Salmon Sushi Bowls

These Salmon Sushi Bowls have all of the flavors you love about a sushi roll piled up into a bowl and drizzled with spicy mayo and eel sauce! Pan fried salmon is seared then baked until juicy then topped with eel sauce. It’s served on a bed of homemade sushi rice, pickled carrots, avocado and cucumbers! This easy salmon bowl is loaded with flavor and so fun to make! This is a great heathy meal for weeknights or for a fancy date night!

Looking for more Salmon Recipes? Then give my Air Fryer Salmon or my Blackened Salmon a try!

Salmon Sushi Bowls

We love making sushi at home but it can be time consuming and difficult to do. This salmon sushi bowl solves the problem! It is easy to throw together with no fancy rolling or slicing like regular sushi.

This sushi rice bowl is loaded with flavor and tastes just like a salmon sushi roll. The bowl is loaded with homemade seasoned sushi rice, pickled carrots, sliced cucumber, avocado and salmon. The salmon gets seared over high heat to get a golden brown crust on the outside. Then it get’s brushed with eel (unagi) sauce then transferred to the oven to finish cooking. The bowl then gets drizzled with a homemade spicy mayo and eel sauce. The spicy mayo makes the bowl. It’s creamy, tangy and spicy. It’s the perfect topping for the salmon bowl.

This sushi bowl is perfect for lunches or weeknight dinner! You can make a keto sushi bowl by replacing the white rice for cauliflower rice.

Love this recipe? Then give my Teriyaki Glazed Salmon a try!

What you need to make a Salmon Sushi Bowl

• Rice: We use short grain white rice for this recipe. It clumps up when cooked and mimics a traditional sushi rice. You can use Calrose rice, sushi rice or Japanese rice. All of these types of rice are short grain and typically used when making sushi.
• Pickled veggies: We soak thinly sliced carrots in a mixture of vinegar, sugar and salt.
• Spicy mayo: This is my favorite part of any sushi bowl! I could literally eat this stuff on everything. All you need to make spicy mayo at home is mayonnaise and sriracha!
• Salmon: Wild caught never frozen salmon is best if you can find it!
• Eel sauce: Is brushed on top of the salmon before baking. I also like to drizzle it on top before serving. It adds a sweet, savory umami flavor that goes perfectly with the spicy mayo!
• Other veggies: I like to add thinly sliced cucumbers and avocado to my bowl but feel free to use whatever you have on hand! Get creative and try some of my suggestions below.

How to make a Deconstructed Sushi Bowl

• Make the sushi rice: I always start by rinsing off my rinse. This helps the rice from getting gummy and clumping up.

• Boil rice: According to the package instructions until all of the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Mine usually takes about 20 minutes or so.

• Pickle carrots: In a medium bowl whisk together rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Add in carrots and allow them to soak for 15 minutes (or while you are preparing the rest of the dish).

Cool and season rice: After rice is cooked spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and allow to cool. Use the reserved liquid from the carrots and drizzle it on top of the rice. This seasons is what seasons the rice! Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and set aside.

• Cook the salmon: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season salmon with salt, pepper, and chili powder.

• Spicy Mayo: In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, Sriracha and sesame oil. Set aside until you are ready to serve.

• Assembly: To assemble start by diving the rice between two bowls. Top with pickled carrots, sliced cucumbers, avocado and salmon. Drizzle with spicy mayo and a drizzle of eel sauce, if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Variations

Use whatever fruit or veggies you have on hand! I also like to add:

• Mangos
• Shrimp
• Imitation Crab or Crab Stick
• Radish
• Edamame
• Nori (Seaweed)
• Wasabi
• Pickled Ginger
• Tofu
• Green Onions
• Toasted Panko Breadcrumbs

How to store sushi bowls

Since the salmon is cooked this sushi bowl recipe stores really well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They make great make ahead lunches.

If I don’t have eel sauce what can I use?

Eel sauce also known as unagi sauce can be made at home if you don’t have it on hand. Here’s a great recipe for Homemade Eel sauce!

Can I make this Salmon Sushi Bowl healthier?

Absolutely! This sushi bowl is already packed with tons of healthy fats, protein and nutrients but it is calorie dense thanks to all the rice and mayo. To save of calories here is what I recommend:

• Use only 1/2 the rice per serving and increase the veggies.
• Replace some or all of the rice for cauliflower rice. My husband and I have done this before and it tastes just as great!
• Use less spicy mayo and eel sauce!

Here are more Easy Salmon Recipes to try!

• Sweet and Sour Salmon
• Hoisin Glazed Salmon and Veggies in foil
• Easy Teriyaki Salmon
• Super Easy Thai Salmon
• Blackened Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce
• Sweet and Spicy Honey Sriracha Salmon