Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl
Salmon fillets glazed in a quick homemade teriyaki sauce — soy, honey, garlic, ginger, and rice vinegar — seared in a skillet until caramelized, then served over rice with edamame, cucumber, sliced avocado, and a sriracha mayo drizzle. No marinating, no oven. Done in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
Meat & Protein
- 4 salmon fillets 6 oz each, skin-on, patted dry
Produce
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1 cucumber halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
- 3 green onion thinly sliced, for garnish
- 1 fresh ginger grated — about 1 tsp
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Dairy
Pantry & Canned Goods
- 2 cups long grain white rice uncooked — or use pre-cooked rice pouches
- 1 cup edamame frozen, shelled — thawed
- 3 tbsp soy sauce low sodium
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise Hellmanns or Dukes recommended — for sriracha mayo
- 1.5 tbsp sriracha adjust to heat preference — for sriracha mayo
- 1 tbsp olive oil for searing salmon
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted, for garnish
Seasonings & Spices
- ¼ tsp kosher salt for salmon
- ¼ tsp black pepper for salmon
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package directions. While the rice cooks, prepare everything else — this is a 25-minute meal when the rice runs simultaneously.
- Make the teriyaki glaze: whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, minced garlic, and grated ginger in a small bowl until combined. Set aside — this is both the glaze and the finishing sauce.
- Make the sriracha mayo: stir together the mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl until smooth. Refrigerate until serving.
- Pat the salmon fillets completely dry with paper towels. Season the flesh side with kosher salt and black pepper. Dry salmon is the key to a proper sear — any moisture on the surface causes steaming instead of caramelization.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the salmon fillets skin-side down. Cook without moving for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin is crispy and the salmon is cooked about two-thirds of the way up the side. Flip carefully and cook for 2 minutes on the flesh side.
- Pour half the teriyaki glaze into the pan. It will immediately bubble and begin to caramelize. Spoon the glaze over the flesh side of each fillet as it thickens — about 60 seconds. The glaze should be glossy and sticky. Remove from heat.
- Assemble the bowls: divide the rice among four bowls. Place one salmon fillet in each bowl. Arrange the edamame, cucumber slices, and avocado alongside. Drizzle the remaining teriyaki glaze over everything. Add the sriracha mayo in a zigzag. Garnish with sliced green onion, toasted sesame seeds, and serve immediately.
Notes
No marinating required. The teriyaki glaze goes into the pan during the last 60 seconds of cooking — the high heat caramelizes it onto the surface of the salmon without any wait time. The result is as flavorful as a long marinated version without the planning ahead.
Skin-side down first and don't move it. The skin needs 4 to 5 uninterrupted minutes against the hot pan to render and crisp. Moving the salmon causes it to stick and the skin tears. Let the pan do the work and the salmon will release cleanly when it's ready to flip.
Start the rice first — it takes 18 to 20 minutes and the salmon takes 7 to 8. Getting the rice going first means everything finishes at the same time. Pre-cooked rice pouches cut this to a true 15-minute dinner.
The remaining teriyaki glaze doubles as the bowl sauce. Pour it directly over the assembled bowls — it coats the rice, the cucumber, and the edamame and ties the whole bowl together.
Leftovers: keep components separate. The salmon keeps for 2 days in the fridge and reheats well in a 300°F oven for 8 minutes. Assembled bowls don't store well — avocado browns and rice absorbs the sauce.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!