Smoked Salmon Rice Bowl with Spicy Mayo

This healthy gluten free Smoked Salmon Rice Bowl is a fast and flavorful recipe! It's topped with fresh veggies and a spicy Sriracha mayo.

This Smoked Salmon Bowl is one of those dishes that provides maximum flavor with minimum effort. It's ready in 20 minutes, making it a great for a light midweek dinner or lunch!

Rice bowls are one of my go-to meals, because you can top them with just about anything. The base of the dish consists of rice, which is topped with braised, roasted, or grilled meats, a variety of vegetables, and some type of sauce.

Rice pairs well with cuisines and flavors from all over the world, making it a perfect choice when you want a dish that captures your interest. You can take rice bowls in any direction, from Asian to Southwestern to Middle Eastern.

This recipe is sort of a 'cheater' version of a sushi or poke bowl. It's made with smoked salmon and topped with veggies that you might find in a sushi roll. You get some of the flavors of your favorite sushi with a fraction of the effort.

This bowl is light and celebrates the flavors of spring and summer. You can top it with fresh veggies of choice, making it easy to customize to your liking. It won't weigh you down and great for the warmer months ahead!

Jump to:

• What Goes Well With Smoked Salmon?
• Ingredients For Smoked Salmon Rice Bowl
• Does Smoked Salmon Need To Be Cooked?
• What Type Of Rice Is Best For Rice Bowls?
• How To Make Spicy Mayo
• How To Make Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls
• What To Serve With Salmon Rice Bowls
• How Long Do Rice Bowls Last?
• Smoked Salmon Rice Bowl with Spicy Mayo

What Goes Well With Smoked Salmon?

Smoked salmon is a rich and decadent ingredient that pairs well with bright flavors like lemon, fresh herbs like dill and chives, Dijon mustard, tangy cheeses like cream cheese, and veggies like fennel and asparagus.

It can be served on top of crostini or Puff Pastry as an appetizer, added to scrambled eggs, creamy dips, salads, fritters, with toasts or bagels, or as part of a charcuterie board.

This Smoked Salmon Rice Bowl is made with Asian flavors and some of the ingredients that are used to make sushi rolls or a sushi bowl. It can be made with any fresh vegetables that you might use when making sushi.

Some of the most common veggies that are used when making sushi (in America) are avocado, carrots, and cucumbers. However, you can use any fresh or pickled vegetables that you like when making this rice bowl.

Here are some veggies that pair well with Asian rice bowls:

• Avocado
• Cucumbers
• Bell Peppers
• Carrots
• Edamame
• Green Onions
• Snap Peas

Ingredients For Smoked Salmon Rice Bowl

Here's what you'll need to make this recipe.

• 1 cup Rice (any variety)
• 4-5 oz. Smoked Salmon
• 2 Carrots (grated)
• 1 Avocado
• 1 Seedless Cucumber
• 1 cup Snap Peas (or edamame)
• ½ cup Mayo
• 2 Tbsp. Sriracha Hot Sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 1 clove Garlic (grated)
• pinch Kosher Salt
• Green Onions, Lemon Wedges, Sesame Seeds, Pickled Ginger, Tamari for garnish (optional)

Does Smoked Salmon Need To Be Cooked?

Smoked salmon is a great shortcut ingredient, because it's already cooked. It's salmon that has been brined or cured in salt and then either hot-smoked or cold-smoked. The brining and smoking process 'cooks' the salmon, so it's safe to eat.

Smoked salmon packs a lot of flavor on its own. It's smoky, salty, and briny. I find the flavor to be reminiscent of bacon. I love to use smoked salmon when making quick meals like this one, because there is no need for further cooking.

This recipe calls for smoked salmon. I do not recommend using raw salmon or raw fish of any kind.

Where Can I Find Smoked Salmon?

Smoked salmon has become widely available in recent years and can be found in the deli section or specialty foods section of your local grocery store. I purchased a package of cold smoked salmon from my local ALDI store to make this dish.

You can certainly grab some smoked salmon from a local smokehouse if you live in an area where salmon are abundant.

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What Type Of Rice Is Best For Rice Bowls?

Rice bowls are great for so many reasons, one of them being that you can use any kind of rice you like to make them.

