Easy Weeknight Salmon Sushi Bowls

Easy salmon sushi bowls loaded with all your favorite sushi toppings! This salmon sushi bowl can be made with smoked, leftover, or broiled salmon! Easily customizable and filling!

These salmon sushi bowls are quickly become a weeknight staple around here.

Mainly because we love the sweet, tangy, spicy, and creamy flavors that this one bowl has to offer. But then there’s also the added benefit of how it totally cleans out your refrigerator! Leftover rice? Cooked salmon that needs to be jazzed up? Ripe avocados that are minutes from their last breath? 

Toss it all in, a homemade sushi bowl is the solution!

I like a little bit of everything on my homemade sushi bowls. There’s the crunch from the carrots, cucumbers, and panko crunchies — creaminess from the spicy sriracha mayo, and plenty of sushi ginger. I’m one of those people that always ask for extra ginger when we’re ordering sushi take-out. Some of us eat ginger to cleanse our palette so we can savor the different flavors of each sushi bowl. Others eat ginger with every bite of their sushi because it just makes everything taste better. Is it obvious which category I fall into?

What do you need to make homemade salmon sushi bowls?

• Cooked rice: typically, sushi is made with Japanese short-grain rice. This type of rice is starchy and sticky. I couldn’t find sushi rice in my area, so I used jasmine rice – not ideal, but it does work in a pinch! You could even use Calrose rice for this recipe.
• Rice vinegar: we use rice vinegar to season the rice along with the sugar and some kosher salt.
• Granulated sugar: we use this to season the rice along with the rice vinegar and some kosher salt.
• Salmon: you can use leftover cooked salmon, freshly broiled or grilled salmon, pan-fried salmon, or even smoked salmon for this recipe! It’s totally your call! You could even use cooked cocktail shrimp if you’d like.
• Veggies: I use shredded carrots and cucumbers for my sushi bowls.
• Avocados: ½ a small ripe avocado or a ¼ of a large Haas avocado is the perfect serving size for each bowl.
• Panko breadcrumbs: we’ll make these into panko crunchies to give your bowls some texture and crunch.
• Seasonings: I use kosher salt for the sushi rice and a dash of garlic salt for the panko crunchies.

What can you use for toppings on your sushi bowl?

• sriracha mayo
• toasted or black sesame seeds
• nori sheet
• Pickled sushi ginger
• minced jalapeños
• low-sodium soy sauce + a dot of wasabi
• Anything else you like!

How to make the best homemade salmon sushi bowls:

1. Jazz up your rice. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and zap it in the microwave until the sugar and salt dissolve. Drizzle this mixture over the cooked rice and toss the rice, so it is evenly coated in this mixture.
2. Make the Panko Crunchies. Add a drizzle of oil to a skillet set over medium heat. When warm, add the panko, stir and cook until it starts to turn golden. Season the panko with a dash of garlic salt. Remove the panko to a bowl and let cool slightly.
3. Make your bowl. Divide the rice out into serving bowls. Top each bowl with salmon (you can use leftover, freshly broiled, or even smoked salmon here!) Add your carrots, cucumbers, and avocados to the bowl. At this point, you can top your bowl with just about anything you like! I add it all – panko crunchies, sriracha mayo, sesame seeds, sushi ginger, minced jalapeños, and even a dash of soy sauce mixed with wasabi! And enjoy!

FAQs about sushi bowls:

1. Do I have to use all the sushi bowl toppings? Nope! You can use all, some, or a couple. It’s whatever you like!
2. I can’t find store-bought sriracha mayo, can I make it at home? Yes, you can! Combine ½ cup mayonnaise + 1 tablespoon of sriracha + 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce. Taste and adjust with more sriracha as desired (you can use up to three more tablespoons.)
3. How can I make salmon quickly for this recipe? I typically make salmon under the broiler. I preheat the oven on the broil setting for 15 minutes. Rub both sides of the salmon filets with a high heat oil. Season with garlic salt, black pepper, and a dash of onion powder. Broil the salmon for 7-10 minutes depending on how done you prefer your salmon and the thickness of each filet.
4. Can I use something other than cooked salmon? You can use sushi-grade tuna, sushi-grade yellowtail, cooked cocktail shrimp, imitation crab meat, or even smoked salmon for this recipe. These sushi bowls are easily customizable to your needs!

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls
• Crispy Chicken Banh Mi Bowls
• Steak Fajita Bowls with Gar Lime Rice
• Beef Shawarma Bowls with Persian Rice
• Korean BBQ Bowls with Garlic Scented Rice
• Weeknight Chana Masala Rice Bowls
• Cuban Mojo Chicken Quinoa Bowls with Mango Salsa

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Yield: serves 4

Easy Weeknight Salmon Sushi Bowls

Easy salmon sushi bowls loaded with all your favorite sushi toppings! This salmon sushi bowl can be made with smoked, leftover, or broiled salmon! Easily customizable and filling!

Print

Ingredients

Sushi Bowls:

• ~3 ½ cups cooked short-grain ‘sushi’ or Jasmine Rice
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 5 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 4 (4-ounce) cooked salmon filets
• 1 cup EACH: sliced Persian cucumbers AND shredded carrots
• 2 small ripe avocados, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup pickled sushi ginger

Panko Crunchies:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
• A pinch of garlic salt (or regular salt is fine too)

Toppings:

• prepared sriracha mayo (see notes) + toasted or black sesame seeds + 1 nori sheet (thinly shredded) + minced jalapeños + low-sodium soy sauce mixed with a dot of wasabi, for drizzling

Instructions

1. RICE: Place the cooked rice in a large glass bowl. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl. Heat the mixture for 20-30 seconds in the microwave and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Pour this mixture over the rice and use a rice paddle to combine. Allow the rice to sit for a few minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
2. PANKO CRUNCHIES: In a small nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. When warm, add the panko and stir, and cook the panko until golden and toasted, about 2 minutes. Season with garlic salt and set aside for now.
3. BOWL: Place roughly ¾ cup of prepared rice in each bowl. Place the salmon filet over the rice (I just flaked the fish before placing it over rice.) Add ¼ cup of Persian cucumbers and carrots on each bowl along with ½ of an avocado. Place 1 tablespoon of the sushi ginger in each bowl along with a tablespoon of the panko crunchies. Top with thinly shredded nori, minced jalapeños, and toasted/black sesame seeds. You can use all or just a couple of the toppings - your choice! Drizzle with prepared sriracha mayo and wasabi soy sauce!

Notes

• To make sriracha mayo: combine ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of sriracha, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce. Taste and adjust with more sriracha as desired (you can use up three more tablespoons.)
• Salmon: You can use any leftover salmon, pan-fried, freshly broiled, or grilled salmon for this recipe. If you didn’t want to use cooked salmon, you could also use a couple of ounces of smoked salmon per bowl. See blog post for other proteins you can use!

Recommended Products

• 
  Sriracha Mayo
• 
  Rice Vinegar
• 
   Sushi Rice

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