Salmon Avocado Bowls
Last Updated on February 23, 2023 by Annie
These flavorful salmon avocado bowls are a fully baked take on a homemade poké bowl. Oven-baked salmon tops a bed of sticky long-grain rice and is topped with cucumbers, avocado, and drizzled with spicy mayo!
I love sushi. Probably to a fault, but man do I love sushi. My love of sushi might be a bit extreme, to the point where my husband has had to curb the amount of times I am allowed to request sushi in a given week. But lucky for me, he sometimes works evening and overnight shifts leaving me to my sushi eating devices.
Now there might be something I love just as much as sushi, if not more… Poké. Hello Chipotle-style sushi. I love putting together poke bowls packed with sushi grade salmon and tuna, warm sushi rice, avocado and ALL THE FIXIN’S! But since I cannot afford to eat sushi or poke every night of the week, we have come to a small compromise, these Salmon Avocado Bowls.
Similar to poke, I get to throw in all the deliciousness I love, like salmon, cucumbers, and avocado. They differ from poke because my access to sushi-grade fish is limited, and my husband bought long grain rice in bulk, and “we must finish it!”
Seriously, anyone else sitting with a 30-lb bag of rice in their basement?!? Luckily if stored in a cool dry place, in an air-tight container, rice will keep for about 30 years… Long enough to send a child off to college with it (at least at the rate we are going through it…)
How to Make Salmon Avocado Bowls
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Salmon- Fresh salmon cut into 1/4 lb fillets.
- Marinade- A mix of soy sauce, garlic powder, ginger powder, chili garlic paste, honey, and white pepper.
- Sticky Rice- Long grain rice mixed with a warm sweetened rice vinegar sauce.
- Spicy Sriracha- A mixture of mayo and sriracha that you drizzle on top and enjoy!
- Toppings– Cucumber, avocado, cilantro, chive, and more make the perfect toppings for your bowl.
Directions for Salmon Avocado Bowls
Make the Salmon
- Make marinade: In a shallow dish, whisk together soy sauce, garlic powder, ginger powder, chili garlic paste, honey, and white pepper.
- Marinate your salmon: Place your salmon skin side up in the dish and allow the salmon to marinate 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip the salmon and allow it to marinate skin side down in the dish for an additional 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F while the salmon is marinating. After the salmon is finished marinating, place the salmon skin-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the salmon with the remaining marinade.
- Bake the salmon for 15 minutes or until cooked through (145°F) at the thickest point.
Make the Sticky Rice
- Boil water: In a medium-sized pot, bring 2 cups of water to boil over high heat.
- Add rice: Once boiling, stir in 1 cup of rice along with ½ tsp salt and 1 Tbsp vegan butter. Bring the water back to a boil.
- Cover + cook: When the rice and water are boiling, stir the rice TWICE, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes are up, remove from heat and leave the pot covered for 5 minutes.
- Heat vinegar mixture: While the rice fluffs heat together 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir together with a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Toss rice with vinegar: After the 5 minutes are up, pour the rice vinegar mixture over the rice and stir to combine. If you cooked the rice in a stainless steel pot, transfer it to a glass or plastic bowl and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon. Set aside.
Assemble the Bowls
- Make the spicy mayo by stirring together mayo and sriracha, set aside.
- To assemble, put 1 cup of sticky rice in a shallow dish.
- Add ¼ cup diced cucumber, ¼ cup diced avocado, and ¼ pound piece of salmon.
- Garnish with additional cilantro, chive, and soy sauce then drizzle with spicy mayo.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Some kitchen tools I find pretty helpful with this recipe include:
- Thermometer– For checking the temperature of the salmon after cooking.
- Small whisk– Used to mix up the salmon marinade and the spicy mayo if you are using.
- Shallow glass storage containers– Used to store the salmon while it marinates. I like the glass because it doesn’t stain and it’s easy to toss in the dishwasher for sanitizing.
More Toppings to Try
If you are like me, you probably stick to the same toppings time and time again. You know what you like and you don’t feel like veering off the path of known deliciousness. If you are more like Mr. MLAD, you probably try a different topping combination every time… Here are a few different ways you can switch it up for a different bowl every time.
