Easy Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls

Get your favorite sushi flavors at home with Easy Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls & spicy mayo sauce! Add to your meal plan for a simply delicious, low-cook lunch or dinner with seasoned rice, edamame, chopped radish & cucumber!

Not everyone wants a four serving, chicken and rice, “classic” meal prep recipe (like a lot of my meal prep lunches tend to be). And I get that! Sometimes you need a one-off recipe that you can throw together for lunch or dinner and not end up with a ton of leftovers.

This is that recipe for me. This is the recipe I love, but also don’t want to eat over and over again. Which is perfect, because it only makes two beautiful servings. Easy Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls are simple, customizable, and absolutely delicious, especially if you like sushi.

Fresh and crunchy chopped vegetables, Japanese-inspired seasoned rice, your favorite smoked salmon, all covered in a spicy lime mayo sauce. The absolute easiest weekday recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

What are the ingredients in these Easy Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls?

Even though a couple of these ingredients might require you to check the Asian foods aisle or the Asian food market, it’s so worth it for that flavor boost! Otherwise, most of these ingredients should be easy to find in most grocery store, or you may already have some of them on hand.

Here are the ingredients in these Easy Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls, with specific information noted about which ones to swap and which ones you need:

• jasmine rice + cooking liquid – Use your favorite rice and cook it in your favorite method 🙂 or, if you’re looking for max sushi flavors, buy sushi rice from the store and follow the directions on the package for vinegar seasoned rice!
• cucumber – Refreshing, crunchy, and the perfect contrast to the spicy mayo and smoky salmon flavors.
• radishes – Another crunchy refreshing veg, radishes add a light peppery bite to these bowls. Don’t skip the radishes, especially in Spring when they’re in season!
• green onions – Light Spring (green) onions are perfect for bringing a light but raw onion flavor with just a quick chop.
• edamame beans – These are easy if you can find them shelled and frozen at the grocery store. If you can’t find them, easily swap with avocado, especially if you’re serving the bowls fresh.
• avocado – If I’m serving these bowls right away, I love adding some sliced avocado! Not only for the creamy texture but especially if I’m going for sushi bowl vibes.
• smoked salmon – This recipe is certainly for smoked salmon lovers, and the best part is it works with both cold-smoked salmon or hot-smoked salmon! If you don’t know which to pick, keep scrolling to the section below where I compare the two.
• black sesame seeds or furikake – Furikake is a Japanese rice seasoning blend, which I highly suggest looking for! It’s how I season almost all of my rice dishes these days. You don’t regret adding this one to your spice drawer!
• pickled sushi ginger – This is optional, but if you love pickled ginger with you sushi, I say add it to this bowl! If you grocery store sells fresh made sushi, they might sell little packs of sushi ginger too.
• mayonnaise – If you can, look for Kewpie mayo. It has an amazing umami flavor profile I like to add to everything from breakfast sandwiches to rice bowls!
• Sriracha – It wouldn’t be spicy mayo without sriracha, would it? Of course feel free to lower the amount if you don’t like it spicy.
• lime juice – You need 1 lime for this recipe: half for the spicy mayo sauce, and then the other half sliced up and served with the bowls.
• white miso paste or kosher salt – White miso paste is something I do not have on hand but wanted to give you the option! Using regular kosher salt will also give the sauce the boost it needs.

How do you make Easy Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls?

This recipe is a simple combo of smoked salmon, seasoned rice, fresh veggies, and an incredible sauce. Don’t skip the sauce!! The most time consuming part is cooking the rice, seriously. Okay, let’s walk through assembly of this super simple rice bowl recipe!

First, cook the rice in your preferred method. You can also change the quantity if you want more or less in each serving. If you want to go for more of a sushi bowl vibe, get sushi rice and follow the package directions.

I like to cook my rice in the Instant Pot, since it’s such a hands-off method. I also recommend using chicken broth and adding a heavy pinch of salt for maximum flavor. Set it aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the veggies and the sauce.

For the spicy mayo sauce, whisk together the mayonnaise and sriracha until it’s smooth. Add the lime juice a bit at a time – how much you need will depend on your preference and how much vinegar is in your mayonnaise. Whisk in the miso paste if you have it, or add kosher salt (it’s completely delicious this way too). You can also add a small pinch of sugar if you want a hint of sweetness in the sauce.

