Easy Teriyaki Salmon Bowl (3 Ways with Homemade Sauce)
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This Teriyaki Salmon Bowl with homemade teriyaki sauce is the ideal weeknight dinner option because it’s simple to make and comes together in less than 20–30 minutes. The salmon fillet can be air-fried, baked, or cooked on the stove, then added to a bowl of cooked rice with your favorite veggies.
Teriyaki Salmon Sushi Rice Bowl
If you like salmon and want to try something new, this teriyaki salmon bowl is the one for you. To make this recipe, you do not need expensive ingredients.
This bowl has succulent salmon teriyaki bites, steamed rice, and fresh veggies that taste wonderful. Using homemade teriyaki sauce, which is incredibly flavorful, you can easily make this bowl meal at home, and it tastes like something you’d get at a restaurant.
Additionally, this sushi rice bowl makes a great, nutritious dinner option. As you can see, this meal is quite well-balanced and will keep you full all day. We know that salmon is a good source of protein, rice provides carbs, avocado offers healthy fats, and veggies are full of fiber and nutrients.
So it’s no brainer that this dish is an easy weeknight dinner recipe because you can also prepare it in the oven, in the air fryer, or on the stovetop. Choose what’s best for you.
What is Teriyaki Salmon Bowl?
A teriyaki salmon bowl is a bowl meal featuring succulent, perfectly grilled and glazed salmon fillet pieces, finished with luscious homemade teriyaki sauce.
The delicious grilled salmon is served over steamed, flavored rice and accompanied by a medley of fresh veggies for the perfect crunch and texture.
Since this recipe uses sushi rice, you can call the meal a teriyaki salmon sushi bowl.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A delicious combination of flavors and textures: tender, tasty salmon cubes, sticky steamed white rice, crispy salad, and soft avocado create a mouthwatering meal.
- Easy ingredients: All the ingredients are everyday items you can find in any supermarket. So it should be easy to get them.
- Quick and easy: This recipe is super easy to prepare and doesn’t take much time to cook (it can be prepared and served in about 30 minutes, including prep time)! After marinating, the salmon cooks in minutes. Chop some veggies, prepare rice, assemble, and enjoy this teriyaki salmon! Perfect for busy weeknights or when you want a tasty meal without spending hours in the kitchen.
- Takeout: If you’re craving “takeout,” this salmon rice bowl recipe can better sate your hunger.
- Easy to Customize: This is perfect for picky eaters. You can always customize the recipe to suit your preferences and situation. For example, you can add different vegetables, experiment with the sauce proportions, or serve the salmon with noodles instead of rice. You can also use store-bought teriyaki sauce.
- Nutritious and balanced: These teriyaki salmon bowls pack protein, carbs, and vegetables into one bowl. The fish, rice, and vegetables combo offers a well-balanced, nutritious meal. Both avocados and salmon are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Various cooking methods: You have three options to prepare salmon: air fryer, stovetop, or oven.
What Is Sushi Rice?
Also known as sumeshi or shari, Sushi rice is a short-grain Japanese rice variety with a sticky texture and a slightly sweet taste.
Ingredients You Need
Here’s an overview of the ingredients you’ll need to cook this recipe. You can find the exact ingredient measurements in the recipe card below.
- Salmon filets: You can use skin-on or skinless filets. Skin-on salmon is more accessible and cheaper, but you can easily remove the salmon’s skin with a sharp knife.
- Avocado: A delicious, creamy contrast to crisp vegetables.
- Cucumber: Mini or English cucumbers are my favorites because they don’t need peeling.
- Sliced lettuce: Adds a refreshing touch.
- Teriyaki sauce: You can use any store-bought teriyaki sauce that you like. I prefer making it myself, as many brands use alcohol, which is not allowed for me as a Muslim. So, I make my halal teriyaki sauce, which is easy.
- Sushi rice: Use sushi rice as the base; feel free to use orzo, jasmine rice, brown rice, quinoa, or any other grain.
- Granulated sugar: commonly used for sushi rice. Feel free to use your favorite natural sweetener.
- Rice wine vinegar: Adds a sour note that complements the salty and sweet flavors.
- Black sesame seeds (optional): I have used black seeds, but you can also use white or a combination.
How to Make a Teriyaki Salmon Bowl
As I mentioned earlier, making this salmon teriyaki dish is relatively easy and involves a few basic steps:
- Cut the salmon into cubes and place them in a mixing bowl. Drizzle the teriyaki sauce over the salmon. Stir to coat the salmon in the teriyaki sauce.
- The best thing about this recipe is that you can cook the salmon in three ways: air-fried, baked, and pan-fried. (Note: Look at the recipe card below for the detailed cooking instructions for all three methods.)
- Cook the sushi rice according to the packet instructions.
- Make a mixture of vinegar, salt, and granulated sugar. Add it to the warm cooked rice and stir to coat the rice grains.
