Salmon Rice Bowl with Cucumber and Avocado
Flaked soy-glazed salmon over warm rice with cool cucumber, creamy avocado and toasted sesame seeds. A light, high-protein bowl that comes together on the stovetop.
- Total
- 19 min
- Prep 6 · Cook 13
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Absorption rice
- Savory
- Quick
- Asian
- Light
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. Put it in the small saucepan with 150 ml water and 0.25 tsp salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover, drop the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
~10 min
Rinsing removes surface starch so the grains stay separate instead of turning gluey.
Absorption rice Use the right water ratio and keep the lid on; avoid stirring, which makes rice sticky.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the rice simmers, pat the salmon dry with paper towel and season both sides with 0.25 tsp black pepper. Cut the cucumber into 1 cm dice and slice the avocado half into thin wedges.
~4 min
-
While step 1 cooks
While the rice finishes, toast the sesame seeds in the dry frying pan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the pan, until golden and fragrant. Tip them onto a plate.
~2 min
Dry toasting activates the seeds' aromatic oils; without oil they can burn quickly, so keep them moving.
Toasting the sesame seeds in a dry pan wakes up their oils. Watch them closely, they go from golden to bitter in under a minute.
-
Heat the non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Lay in the salmon and cook for 3 minutes until the underside is browned, then flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the salmon flakes easily and reaches 63°C at the thickest point.
~6 min
Cooking to 63°C ensures safety while a brief sear builds browning and keeps the interior moist.
Pull the salmon off the heat as soon as it flakes; it keeps cooking in the residual pan heat and the glaze, so a slightly underdone centre is right.
Searing Get the pan hot before adding salmon; don't move it until the underside releases easily and is well browned.
-
Pour 2 tbsp soy sauce into the pan around the salmon and let it bubble for 30 seconds, spooning it over the fillet until it thickens into a glaze. Take the pan off the heat.
~1 min
The soy sauce reduces and caramelizes slightly, thickening into a glaze that clings to the salmon.
-
Fluff the rice with a fork and spoon it into a bowl. Break the salmon into large flakes over the rice, add the cucumber and avocado, spoon over the pan glaze and scatter with the toasted sesame seeds.
~2 min