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Spicy Salmon Roll Bowl

A blue bowl with salmon rice and avocado
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht
  • Total Time

    40 minutes

Consider this spicy salmon rice bowl recipe your favorite sushi, deconstructed. Using your broiler to cook mayo-coated pieces of salmon keeps the cook time low (and eliminates the need to seek out pricey sushi-grade fish). The direct high heat allows the bite-size salmon pieces to develop a crispy exterior in very little time, without the splatter of a stovetop, for a hearty, easy weeknight dinner.

Pair the cooked salmon bites with sliced avocado, quick-pickled cucumber (if you have trouble finding the Persian variety, a single English cucumber also works), and a shower of flavorful garnishes like nori-studded furikake, chile-flecked shichimi togarashi, toasted sesame seeds, and green onions. Zigzagging spicy mayo over the top (use a zip-top sandwich bag with the corner snipped off or a reusable squeeze bottle) isn’t required but definitely recommended; we like the texture of an oil-based chile crisp (such as Lao Gan Ma) here, but sriracha will do in a pinch. Because each component of the bowl is seasoned, no other adornments are necessary, but a drizzle of salty soy sauce or nutty sesame oil wouldn’t be out of place.

While short-grain sushi rice most closely mirrors the Japanese roll this spicy salmon bowl references, you can substitute another white rice—or use brown rice, cauliflower rice, or even another grain like farro or quinoa if you prefer.

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

4 servings

3

Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced

¼

cup unseasoned rice vinegar, plus more for drizzling

Kosher salt

2

cups sushi rice or other short-grain rice

3

Tbsp. chili crisp

cup plus 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise

12

oz. salmon fillet, preferably skin-on, cut into 1" cubes

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2

avocados, thinly sliced

3

scallions, thinly sliced

Furikake, shichimi togarashi, and/or toasted sesame seeds (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Toss 3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced, ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar, and a big pinch of kosher salt in a medium bowl to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, until ready to use.

    Step 2

    Bring 2 cups sushi rice or other short-grain rice, a pinch of salt, and 2½ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook until water is completely absorbed and rice is tender, 20–25 minutes; gently fluff rice with a fork.

    Step 3

    Meanwhile, stir together 3 Tbsp. chili crisp, a drizzle of rice vinegar, and ⅓ cup mayonnaise in a small bowl; set spicy mayo aside.

    Step 4

    Heat broiler on high with a rack in the upper third of oven. Pat 12 oz. salmon fillet, preferably skin-on, cut into 1" cubes, dry with paper towels and place in a small bowl; season with salt. Add remaining 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise and a pinch of cayenne pepper; toss to coat. Arrange salmon (skin side up if it has skin) in a single layer on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and broil until lightly browned and flesh is opaque throughout, 8–10 minutes.

    Step 5

    To serve, scoop cooked rice into bowls. Divide salmon, drained pickled cucumbers, and 2 avocados, thinly sliced, among bowls; spoon some cucumber pickling liquid over. Drizzle with reserved spicy mayo and top with 3 scallions, thinly sliced. Sprinkle furikake, shichimi togarashi, and/or toasted sesame seeds over.

    Head this way for more of our favorite salmon recipes

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  • I loved this dish but think the cucumbers were too acidy. A touch of sugar would improve it. But all in all pretty yummy

    • Anonymous

    • 11/9/2023

  • Wow. The skin on, spicy mayo, cubes of salmon turned into the most amazing bites I could imagine. It only took ~4 minutes in my broiler and I could smell they were done before the timer said so. But oh my god the skin was delicious and I’m not a huge fish skin fan. Genius. As others have said easily making this one again. Total winner.

    • Dennis

    • Philadelphia, PA

    • 10/23/2023

  • This is perfect. It's so easy and actually quick to make. Everything comes together in the time it takes for the rice to cook. And it's actually spicy! I'll be making this again asap.

    • Molly

    • Boulder, CO

    • 10/16/2023

  • Quick tasty dinner! Easily customizable for everyone in the family. I did half lettuce mix and half brown rice for base

    • Gabby

    • Decatur, GA

    • 10/9/2023

  • Seriously, Yum. My husband is not a huge fan of salmon, but he raved about this dish! Cutting it into bite-sized pieces (tip: kitchen shears are absolutely best for this job, any knife wants to just tear the skin) and slathering them with mayo gave them a crispy yumminess! I don't often repeat recipes - we love to experiment, but this one is a definite keeper!

    • Ashley B

    • Rock Hill, SC

    • 10/5/2023

  • Loved this recipe! The salmon skin got nice and crispy. The balance of flavors and textures makes for a delicious meal. I might make making extra pickled cucumbers next time because I kept wanting to pile on more of them.

    • Hungry

    • New Haven, CT

    • 10/4/2023

  • LOVED this. Easy to make, will be a new addition to the weekday rotation. Great with a little sprinkle of sriracha and we did a side of kale- mixed lightly with equal parts sugar, rice vinegar and sesame oil. A great side veg that balances out the richness of the salmon.

    • J Allen

    • New York/London

    • 10/4/2023

  • My hubby said it’s the best thing I’ve ever made. That’s saying something, as I’m an accomplished cook!

    • Fox_mom

    • St. Louis, MO

    • 10/4/2023

  • Delicious! Did it last night for dinner when our other plans fell through and this came together very quickly and was very good. Already looking forward to having it again. My chili crisp doesn't have much heat to it so added a bit of sriracha in, but otherwise followed exactly. There are a few things missing from the recipe, though. Where should the grates be for broiling, and broiling on high or low? Also, Step 5 calls out "reserved spicy mayo" but there was no spicy mayo that was supposed to be reserved. It was not used anywhere else in the recipe and had me re-reading to make sure that I was doing it correctly and hadn't missed something.

    • Sarah J

    • MD

    • 10/3/2023

  • Classic, Easy, and Delicious. Perfect weekday meal.

    • Abi B.

    • Kentucky

    • 10/2/2023

  • This tasted pretty good. But between the broiled salmon, mayo and avocado the dish came off as a little oily/fatty. Some more vegetables (besides just lots of cucumbers) might help. Maybe some fresh herbs and lime too.

    • Anonymous

    • 9/30/2023

  • Author failed to share the rack level for broiling.

    • Jeff Winett

    • Sherman Oaks, California

    • 9/29/2023