Spicy salmon rice bowl

This spicy salmon rice bowl recipe served with sticky sushi rice, avocado, spicy mayo, cucumber and roasted seaweed is the kind of dish I want to eat over and over and over again. Mouth-wateringly delicious and great for when you want sushi-vibes in a flash. 

Ingredients

The star of the show is definitely the spicy seared salmon. If you have sushi-grade salmon, feel free to simply marinate the salmon in a splash of soy and rice vinegar and serve raw – poke bowl style. I decided to season my salmon with gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) before searing very briefly until *just* done. The rest of the bowl consists of everything I like in my sushi, normally. Sticky sushi rice, creamy avocado, strips of cucumber, a quick and easy spicy mayo sauce and roasted seaweed. I used Korean roasted seaweed snacks but nori sheets will also do. I think furikake (Japanese rice seasoning) would also be delicious.

• Salmon. I used skin-on salmon fillets, sliced into bite sized cubes. Chicken is a good substitute if you don’t eat fish and tofu is a good vegetarian option.
• Olive oil. 
• Gochugaru. Use any chilli flakes or chilli powder as substitute.
• Salt. 
• Sushi rice. Use sushi rice (short grain rice) for that distinctive sticky texture. I used Gimme Some Oven’s sushi rice recipe and made it in the Instant Pot. So quick and easy! If you don’t have sushi rice, feel free to use any rice or grains of your choice. This also works well with leftover rice.
• Avocado. 
• Cucumber. Carrots and radish are good additions or substitutions.
• Roasted seaweed. 
• Kewpie mayonnaise.
• Sriracha. 
• Rice vinegar. 
• Soy sauce. Use Tamari or Coconut aminos as a gluten free substitute.
• Sesame seeds.

How to make a salmon rice bowl

1. How to cook sushi rice: In the bowl of an Instant Pot, combine 2 cups rinsed sushi rice (rinsing is key!) and a pinch of salt with 4 cups of water. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes then allow natural release for 10 minutes. Remove the rice from the pressure cooker and transfer to a large mixing bowl. To season the rice, heat a quarter cup of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar and a teaspoon of salt in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the rice and with a rubber spatula, very gently fold the rice over onto itself to prevent crushing the steamed kernels. Press a damp cloth onto the surface the rice to keep the rice from drying out then allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Season and cook the salmon: Slice the salmon into cubes then place in a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle over olive oil then season with gochugaru and salt. Mix to combine. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the salmon and cook for a few minutes until golden brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Prepare the spicy mayo: Combine the Kewpie mayo, Sriracha and rice vinegar in a small bowl and mix well.
4. Serve: Spoon rice into a shallow bowl then top with the spicy salmon. Add julienned cucumber, avocado slices and seaweed. Drizzle over some soy sauce to taste then add the spicy mayo and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Top tip: Use the roasted seaweed sheets to scoop up a bit of the rice, salmon, cucumber and avocado and make little bites. It’s SO good.