This teriyaki salmon bowl is a delicious combination of sushi rice, teriyaki salmon bites, homemade creamy sriracha, avocado, shredded carrots, edamame, green onion, and sesame seeds. Only the salmon and rice need time to cook, and the rest of the ingredients are easy toppings that add a variety of flavor and texture. Did I mention this recipe comes together in 40 minutes or less? Believe me when I say that this gluten-free recipe is a must-try!
How to Make Teriyaki Salmon Bowls
Sushi Rice
First, add water and salt to a sauce pan. Add the rice to a strainer and rinse it until the water runs clear. Shake the strainer to remove any excess water, and then add the rice to the sauce pan. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a rolling boil. Cover the sauce pan with a lid and turn the heat down to its lowest setting.
Cook the rice for about 15-20 minutes, or until it's cooked through and all of the water is absorbed. If you are doubling the recipe, it may take longer for the rice to cook. Be careful not to add too much water, or the rice will be mushy. Check the cooking instructions on the rice packaging to make sure that you are using the right amount of water and correct cooking time. These instructions are for the generic long-grain rice brand that I use.
While the rice is cooking, add the rice vinegar and honey to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for one minute. Then stir the vinegar mixture until the honey has dissolved completely. Next, evenly pour the vinegar mixture over the cooked rice. Mix it gently until well coated. Don't overmix or the rice will be mushy. Leave the rice covered until you are ready to serve.
Teriyaki Salmon
While the rice cooks, combine the teriyaki marinade, brown sugar, grated ginger, and garlic to a bowl and whisk them together. Cut the salmon into bite-sized pieces and add them to the teriyaki marinade. Spoon the marinade over the salmon pieces until covered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to marinate for about 15 minutes. If you are short on time, get the marinade together before starting the rice so that the salmon can finish marinating while the rice is cooking.
Place a large nonstick frying pan on the stove on high heat. Once hot, spoon the salmon into the frying pan, making sure not to add all of the marinade to the pan. A little bit of marinade left on the salmon is fine, but if you add all of it, the salmon will burn before it is cooked through due to the marinade's high sugar content. Saute the salmon for about 5-6 minutes, stirring constantly to cook it evenly.
Watch the salmon carefully, because it may cook faster depending on how hot the pan is. Fish should cook to an internal temperature of 145° F and will be flaky when cut with a fork when it's done. Remove the salmon from the pan, cover it, and keep warm until ready to eat.
Creamy Sriracha and Other Toppings
For the creamy sriracha, stir together the mayonnaise and sriracha until evenly mixed, and then refrigerate until ready to serve. Slice the avocado and green onions, and shell the edamame. The other toppings shouldn't require any other preparation.
Serve the salmon on a bed of sushi rice, and top it with the creamy sriracha, avocado, edamame, shredded carrots, green onions, and sesame seeds.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions in Teriyaki Salmon Bowls
Here is a list of the key ingredients and some potential substitutions that I've tried for this recipe:
- Long-Grain Rice: This is the kind of rice I usually have in my pantry, and it works well for this recipe. However, sushi rice is commonly made with short-grain rice. I can never find short-grain rice at my local grocery store, but use whatever works best for you. Just make sure that you check the instructions on the packaging. Different kinds of rice can have varying rice-to-water ratios and cooking times.
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar has a pretty mild flavor, so I wouldn't recommend substituting in just any vinegar. However, if you don't have rice vinegar on hand, apple cider vinegar, champagne vinegar, and white wine vinegar are also fairly mild and would work as well.
- Honey: Brown sugar or maple syrup would also be a great sweetener in the sushi rice, just make sure it dissolves completely in the vinegar before adding it to the rice.
- Teriyaki Marinade: I usually use Kikkoman teriyaki marinade, but you can use any brand you like. However, make sure that you use an actual marinade instead of just a sauce; teriyaki sauce is too thick and the salmon won't absorb the flavor as well as it would with teriyaki marinade.
- Fresh Grated Ginger: I typically don't bother to grate fresh ginger, I usually use store-bought ginger paste instead. It's quick and easy to add to any recipe. One substitution I DON'T recommend is ground ginger--it just isn't nearly as fresh. However, if ground ginger is all you have on hand, make sure to only use ¼ teaspoon. The same quantity of ground ginger would be a much stronger flavor than fresh ginger.
