Spicy Salmon Bowl

This Spicy Salmon Bowl is a healthy dinner that everyone will love. The salmon is bursting with flavour - you’ll want to use these spices on everything!

Spicy salmon bowls are always a winner of a dinner, and the spice mix on this one is perfect. My mother in law recently came to visit us while we were moving, and she bought sustenance in the form of many good foods, including Pizza shapes. And when I ate this salmon, I thought, yum - this tastes like pizza shapes. 

It’s the oregano, paprika, garlic salt - they all just WORK.

So when I told my toddler to eat his salmon because it tastes like chips, I wasn’t lying. And he did. And he loved it.

How do I make this Spicy Salmon Bowl?

It’s as simple as cooking up some sushi rice, chopping your veggies, frying up some salmon and serving it with delicious sauces.

It’s a healthy dinner that really has something for everyone in the family, and you can get it on the table in less than half an hour.

What to season salmon with?

This is quite simply the best spice mix I’ve ever eaten with salmon, and I’m going to share it with you.

• Smoked paprika
• Dried oregano leaves
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Salt

It honestly tastes a bit like spicy chips or pizza shapes. There is something about how it is absorbed in the fat of the salmon that is just perfection. It’s not spicy hot, but you can add chilli powder if you want to make it that way.

What makes this Spicy Salmon Bowl so tasty?

There is a perfect combination of flavours and textures in this dinner that makes this Spicy Salmon Bowl so deliciously tasty. First, the sushi rice has a really good texture that is a little gluggier than normal rice. This helps it to stick together in sushi, but also gives it a wonderfully sticky texture that makes it easy to eat with chopsticks even for a novice like me. AND it means all the other ingredients in the bowl combine with it really delightfully on your fork / chopsticks. We’ll mix through the rice vinegar, sugar and salt to give it that sushi rice flavour.

We layer sesame oil on top of the rice - just a few drops gives a really delicious flavour.

The fresh veggies - slices of avocado, cucumber, edamame and carrot - are the perfect cooling salve to the intense flavours of the spicy salmon, sriracha mayo and soy sauce, and give some crunch too.

The salmon works so well because first we gently fry the salmon pieces until they are golden brown. There will be a little salmon fat in the pan. We then add the spice mix, and this soaks up all that delicious salmon flavour and coats the salmon to give a perfect crust. TIP - It’s important to add the spices after the salmon is almost cooked, otherwise the spices can burn in the cooking process.

Then we layer on some sriracha and greek yoghurt in a healthy take on a sriracha mayo, and a drizzle of soy sauce. 

This makes a flavour BOMB and you will seriously be coming back for more.

How do I make sushi rice?

If you know me, I usually like to heat my rice up from a packet (read - instant rice). 

To make the sushi rice you need to do it from scratch - but it’s really easy.

1. Create a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar and salt (see ratios I used below).
2. Rinse your rice 3 times.
3. Add equal parts water to the rice (tip - you will still have some residual water in your rice from rinsing - this is fine).
4. Bring to the boil uncovered.
5. Once it reaches a full boil, reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for about 10 mins or until liquid has absorbed (will differ according to quantity of rice).
6. Remove from the heat and sit to rest with the lid on for another 10 minutes, or until time to serve.
7. Mix through rice vinegar mixture (tip - stir before mixing through).
8. Serve.

What is in this Spicy Salmon Bowl?

• Rice - Use raw sushi rice, rinse then cook in equal parts water. Mix through rice vinegar, sugar and salt.
• Vegetables - Avocado, cucumber, edamame beans, julienned carrot.
• Sauces - Sriracha (this is my favourite) and Greek yoghurt mixture, dark soy, sesame oil.
• Salmon - Skinless salmon fillets, sesame oil, smoked paprika, dried oregano leaves, garlic powder, onion powder, salt (don’t forget the salt).

Substitutions

• Alternative proteins - Instead of salmon, use chicken breast or beef. If using beef, cook for less time.
• Vegetarian - Use firm tofu.
• Dairy Free - Use mayo instead of Greek yoghurt.
• Gluten Free - Use Tamari instead of Dark soy.

Kid-Friendly Variations

• Option to remove your child’s salmon before you add the spice mix - although it is not hot spicy, and my toddler loved it.
• Serve kids plain rice (without the rice vinegar mix).
• Serve just veggies and salmon (skip the sauces).

Equipment

You will need a saucepan, a stovetop, a frying pan.

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