Salmon Sushi Bowls
Published Jan 05, 2024•Updated Jan 17, 2024
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If you love sushi, you can have it any day of the week by making Salmon Sushi Bowls! All the flavors, textures, and colors of your favorite sushi, but in a meal that comes together in 30 minutes and is served in bowls instead of as rolls.
I’m no stranger to homemade sushi, but that’s a project for a weekend, not a busy Tuesday night. Sushi bowls, however, are perfect for a weeknight. They’re easy, healthy, and can be completely customized at the table. Everyone can build their bowl exactly how they want.
One thing that makes this recipe so special is that it uses a delicious Gochujang mayo as the foundation of both a flavorful glaze for the salmon and, separately, whisked with plain yogurt for a light but super creamy sauce to top the bowls. Glazing salmon with a mayo-based sauce results in salmon that is incredibly moist and flavorful. (It’s the same method I’ve used for years to make Honey Paprika Salmon.)
Ready to make these? Let’s go!
How to Make Salmon Sushi Bowls
- Quick pickle chopped cucumbers with rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and some oil.
- Cook your salmon.
- Steam some rice.
- Make a spicy, creamy sauce.
- Build your sushi bowl by filling a bowl with rice and topping it with salmon, pickled cucumbers, sauce, and any of your other favorite sushi toppings.
- Enjoy!
Ingredients for Easy Salmon Sushi Bowls
- Salmon – Broiled salmon is the base for the bowls. Topping it with creamy Gochujang mayo before broiling traps moisture inside and results in the most tender, flavorful salmon you’ve ever tried.
- Gochujang sauce – Use Gochujang sauce, which is spicy Korean Gochujang paste mixed with a few other seasonings like sesame oil, garlic, and sweetener. Gochujang paste is a more intense, concentrated hot sauce.
- Mayonnaise – For thickening the sauce and creating a rich glaze for the salmon.
- Greek yogurt – Use this to finish out the creamy sauce. I usually use nonfat plain Greek yogurt, but any plain yogurt will work fine, just resulting in different thicknesses of sauce.
- Cucumbers, Rice Vinegar, Cooking Oil, Salt, and Sugar – Basic ingredients for quick-pickled cucumbers. Don’t have rice vinegar? No problem. Try apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Green onions, furikake (or sesame seeds), cooked rice, and seaweed snacks – These are just a few ideas for topping your bowls, but see below for more.
Ideas for Topping Sushi Bowls
- Green onions
- Furikake
- Avocado
- Chopped peanuts
- Crispy wontons
- Edamame
- Mango
- Pickled ginger
- Hot sauce
- Sriracha mayo sauce
Pickled Cucumbers
The sushi bowls are finished with quick pickled cucumbers, but they would be great with sweet and tangy marinated cucumbers or Thai-style cucumbers as well.
Salmon Sushi Bowl Meal Prep
This recipe makes GREAT meal prep bowls. Just divide the ingredients between 4 bowls or containers with lids. Everything can be added ahead of time, but save the seaweed snacks and open them right before serving. You can serve the bowls warm or chilled / at room temperature (like classic sushi).
FAQs
Double the sauce! I 100% support that decision. You’ll still just need 3 tablespoons of the Gochujang mayo for glazing the salmon.
Sriracha works well too. Just be sure to adjust the spice to-taste. See the recipe below for a recipe for Gochujang sauce if all you have is the more concentrated Gochujang paste.
Yes! Any fish works well. Or use tofu for a vegetarian version.
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Salmon Sushi Bowls
Equipment
- Half Sheet Pan
- Mixing Bowls
- Pastry Brush
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 1 pound cucumbers, preferably seedless
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons Gochujang sauce, more or less to taste
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 pounds salmon
- black pepper
- 4 green onions, finely chopped
- furikake or toasted white sesame seeds, for serving (see note)
- cooked sushi, white, or brown rice, for serving
- seaweed snacks, for serving
Instructions
- Turn on the oven’s broiler and place a rack about 8-inches from the heat source. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- If the cucumber peels are thick, you can peel them first. Chop the cucumbers into bite-sized pieces. Stir in the rice vinegar, cooking oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and sugar. Set aside to marinate at room temperature.
- Whisk together the mayonnaise and Gochujang sauce until even. Set 3 tablespoons of this Gochujang mayo aside to use as a glaze for the salmon. To the remaining mayo whisk in the Greek yogurt (you’ll serve this on top of the finished bowls).
- Set the salmon skin-side down on the foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the top of it with the 3 tablespoons of Gochujang mayo. Discard the Gochujang mayo. Season the top of the fish with ½ teaspoon salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Broil the salmon until it is opaque, flakes easily with a fork, and registers 125°F in the thickest part, 6 to 8 minutes. (Note: The salmon itself won’t burn, but any Gochujang mayo that drips off and onto the foil might, so be sure to turn on the oven fan in case things get smoky.)
- Divide the cooked rice between serving bowls. Top each portion with cucumbers, salmon, green onions, and furikake (or sesame seeds). Drizzle with the reserved creamy Gochujang yogurt sauce. Serve with seaweed snacks on the side. I like to build a bite by combining a bit of all of the ingredients on a seaweed snack – it’s like a mini sushi handroll!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
