Salmon Rice Bowl

These Salmon Rice Bowls are delicious, light, refreshing, flavor-packed and come together under 45 mins. Layered with perfectly seasoned fluffy rice, pan-fried salmon, cucumber salad and a drizzle of mint yogurt sauce, this Salmon Rice Bowl may be your new go-to seafood meal!

About Salmon Rice Bowl

Salmon Rice Bowl is a complete meal in itself and consists of vegetables and salmon served over a bed of rice, finished with a drizzle of your favorite sauce.

There is nothing better than homecooked meals, so I show how to make these rice bowls from scratch. It includes making a very easy seasoned yellow rice, pan-frying salmon, making a quick Mediterranean cucumber salad and sauce.

However if you want to save time, you may make your bowls with any precooked rice or even other grains like quinoa or millets. Here are the details of each component of the salmon rice bowl:

Rice: Cooked rice forms the base of these rice bowl. You can use any kind of rice you prefer – short grain, long grain, white rice or brown rice. If you want you can use plain cooked rice or make coconut milk rice or any other seasoned rice.

I make my seasoned yellow rice with basmati rice, butter, turmeric, garlic powder, black pepper and garam masala. It is mildly flavored and is great to serve with salmon. You can substitute the garam masala with cajun spices or any other preferred seasoning.

Salmon: You will simply pan-fry the salmon in little oil and season with spices like garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, red chili and garam masala (or cumin & coriander). A close substitute to this combo of spices is the steak seasoning, which you can use here.

I also use a bit of tamari/soya sauce and rice vinegar for extra flavor & tang. If you are on a low sodium diet you may leave out soya sauce/tamari. Vinegar can be substituted with lemon juice. Salmon can also be air fried or baked instead of pan-frying.

Cucumber Salad is made with English or Japanese cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, salt, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and black pepper. While your rice cooks, you can prepare the salad, no extra time required for this. You are free to serve any other salad of choice in this salmon rice bowl.

Mint Yogurt Sauce is inspired from the Indian restaurant style Mint Raita & Mint Chutney but made with fewer spices. Yogurt, fresh mint leaves, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, ginger and garlic come together as mint yogurt sauce.

This recipe requires blending mint, cilantro, ginger and garlic with little yogurt. If you don’t have a blender, you may stir your favorite pesto or sriracha with Greek yogurt.

How to make Salmon Rice Bowl (Stepwise Photos)

Make Yellow Rice

1. To make yellow rice, you will need the following:

• 1 cup basmati rice (or any other rice of choice, rinse and drain completely)
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ to 2 cups water or stock (adjust according to your rice, I use aged basmati rice so I’m using 2 cups)
• ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• ½ to ¾ tablespoon butter or 1 tsp ghee/oil
• ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala (adjust to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper crushed (optional)

2. On a low heat melt butter in a pan or pot. Stir in turmeric and salt, followed by water or stock. Cover and bring to a rapid boil on a medium high heat.

3. Add the rinsed and drained rice.

4. After adding rice, the temperature fall. So increase the heat and bring to a boil again. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Let cook until all of the water is absorbed. It takes about 12 to 14 minutes (on my stovetop).

5. Once all of the water is absorbed, open the lid and check at the bottom gently with a spoon to make sure there is no liquid at the bottom. Mix together garlic powder, black pepper and garam masala. Do not mix. Simply cover and leave it on the burner to rest for 15 mins.

Make Mint Yogurt Sauce

6. While the rice cooks, prepare the following:

• 1 cup yogurt (plain yogurt)
• ¾ cup mint leaves (or use pesto as required)
• ½ cup cilantro with tender stalks (coriander leaves)
• 1 small garlic clove
• ¼ inch ginger (peeled, optional)
• ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon salt
• ¼ to ½ small green chili pepper (deseeded or black pepper as required)

7. While the rice cooks, rinse the mint and cilantro sprigs under running water. Pluck the mint leaves discarding stems. Discard the large stalks of cilantro (coriander leaves) and keep the tender ones. Add them to a small grinder/blender along with ginger garlic salt pepper or chili and 1 tablespoon yogurt. Blend until smooth and stir in rest of the yogurt. Mix well with a whisk, do not blend after adding more yogurt. Taste test and adjust salt.

Make Salad

8. To make the salad, you will require the following ingredients. Keep them ready in a bowl. Mix the salt and lemon only before making the salmon rice bowls.

• 1 large cucumber (Japanese, Persian or English, rinse and chop)
• 1 medium ripe tomato (deseeded if required & chopped)
• ¼ cup parsley or cilantro fine chopped
• 1 small red onion fine chopped
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (or flax oil)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• salt if required
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper crushed (optional)

Pan-Fry Salmon

9. Here are the ingredients we need to cook the salmon. Set them aside in advance as you won’t have time to look for them while cooking.

• 300 to 350 grams (10 to 12 ounces) salmon (cubed to 1 inch, pat dry)
• 1 teaspoon soya sauce or tamari (optional)
• ½ teaspoon rice vinegar or 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon paprika (or red chili powder or chili flakes. I use ¾ tsp red chili powder for extra heat )
• ¾ teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic minced)
• ¾ teaspoon onion powder
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon black pepper crushed/powder (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon fine sugar or brown sugar (optional, to use granulated dissolve in soya sauce)
• ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala (or ½ tsp coriander + ½ tsp cumin powder)

10. Mix all the dry spices and keep it ready.

11. Pour ¾ tablespoon oil to a non-stick pan. Spread the oil all over the pan with a spatula and heat it. Place the salmon cubes (skin side down, if it has skin) in the hot oil.

12. Cook for 3 to 4 mins on a medium to medium high heat, depending on the size of the pieces. Using a spatula or a tong, turn them to the other side and cook for another 3 to 4 mins, until cooked through. you will know it is done when it flakes easily with the touch of a fork.

13. Pour the soya and vinegar all over the salmon. It will begin to sizzle and bubble rapidly. Sprinkle the mixed spices all over the salmon & turn off the heat.

14. Gently turn them if required with a tong to coat the salmon with the seasoning.

15. Taste test and adjust salt and other seasoning as required at this stage. For more heat, you may add more red chili flakes to the hot pan.

Make Salmon Rice Bowl

16. Your rice should be fluffy and perfect after resting. Taste test for salt, if required sprinkle as required. Using a rice paddle, gently mix the spices (garlic+ garam masala, added earlier) with the rice.

17. Divide the rice to 2 to 3 bowls. Serve salmon and salad. Drizzle some yogurt sauce and serve more on the side.

This Salmon Rice Bowl is best served hot or warm. You can refrigerate the leftovers and reheat within 2 days.

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