- Atlantic Salmon: You can use any kind of salmon you like, however, Atlantic salmon will always be my preference. It's flavor is more mild and less fishy compared to other kinds of salmon. You can also use tofu instead of salmon, if you'd like to make this recipe vegan as well--I'll provide instructions on how to make the tofu below.
- Mayonnaise: Use a vegan mayonnaise in order to make creamy sriracha truly vegan.
- Sriracha: Sriracha will have a better flavor than any other hot sauce, but another Asian hot sauce works too.
- Toppings: I like to top these teriyaki salmon bowls with avocado, shredded carrots, edamame, green onion, and sesame seeds. Not all are necessary, but these give a variety of flavor and texture. Cucumber slices, broccoli, or any of your favorite fresh vegetables would be great toppings as well.
Vegan Baked Tofu Substitution
Instead of salmon, baked tofu is another great protein option for this meal. First, dry the tofu with a cloth to get rid of any excess liquid. Then slice it into bite-sized pieces. Prepare the teriyaki marinade according to the recipe's instructions, and let the tofu marinate for several hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Evenly space the tofu on the baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until browned. I will sometimes cook it longer to cook out more of the moisture in the tofu, but make sure to keep a close eye on the tofu so that it doesn't burn. The longer you cook it, the firmer the tofu will be.
In order to make these teriyaki salmon bowls completely vegan, you'll need to substitute the mayonnaise in the creamy sriracha for vegan mayonnaise. You can also switch the honey to brown sugar in the sushi rice.
Other Salmon Recipes
If you are a salmon-lover like I am, here are a few other All You Can Eats recipes that you should try:
Creamy Salmon Piccata and Pasta
Creamy Tuscan Salmon and Pasta
If you try out this teriyaki salmon bowl recipe or any of my other recipes, I’d LOVE to hear about it. You can leave a comment below the recipe, or if you post a picture on Instagram, be sure to tag me! Getting any feedback on my recipes is both rewarding AND helpful as I write and edit recipes in the future.
Now get cooking, and enjoy!
Teriyaki Salmon Bowl with Creamy Sriracha
Ingredients
Sushi Rice
- 3 cup water**
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ cup long-grain rice*, rinsed
- 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
Teriyaki Salmon
- ½ cup teriyaki marinade***
- 2 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (or ginger paste)
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 lb skinless Atlantic salmon, cut into bite-size pieces
Creamy Sriracha Sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2-4 teaspoon sriracha (depending on your preferred spice level)
Toppings
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- green onions, sliced
- sesame seeds
Instructions
Sushi Rice
- Add water (3 cup**) and salt (1 tsp) to a sauce pan. Add rice (1 ½ cup) to a strainer and rinse it until the water runs clear. Shake the strainer to remove excess water, and then add the rice to the sauce pan. Then turn the heat to high and bring the water to a rolling boil. Cover the sauce pan with a lid and turn the heat down to its lowest setting. Cook the rice for about 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through (if doubling the recipe, it will take a little longer).
- While the rice is cooking, add the rice vinegar (3 Tbsp) and honey (1 Tbsp) to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for one minute. Then stir the vinegar mixture until the honey has dissolved.
- Once the rice is done cooking, evenly pour the vinegar mixture over the rice and mix it gently until well coated. Leave covered until serving.
Teriyaki Salmon
- While the rice is cooking, combine the teriyaki marinade (½ cup), brown sugar (2 Tbsp), grated ginger (1 tsp), and garlic (2 tsp) to a bowl and whisk together.
- Add the bite-sized pieces of salmon (1 lb) to the teriyaki marinade and spoon the marinade over the salmon until it's covered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Place a nonstick frying pan on the stove and heat it on high. Once hot, spoon the salmon into the frying pan, making sure not to add all of the marinade to the pan. A little bit of marinade on the salmon is fine, but if you add all of it, the salmon will burn before it is cooked through. Saute the salmon for about 5-6 minutes, stirring constantly to cook evenly. Fish should cook to an internal temperature of 145° F and will be flaky when cut with a fork.
- Remove the salmon from the pan and cover until ready to eat.
Creamy Sriracha
- Stir together the mayonnaise (¼ cup) and sriracha (2-4 tsp) until evenly mixed, then refrigerate.
Assembly
- Add the sushi rice and salmon to individual bowls or plates, and then top with the creamy sriracha, sliced avocado, shredded carrots, shelled edamame, sliced green onions, and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
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