- Once the rice is seasoned, divide it among the serving bowls and top each bowl with cooked salmon, lettuce, avocado, and cucumber slices. Garnish with sesame seeds, then add an extra drizzle of teriyaki sauce on top and serve.
What to Serve Teriyaki Salmon Sushi Bowl With
This dish is delicious and filling as it is. But it would also pair well with cucumber salad, chicken pakora, and vegetable fritters on the side, creating an interesting Asian fusion spread.
Storing and Reheating
- Store: You can store the leftovers in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Meal prep: This recipe is ideal for meal prep! You can put individual “bowls” in rectangular containers for meal prep and store them in the fridge (add the avocado before serving). You can also prepare each component separately and store them in different containers. Cook the rice in advance, cube the salmon, marinate it, and chop the vegetables. They will last longer if you store them separately.
- Freeze: Though you can’t freeze avocados or fresh veggies, you can keep cooked rice and salmon separately in the freezer for up to three months.
- Reheat: First, warm the salmon and rice in an oven-safe glass bowl in the oven or microwave, then add the fresh vegetables back in.
Substitutions and Variations
The best thing about this recipe is that you can add anything. Its ingredients are highly versatile and adaptable! Here are some ideas.
- Vinegar: Rice wine vinegar can be substituted with rice vinegar if needed.
- Salmon: Arctic char is an excellent substitute for salmon in this recipe because it has many of the same characteristics as salmon in appearance, flavor (a cross between salmon and trout), and nutrients. And of course, you can use trout fish too.
- Proteins: You can also make this recipe with other proteins, such as chicken, beef, or tofu, instead of salmon.
- Veggies: The combinations of these fish bowls are endless. Feel free to experiment with whatever veggies you prefer! Other vegetable possibilities include pickled red onions, peas, sliced raw broccoli, roasted sweet potato, and roasted eggplant. The possibilities are endless!
Pro Tips
- Overcooking the rice is a common mistake many people make while making this dish. Overcooked rice becomes mushy and loses texture, resulting in an unappealing meal. Avoid this by following the package directions and using the right amount of water. Or, you can use a rice cooker to make sure you always get good results. I now cook my Thai or Sushi rice in the rice cooker, as I find it more practical and guaranteed to work.
- Overcooking salmon is another common mistake. Overcooked salmon will have a hard and dry texture that can ruin the meal. To prevent this, keep an eye on the salmon as you cook. Once the center is opaque and separates easily with a fork or tongs, you know it’s done.
- Using low-quality ingredients might also make this recipe less pleasurable. For the finest taste and texture, use fresh salmon and high-quality rice in this recipe. Additionally, fresh herbs and veggies also improve flavor.
Nutritious and Delicious Salmon Recipe
These simple salmon rice bowls make a nutritious, delicious, well-balanced dinner or lunch. Additionally, it’s highly customizable with your favorite veggies and toppings.
If you make this teriyaki salmon sushi rice bowl, please share your experience with me! I hope you’ll like it as much as I do!
Teriyaki Salmon Bowl Recipe
Equipment
- Air fryer, or
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 portions boneless and skinless salmon fillets about 1.1 pounds
- 1 large avocado peeled, stoned, and sliced
- ½ cucumber sliced
- 1 cup sliced lettuce
- 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
- 2 portions of cooked sushi rice
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- Black sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Cut the salmon into 1-inch cubes.
- Add the teriyaki sauce to the fish and stir until all the salmon pieces are coated.
Air Fryer Method:
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil or line it with greaseproof paper.
- Place the salmon pieces in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 392°F/200 °C for 10 minutes, or until fully cooked.
Oven Method:
- Preheat the oven to gas mark 5, 392°F/ 200°C.
- Arrange the salmon pieces on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the fish for 15 minutes at gas mark 5, 392°F/200 °C, or until it is fully cooked.
Stovetop Method:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a frying pan, and fry the salmon cubes at medium heat.
- Turn the fish over with tongs and cook for about 12 minutes, until all the pieces are thoroughly cooked.
Assemble the Dish:
- Cook the sushi rice according to the instructions.
- Mix the sugar and rice wine vinegar until the sugar fully dissolves and combines with the vinegar.
- Add the sugar mixture to the warm rice and mix well.
- Spoon the rice into a bowl.
- Add the lettuce, avocado, and cucumber slices to the rice.
- Add the teriyaki salmon to the sushi rice and sprinkle some black sesame seeds.
Notes
- You can use store-bought teriyaki sauce that you like. I prefer making it myself as many brands use alcohol, which is not allowed for me as a Muslim. So, I make my halal teriyaki sauce, which is easy.
- Choose any vegetables you like. White cabbage, romaine lettuce, gem lettuce, radishes, or carrots can be good choices. You can replace avocado with something else, too. I sometimes put edamame beans or sweetcorn kernels.
