Salmon Poke Bowl
The very first recipe on Everyone Romaine Calm! When I thought of what I would post first, I immediately went to my marinated salmon poke bowl. This was a dish that I whipped up at the beginning of quarantining for Covid-19 and it became an instant hit among friends and family! You are free to add whatever toppings you want, but the marinated, cooked salmon really brings this dish to life.
What I love about poke bowls is that they are light and refreshing, yet filling and full of flavor. They are customizable to satisfy specific tastes and can be switched up easily to feel like completely different meals. I love to make extra of this marinated salmon to have the next day for lunch and dinner. I top my bowls with slightly different topics and I never get bored of it or feel like I’m eating the same “leftovers” again.
In the specific recipe below, I made sushi rice as the base for my bowl. You could, instead, use any grain that you like such as other rice, quinoa, bulgur (non GF), farro (non GF), or a salad mix to lighten it up. I also topped this one with roasted broccoli, pickled cucumbers, shredded carrot, edamame, sesame seeds and spicy mayo. This, however, is where you can get crafty when it comes to changing up leftovers. Change the grain, add instead other veggies like corn, tomatoes or radish. You could also simply enjoy the salmon over noodles or simply with a side of roasted vegetables – the options are endless. But without further ado…
Salmon Poke Bowl
Ingredients
Salmon
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ cup gluten free soy sauce or favorite soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- Juice of one lemon
- ¼ cup sesame oil
- 4 boneless, skinless salmon filets
Picked Cucumbers (optional)
- ½ large cucumber
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- ¼ cup sesame oil plus extra drizzle for broccoli (later)
Spicy Mayo (optional)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp sriracha
Additional toppings (or whatever you like!)
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets
- Base of choice (sushi rice, quinoa, mixed greens)
- 2 cups edamame
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk chopped garlic, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, honey, lemon juice and sesame oil. Add salmon to the bowl, make sure they are submerged in the marinade (this can instead all be added to large zip lock bags). Placed the marinating salmon into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to overnight.
- While the salmon is marinating, prepare your toppings! As said above, these can be simple and whatever you prefer, but for this recipe I had to make picked cucumbers, spicy mayo and roasted broccoli.
- Picked cucumber: thinly slice approximately half of a large cucumber. I like to cut the cucumber lengthwise down the center and then thinly slice the halves, but this can be done however you like. In a small bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, salt, sugar and sesame oil. Mix in the cucumber slices. Refrigerate the cucumber for a minimum of 30 minutes. Tip: make extra of these to add to other dishes – they are also delicious on their own!
- Spicy mayo: Mix together mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl. Add more or less sriracha depending on desired level of spiciness.
- Roasted broccoli: Preheat the oven to 395 degrees F (200 C). Line a baking sheet with foil. Spread the broccoli florets evenly on the baking sheet, for the best roasting make sure that the florets are not touching each other. Drizzle the broccoli with sesame oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes, the longer the crispier!
- When you are ready to cook the salmon, preheat oven to 415 degrees F (210 C). Line a baking sheet with foil. Curl up the sides of the foil to prevent the marinade from leaking out. Remove the salmon from the marinade and place the filets onto the baking sheet, fleshier side up. Slowly pour the remaining marinade over the salmon. You may feel like it is too much marinade, but more marinade = more flavor! Roast the salmon in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until your desired consistency is reached. At this point, I like to broil the salmon for a few minutes. If you do this, watch it closely, when you start to see the marinade bubble and dark a slight char on the salmon, take it out.
- Assembling the bowl: in a wide bowl, place in your base layer, in this case sushi rice (recipe coming soon). Top with salmon, additional toppings (picked cucumber, roasted broccoli, edamame, and shredded carrots). Drizzle the bowl with your favorite sauce, here we are using our spicy mayo. Finally, top with any finishing touches, like sesame seeds.