Salmon Rice Bowls

If you are looking for a way to up your rice bowl game, these Salmon Rice Bowls are the perfect option! Easy to make, packed with protein, and great for a healthy lunch or dinner. 

Build-your-own rice bowls are on our menu at least once a week! Everyone in the family loves building their own bowls. I simply set out the protein, rice, and toppings for an easy weeknight dinner. Then, I pack up the leftovers for meal-prepped lunches.

This week, I wanted to make a quick and easy salmon bowl, somewhat inspired by the viral TikTok rice bowls but with a little more flavor and extra veggies. I used freshly cooked salmon instead of leftover flaked salmon. Then, I added a quick marinade and cucumber herb salad to add more flavor and something fresh. 

We still served them with roasted seaweed for some crunch, kimchi, and spicy mayo on the side. So good!

Why We LoveThese Easy Salmon Rice Bowls

• Quick and easy: Many rice bowls look quick and easy but involve tons of chopping, blending, grilling, and more. This recipe requires minimal prep with a quick marinade, easy-to-prep veggies, and a simple but flavorful dressing.
• Great for meal prep: This bowl keeps well in the fridge and tastes delicious warm, at room temperature, or cold.
• Versatile: You can make this with fresh or canned salmon, try out different veggies and grains, and swap in a store-bought sauce or dressing. There are so many ways to make this salmon rice bowl.

Looking for more rice bowl recipes? Try this easy Sushi Bowl, Asian Ground Turkey Bowls, DIY Hawaiian Poke Bowls, or Teriyaki Chicken Bowls.

Ingredients and Easy Swaps

Here is everything you need to make these tasty rice bowls.

• Salmon: Make these bowls with farmed or wild salmon (lower fat). They also work with halibut, cod, snapper, tilapia, shrimp, or even chicken or tofu. You can also swap in canned salmon tossed in some marinade for extra flavor.
• Salmon marinade: Add tons of flavor to the salmon by quickly marinating it in sesame oil, soy sauce (or tamari/coconut aminos), garlic, ginger, and honey. Feel free to swap in teriyaki sauce or your favorite marinade or spice rub.
• Veggies: Every good rice bowl needs veggies. This bowl uses Persian cucumbers, red onion, and shelled edamame tossed in a quick dressing with basil, mint, and cilantro. It’s also delicious with shredded carrots, cabbage, nori or seaweed sheets, cauliflower, broccoli, snap peas, green onions, or other veggies.
• Dressing: Add flavor to the veggies and the whole salmon bowl with a quick Asian-inspired dressing made with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and honey. For something spicy, you can also add an Asian hot sauce like sambal olek or Sriracha. Or swap in your favorite Asian-inspired dressing or sauce.
• Rice: For your salmon bowls, use steamed white rice, brown rice, sushi rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, noodles, or greens as the base. To speed things up, use precooked, frozen, or microwavable rice.

Building the Perfect Salmon Rice Bowls

Here is everything you need to build the perfect salmon and rice bowls.

1. Choose your base

Start by prepping the rice or grains you plan to use for the bowls. I usually use frozen rice to speed things up. These bowls taste great with warm or cold rice. Our favorite grains and bases include:

• Rice
• Quinoa
• Cauliflower rice or zucchini rice
• Soba noodles or rice noodles
• Lettuce or cabbage

2. Marinate and cook the salmon

Whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger. If you like things spicy, add some Sriracha or sambal olek. Then marinate the salmon for 15-30 minutes if you have time. If not, it will still taste amazing.

Cook the salmon in the oven, on the grill, in a hot skillet, or in the air fryer until it is cooked to your liking. We like our salmon medium or medium-well, which takes 10-12 minutes in the oven, 6-8 minutes on the grill, 6-8 minutes in a skillet, and 10 minutes in the air fryer.

Remember that the time it takes to cook salmon depends on the thickness of the filet and the type of salmon. Wild salmon tends to be leaner and thinner, so it cooks more quickly.

You can also make this with canned salmon; simply toss it with the marinade to make it nice and flavorful.

3. Prep and season the vegetables

While the salmon cooks, start by whisking together the dressing for the veggies and rice bowls. Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and honey. Taste and adjust sweetness and seasoning if needed.

Add the sliced cucumbers, red onions, edamame, basil, cilantro, and mint to the dressing.

4. Assemble and add toppings

Layer the rice (or whatever base you use) into your bowls. Add the cooked salmon and vegetable salad. Add any additional toppings you like and serve.

Viral Microwave Salmon Rice Bowl

If you want to turn this recipe into the viral Tiktok salmon rice bowl but better, here’s what to do!

1. Toss your leftover cooked salmon with the marinade below.
2. Add leftover cooked rice to a shallow bowl or plate. Flake (or break up) the salmon filets on top. Gently stir them together.
3. Nestle an ice cube into the rice and salmon and cover with parchment paper. Microwave for 2-3 minutes until heated through. The ice cube adds moisture to the leftover rice and salmon, keeping it from drying out.
4. Top the salmon with the cucumber herb salad. Then drizzle with mayo (kewpie is best), Sriracha, and avocado slices. Serve with seaweed snacks (roasted seaweed sheets), kimchi (optional), and any other toppings you like.

Our Favorite Rice Bowl Toppings

Adding toppings is the best way to customize and make these bowls your own.

• Seaweed, nori sheets, or furikake
• Spicy mayo (especially with Kewpie mayo)
• Crispy onions
• Fresh herbs
• Avocado
• Soy sauce or ponzu
• Extra dressing
• Peanut sauce
• Asian hot sauce
• Wasabi mayo
• Greens
• Extra veggies
• Sesame seeds
• Sliced almonds, cashews, or peanuts

Variations and Recipe Ideas

There are so many ways to customize this salmon and make it your own.

• Use canned salmon: Speed things up using canned salmon instead of fresh ones. Just toss it with the marinade to season it.
• Use raw salmon: You can also take inspiration from salmon poke and make this with raw, cubed salmon tossed with the marinade. Just make sure to use sushi-grade salmon.
• Make it spicy: Add Sriracha, sambal olek, or red pepper flakes to make a spicy marinade and dressing. Or drizzle everything with homemade spicy mayo. Simply combine ¼ cup Greek yogurt with 2 tbsp light mayo, 1-3 teaspoons Sriracha, and a splash of soy sauce and rice vinegar or lime juice.
• Low-carb and keto: Swap in cauliflower rice, spaghetti squash, or greens for the rice. Use a low-carb sweetener in place of honey.
• Add more veggies: You can add shredded carrots, cabbage, butter lettuce, sliced red bell peppers, green onions, radish, or almost any other veggie you like.
• Change the protein: You can make this with chicken, tofu, tuna, fish, or shrimp, or you can make it meatless with double the edamame.

Leftovers, Meal Prep, and Storage

This salmon rice bowl keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. If you plan on eating the salmon and rice warm, pack the salad separately otherwise, you can store it all together.