• White rice is great, because it cooks quickly and acts as sort of a 'blank canvas' to whatever other flavors are added to it.
• Brown rice contains more minerals and fiber than white rice, but tends to take longer to cook. You can always opt for quick-cook brown rice if you'd like to save some time.
• Wild rice (which is technically not rice, but a water grass seed) is a healthy option that provides a deep, nutty flavor. This Instant Pot Wild Rice is ready in only a little more than 30 minutes!
• You can even use a heat and eat rice pouch if you're really short on time.
• Cauliflower rice is a great option if you'd like to keep this recipe low carb.
• Sushi rice may be used if you'd like to maintain a more authentic sushi flavor. The process of making sushi rice is slightly different than that of regular rice. Check out this recipe for Sushi Rice if you'd like to learn more.

How To Make Spicy Mayo

The spicy mayo is kind of what ties this whole dish together, so I highly recommend not skipping this step. Is spicy mayo the healthiest thing in the whole world? No. But, the good thing is that you can add as much or as little of it as you like.

It's made with only a few ingredients, but adds a nice spicy kick to this Smoked Salmon Rice Bowl.

1. Combine ½ cup mayo, 2 Tbsp. Sriracha hot sauce, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, and a pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl. Peel 1 clove of garlic and grate it into the bowl using a Microplane or small zester.
2. Stir until all of these ingredients are completely combined.

You can adjust the ingredients according to your preferred spice level. Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of Sriracha if you'd like this mayo to be more or less spicy.

If you find it too spicy, simply add a pinch of sugar or a small amount of honey to balance out the spiciness.

What Can I Do With The Extra Spicy Mayo?

Depending on how much mayo you use on these Asian salmon bowls, you may have some leftover. Leftover spicy mayo may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Here are some tasty ways to use leftover spicy mayo as a topping or dipping sauce:

• Grilled Burgers
• Chicken Sandwiches
• Grilled Cheese or Panini
• French Fries
• Chicken Strips
• Fish Fingers
• Fried Rice or Asian Noodle Dishes

How To Make Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls

One of the things that makes this meal so quick is that all of the elements can be prepared at the same time.

I find that the fastest way to make rice bowls is to start by cooking the rice according to package instructions and then chop the vegetables and prepare the sauce while the rice is cooking on the stove top.

1. Start by preparing 1 cup of rice (any variety) according to package instructions.
2. Wash and peel 2 carrots. Grate carrots with a box grater.
3. Cut ½ seedless cucumber into small chunks (peel cucumber if desired).
4. Dice 1 cup of snap peas (or boil 1 cup of frozen edamame beans).
5. Cut 1 avocado into chunks.
6. Cut 5 oz. smoked salmon into small chunks.
7. Prepare the spicy mayo by combining ½ cup mayo, 2 Tbsp. Sriracha hot sauce, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, pinch kosher salt, and 1 clove grated garlic in a small bowl. Stir until completely combined.

Feel free to sub any of these veggies with those of your choice. You can use as much or as little as you like of any of them, or substitute with your favorite fresh vegetables.

What To Serve With Salmon Rice Bowls

Once all the components are ready, it's time to assemble the rice bowls.

1. Start by adding some of the cooked rice in a bowl.
2. Top with grated carrots, diced cucumbers, snap peas, and avocadoes (or veggies of choice).
3. Add desired amount of sliced smoked salmon to the bowl.
4. Drizzle as much or as little of the spicy mayo over the bowl.

I love these rice bowls garnished with some sliced green onions, sesame seeds, and a squeeze of lemon.

You can also garnish them with some low sodium Tamari or soy sauce for more umami flavor.

Pickled ginger is another great garnish, reminiscent of sushi bowls.

Love Asian flavors? Check out these recipes!

• Asian Cabbage Coleslaw
• Vietnamese Inspired Chicken Noodle Soup
• Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs
• Asian Grilled Chicken Wings
• Thai Potato Corn Chowder
• Vietnamese Shrimp Salad
• Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts
• Thai Basil Pesto

How Long Do Rice Bowls Last?

All the components of these rice bowls should last 2-3 days stored in airtight containers in the fridge.

I recommend storing the rice, veggies, and mayo separately, so that everything stays as fresh as possible.

If these rice bowls are used for meal prepping, I recommend preparing all the components, storing them separately, and assembling the bowls the day served.

Can They Be Frozen?

Meals like this Smoked Salmon Rice Bowl are best enjoyed fresh and freezing them is not recommended.

Love smoked salmon? Check out this Smoked Salmon Dill Crostini!

Love rice bowls? Check out these recipes!

• Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowls
• Mexican Shrimp Rice Bowls
• Ground Chicken Asian Rice Bowls
• Grilled Thai Chicken Rice Bowls
• Vegetarian Fajita Bowls
• Korean Rice Bowls
• Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls

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