Sticky Salmon Rice Bowls

Enjoy a delicious, satisfying, and nutrient-dense meal with these Sticky Salmon Rice Bowls made with a homemade sticky sauce and complete with spicy mayo.

Easy and delicious sticky rice and salmon bowls

Nothing packs in flavor, nutrients, and protein quite like a sticky salmon rice bowl. And when it’s filled with so many delicious ingredients (think salmon, cucumber, broccoli, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, garlic…) you can’t help but love it.

This meal is made up of a few different parts, all of which come together to create a flavor-packed and extremely satisfying bowl. The recipe yields 4 servings, making it fantastic for feeding the family, enjoying as dinner and next-day lunch for two, or preparing for the week’s meal prep!

Ingredients in sticky salmon rice bowls

This recipe is made up of four sets of ingredients. We’ll begin with the base where we’ll prep the salmon, rice, and veggies, and then we’ll prepare the cucumbers, sticky sauce, and spicy mayo.

Bowl Base

• Salmon: The bowl base begins with 2 lbs of salmon. Be sure the skin is removed.
• Rice: 2 cups of uncooked rice will be the perfect amount for 4 bowls.
• Cucumber: Next, you’ll need 3 baby cucumbers. We’ll be coating them in a delicious sauce.
• Broccoli: As for the broccoli, use 1 large head, and prepare it by chopping it into small florets.
• Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds will complete the salmon rice bowl base.

Cucumber Sauce

• Sesame oil: First up for the cucumber sauce is 2 tsp of sesame oil.
• Soy sauce: Follow that with 2 tbsp of soy sauce. This is where we’ll get a lot of the flavor.
• Honey: Next, cut the salt a bit by adding 1 tbsp of honey. This will contribute a subtly sweet flavor that tastes delicious alongside the other ingredients!
• Chili crunch: Add a crunch and a bit of heat with 1 tbsp chili crunch. Optionally use red pepper flakes instead.
• Lime juice: Last up for the cucumber sauce is lime juice. Use 1 lime’s worth.

Sticky Sauce

• Soy sauce: The sticky sauce begins with 1/2 cup of soy sauce.
• Rice vinegar: Add a bite by including 1/4 cup of rice vinegar.
• Honey: Like with the cucumber sauce, add some honey to offset the other flavors and add a dash of sweetness. This time, we’ll be using 1/4 cup.
• Sesame oil: Next, use 2 tsp of sesame oil.
• Grated ginger: Then, throw in 2 tbsp of grated ginger.
• Garlic: Gotta have the garlic! Use 2 cloves of minced garlic (or 1/2 tsp of garlic powder).
• Chili crunch: Throw in 1 tsp of chili crunch. Again, you can use red pepper flakes if preferred.
• Arrowroot powder: 1 tsp of arrowroot powder will help thicken up the sauce. This can be substituted with cornstarch.
• Water: Last but not least, add 2 tbsp of water.

Spicy Mayo

• Mayo: For the mayo portion of the spicy mayo, use 1/2 cup.
• Sriracha: A little sriracha goes a long way! You’ll only need about 1 tbsp.
• Water: Finish it off with 2-3 tbsp of water.

Tools needed to make salmon rice bowls

You will need select kitchen tools to create this recipe, beginning with a pot large enough to cook two cups (uncooked) of rice. A steamer will be needed to steam the broccoli, or you can steam it in the microwave.

Additional items include a cutting board and knife, a small mixing bowl, a whisk, a sauce pot, and a stirring utensil.

To measure out ingredients, grab the following measuring cup sizes: 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1 cup.

How to make sticky salmon rice bowls

These rice bowls have a lot of steps, but it’s nothing you can’t tackle! Prep everything in the order listed below, and I’m sure you’ll find this dish easy to prepare. We’ll begin with the rice!

First, prepare the rice according to the instructions on the package. Then, set aside.

Steam the broccoli until it’s fork-tender.

Next, slice the cucumbers and then whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, chili crunch, and lime juice in a small bowl. Add the cucumbers and mix until they’re well-coated. Set aside.