- Shredded carrots
- Chopped jalapeño
- Shelled edamame
- Sesame seeds
- Wasabi paste
How to Know Your Salmon is Done
Cooking salmon can often feel like a guessing game. To know your salmon is fully cooked try these methods:
- It flakes. Using a fork, gently scrape over the top of the salmon, if the salmon flakes along the lines running along the top, it’s done.
- Check the temperature. Using an instant-read thermometer check the temperature of the thickest part of the salmon. 140°F-145°F will be a well-done salmon fillet.
Storage and Meal Prep Ideas
I would suggest storing the ingredients separately for the bowls. Keep each individual cooked/prepared ingredient in air-tight refrigerator-safe containers. Each item should last:
- Cooked salmon- Keeps for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- Sticky rice- Stores for about 4 days in the refrigerator.
- Spicy mayo- Keeps for up to a month in an air-tight container.
- Cucumber- Use within 2 days of chopping.
- Avocado- Use the same day you cut it.
If you are planning to meal prep this recipe and pack it for a lunch I would suggest using a compartmentalized container so you can remove items that do not need to be re-heated (raw vegetables and the spicy mayo).
More Dairy-Free Seafood Recipes
Shrimp Tacos- These refreshing shrimp tacos make the perfect Taco Tuesday recipe!
Shrimp Rolls- Quick and refreshing New-England Style shrimp rolls are the perfect nod to summer and the classic lobster roll!
Fish Tacos- These oven-baked fish tacos are drizzled with two delectable dairy-free sauces!
If you tried these Salmon Avocado Bowls and enjoyed them, feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to hear how it went! Or, snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy to share all your life after dairy adventures!
You can also get delicious dairy-free recipes and tips by signing up for my newsletter!
Salmon Avocado Bowls
Oven baked salmon tops fresh cilantro lime rice, avocado, and cucumber in this refreshing recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 pound Salmon
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- 2 Garlic Pods microplaned
- 1 teaspoon Ginger ground
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Garlic Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- ¼ teaspoon White Pepper optional
Sticky Long-Grain Rice
- 1 cup Rice
- 2 cup Water
- ¼ cup Rice Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Spicy Mayo
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Sriracha
- ½ Tablespoon Soy Sauce
Garnish
- 1 Avocado Diced
- 1 Cucumber Diced
- Cilantro
- Chive
- Soy Sauce
Instructions
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In a shallow dish, whisk together ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 pods chopped garlic garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger powder, 1 Tablespoon chili garlic paste, 1 Tablespoon honey, and ¼ teaspoon white pepper, if using. Place your salmon skin side up in the dish and allow the salmon to marinate 20 minutes.
-
After 20 minutes, flip the salmon and allow it to marinate skin side down inthe dish for an additional 20 minutes.
-
Preheat the oven to 400° F while the salmon is marinating. After the salmon is finished marinating, place the salmon skin side down on a foil lined baking sheet.
-
Brush the salmon with remaining marinade. Bake the salmon 15 minutes or until cooked through (145°F) at the thickest point.
Make Sticky Long Grain Rice
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In a medium sized pot, bring 2 cups of water to boil over high heat. Once boiling, stir in 1 cup of rice along with ½ teaspoon salt and 1 Tablespoon vegan butter. Bring the water back to a boil.
-
When the rice and water are boiling, stir the rice TWICE, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes are up, remove from heat and leave the pot covered for 5 minutes.
-
While the rice fluffs, While the rice fluffs, heat together ¼ cup rice vinegar, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir together with spatula or wooden spoon.
-
After the 5 minutes are up, pour the rice vinegar mixture over the rice and stir to combine. If you cooked the rice in a stainless steel pot, transfer to glass or plastic bowl and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon. Set aside.
Assemble the Salmon Avocado Bowls
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Make the spicy mayo: In a small bowl mix together ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 Tablespoon sriracha, and ½ Tablespoon soy sauce.
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Put 1 cup of sticky long grain rice in a shallow dish. Add ¼ cup diced cucumber, ¼ cup diced avocado, and ¼ lb of salmon. Garnish with additional cilantro, chive, and soy sauce and drizzle with spicy mayo.
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