When you’re ready to assemble the rice bowls, divide the cooked rice between the two servings. Add the chopped cucumber, radishes, and sliced green onions into the other half of the bowls.

If serving the smoked salmon rice bowls right now, I like to add sliced avocado as well. If I’m planning on storing the bowls, I like to add edamame instead, since it tends to hold up better than cut avocado. If you already have either one of these, use that over buying new.

Finally, add the smoked salmon of your choice. To make smaller pieces of cold-smoked salmon, cut it in half directly on cardboard packaging before separating the slices. You can also chop it up if you prefer smaller pieces.

Add the sushi ginger to the bowl, if using, and sprinkle the sesame seeds or furikake seasoning over the rice and veggies. Serve with the spicy mayo drizzled over the entire bowl, plus a bit of fresh lime juice if you have any leftover. You can also add chopped cilantro, nori, soy sauce, or any other fresh veggies you’d like, such as carrots, pickled onions, sprouts, cilantro, etc.

Best tips for making Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls:

Here are my best tips for making this meal at home in your own kitchen:

• If meal prepping, enjoy within 2 days and refresh the rice with 2 TB of near-boiled water then lid on if it’s dry.
• Taste and adjust the sauce! Some people like it spicier while some like it a bit sweet. You can easily adjust the flavor with more mayo, lime juice, salt, sriracha, or even a pinch of sugar.
• Check the Asian food section of the grocery store for Kewpie mayonnaise, as well as the furikake seasoning. While you can definitely make the recipe without these, they will add a ton of flavor if you’re able to use them.

Cold-Smoked Salmon vs. Hot-Smoked Salmon:

How to pick what type of smoked salmon to use:

• Left: if you like thinly sliced salmon with light smoked flavor and a texture similar to lox, opt for cold-smoked salmon
• Right: if you prefer a sweeter taste and stronger smoke flavor, with thicker, flakier salmon, opt for hot-smoked salmon, which often has more sugar and seasonings

Ways to customize these Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls:

Here are a few ideas for how to customize this recipe for your own tastes!

• change up the veggies – you can also add carrots, avocado, mango, chopped cilantro, jalapeno, sprouts, etc.
• change the rice – use your favorite rice or whatever you have on hand, I think it would be especially good with seasoned sushi rice!
• change the salmon – I support using your favorite kind of salmon for these bowls, which includes hot-smoked, cold-smoked, or even regularly cooked salmon or canned salmon.
• eat with nori – I love making little hand rolls with nori and stuffing it with the ingredients in this bowl!

How to store leftover cucumber and radish:

• Cucumber: Slice remaining cucumber, then use a paper towel to pat the cucumber pieces dry. This helps to reduce moisture and keep the cucumber fresher for longer. Line a food storage container with a paper towel to absorb more moisture, then add the slices and cover with an airtight lid. Store in the fridge and use within 4-5 days.
• Radish: Remove all greens. Keep whole and store in the fridge for up to 7 days, or slice remaining radishes and store in a paper towel lined container for 3-4 days.

How do you meal prep this recipe?

This recipe is best enjoyed as a quick weekday meal, but there are also ways to prep ahead! Here are some tips:

1. Ingredient prep: If you like to prep ingredients rather than individual meals, you can prepare your rice ahead of time and use it during the week as needed.
2. Prep for later: Make the recipe as written, then portion the ingredients evenly into two meal prep containers and enjoy throughout the week.
3. Enjoy now & later: Prepare all the ingredients and make the recipe as written. Eat one portion now, then save the rest in an airtight container and enjoy within the next 2 days.

Is this recipe freezer-friendly?

No, I do not recommend freezing this recipe.

How to store Easy Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls:

Store leftover or prepped bowls in airtight containers in the fridge along with the sauce containers and enjoy within 2 days.

How to reheat Easy Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls:

I do not recommend reheating this meal, however, you may need to refresh the rice if it gets dry. To do this, add 2 tablespoons of near-boiling water to the rice bowl and put the lid back on for 2 minutes. This will help hydrate and steam the rice, while not getting the raw veggies too hot.

Recipe developed by Rachel Phipps.