top of the water, pop a lid on (or use a plate or wooden board) and turn the heat right down. Leave the saucepan undisturbed for 12 minutes. At this point, the water should be absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, still with the lid on, for 10 minutes. This can all be happening while the salmon is cooking and youโre prepping the rest of the bowl ingredients.
- Prepare the smashed avocado. Slice the avocado in half and remove the pit. I like to make criss-cross slices with a knife down the avocado flesh, then scoop the flesh out with a spoon into a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of lime juice, ยฝ teaspoon of salt, and about 1 tablespoon of torn cilantro leaves to the bowl with the avocado. Use a knife to slice through the avocado flesh in the bowl, cutting it up into small pieces as you go. Taste, then season with a little more salt if needed.
- Make the quick-pickled cucumber. Slice the cucumber lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and discard them. Cut the cucumber into small pieces, then pop them into a bowl. Add the 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and ยฝ teaspoon of salt. Mix to combine, then set aside.
- Assemble the bowls. Divide the rice between bowls, then top with the salmon, drizzling over any remaining marinade. Add a dollop of the smashed avocado, spoon over the pickled cucumber, then top with creamy aioli and zingy sweet chili jam. Finish with a scattering of scallions and serve with the nori sheets on the side.
Notes
PREP AHEAD: These bowls are great for meal prep. I like to prepare the individual elements in advance and store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge until I’m ready to serve. The salmon, rice, pickled cucumber, and smashed avocado can all be made 3 – 4 days in advance.ย
INGREDIENT NOTES: The nori sheets are optional here. I urge you to try and find them for a proper sushi bowl experience – it’s super fun to scoop up the bowl using little pieces of the nori to make your own salmon sushi bite. I love using my sweet chili jam and easy egg-free aioli here – but you can use regular sweet chili sauce or aioli of your choice. I also LOVE to add some chopped pineapple and a little pineapple juice to the sweet chilli jam here, it’s delicious and freshens it up.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Experiment – you could add lots of different things to bulk the bowls out even more. Edamame beans, sliced carrot, shredded cabbage, chunks of mango, pineapple, bean sprouts, or leafy greens would be great here. Switch out the rice for a big handful of spinach if you want to go low-carb or keto.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: easy
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 566
- Sugar: 10.7g
- Sodium: 1983.7mg
- Fat: 28.8g
- Saturated Fat: 4.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17.6g
- Carbohydrates: 52.6g
- Fiber: 3.8g
- Protein: 59.7g
- Cholesterol: 126.1mg
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