Emily Mariko Salmon Rice Bowl (Printer-friendly)

Vibrant salmon and rice bowl with creamy avocado, spicy mayo, and crisp seaweed. A customizable Japanese-American inspired meal ready in minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fish & Protein

01 - 1 (6 oz) cooked salmon fillet, skin removed and flaked

→ Rice

02 - 2 cups cooked short-grain rice (preferably leftover and chilled)

→ Sauces & Condiments

03 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
04 - 1 tablespoon Japanese mayonnaise (e.g., Kewpie)
05 - 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce

→ Vegetables & Garnishes

06 - 1 ripe avocado, sliced
07 - 1 green onion, thinly sliced (optional)
08 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

→ Seaweed

09 - 6-8 small roasted seaweed sheets (nori snack sheets)

# How to Make It:

01 - Place the cooked rice in a microwave-safe bowl. Top with flaked salmon and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.
02 - Cover the bowl loosely (use parchment or a microwave cover) and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, until the rice and salmon are heated through.
03 - Drizzle the warm salmon and rice with Japanese mayonnaise and sriracha. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce if desired.
04 - Gently mix everything together until well combined.
05 - Top with sliced avocado, green onion, and toasted sesame seeds.
06 - Serve with roasted seaweed sheets on the side. To eat, scoop a bite of the salmon rice mixture onto a seaweed sheet and enjoy like a hand roll.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 25 minutes, which means lunch can actually happen on a weeknight without stress.
  • The bowl transforms depending on what's in your fridge—customize it completely and it'll taste even better because it's yours.
  • Every bite has different textures and temperatures that somehow work together like they were always meant to.
02 -
  • Room temperature salmon and cold rice mixed with hot rice sounds chaotic but creates this incredible interplay of temperatures that actually makes the dish more interesting than if everything were uniform.
  • Don't skip the microwave step even if your salmon and rice are already room temperature—that brief heating awakens the flavors and makes the mayo meld instead of sitting on top like a hat.
03 -
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry skillet for 2–3 minutes right before using them—the aroma fills your kitchen and the flavor deepens in a way that changes the whole dish.
  • Keep your Kewpie mayo in the fridge door, not the back, so it's soft enough to drizzle; cold mayo straight from the depths of the fridge won't flow the way you want it to.
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