Chop the salmon into bite-sized chunks. Toss them with oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay flat in the air fryer and fry for 7 minutes at 400°F. If baking, bake for 10 minutes at 425°F.

Next, begin creating the sticky sauce. Place a sauce pot over medium-high heat and add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, grated ginger, garlic, and chili crunch. In a separate little dish, whisk together the arrowroot and water. Once the sauce starts to bubble, add the arrowroot slurry.

Let the sauce bubble and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it thickens. It will thicken more as it cools.

Prepare the spicy mayo by mixing together all of the mayo ingredients.

Finally, add the rice to a shallow bowl or plate, followed by the cooked broccoli, marinated cucumbers, and cooked salmon. Pour the sticky sauce on top of the salmon, coating well. Top with the spicy mayo and sesame seeds, and enjoy!

Optional ingredient add-ins

Want to add even more flavor to your bowls? Below are some ingredients that you can add for an extra bump in flavor (and healthy nutrients)!

• Avocado
• Shredded carrots
• Shredded purple cabbage
• Edamame
• White or red onion

If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!

Enjoy some more delicious meals this week with these yummy lunch or dinner recipes. From chicken to shrimp pasta, there’s an idea for all cravings. Or, check out all of my dinner recipes!

• Greek Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
• Chicken Piccata Meatballs
• Lightened Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
• Easy White Chicken Chili Recipe (Stovetop or Crockpot)

Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by The Mindful Hapa

If you tried this recipe or any other recipes on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Follow @erinliveswhole on Instagram and tag me in any of the recipes you make so I can repost them!

Erin Antoniak

Sticky Salmon Rice Bowls

5 from 46 votes

Enjoy a delicious, satisfying, and nutrient-dense meal with these Sticky Salmon Rice Bowls made with a homemade sticky sauce and complete with spicy mayo.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 4 servings

Course: dinner, Main Course, meal-prep, salmon

Cuisine: Asian

Calories: 1062

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 2 lbs salmon skin off
• 2 cups uncooked rice
• 3 baby cucumbers
• 1 large head broccoli chopped into small florets
• sesame seeds

Cucumbers:

• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp chili crunch/sprinkle red pepper flake
• Juice of 1 lime

Sticky Sauce:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp chili crunch/red pepper flake
• 1 tsp arrowroot powder sub cornstarch
• 2 tbsp water

Spicy Mayo

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 2-3 tbsp water

Method

 

1. Prepare rice according to package. Set aside.
2. Steam broccoli until fork tender.
3. Slice cucumbers. In a bowl, whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, chili crunch, and lime juice. Add cucumbers and mix until well coated. Set aside.
4. Chop salmon into bite size chunks. Toss with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay flat in the air fryer and fry 7 minutes at 400F. Alternatively bake 10 minutes at 425.
5. In a sauce pan, make the sauce. Over medium-high heat, add soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, grated ginger, garlic, and chili crunch. In a separate little dish, whisk together arrowroot and water. Once sauce starts to bubble, add arrowroot slurry.
6. Let sauce bubble and cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickening. It will also thicken more as it cools.
7. Make spicy mayo by mixing all ingredients together.
8. Add rice to shallow bowl or plate, then add cooked broccoli, marinated cucumbers, and cooked salmon. Pour sticky sauce over top of salmon, coating well. Top with spicy mayo and sesame seeds.

Nutrition

Calories: 1062kcalCarbohydrates: 112gProtein: 61gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 20gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 2561mgPotassium: 1906mgFiber: 6gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 1403IUVitamin C: 140mgCalcium: 152mgIron: 5mg

Notes

• Chop the salmon into bite-sized chunks before cooking. Smaller pieces cook faster and more evenly in the air fryer (7 min at 400°F) or oven (10 min at 425°F), and they get perfectly coated in the sticky sauce.
• Make the arrowroot slurry separately before adding it to the sauce. Whisk the arrowroot and water together in a small dish first, then add it to the bubbling sauce. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened — and know that it will thicken even more as it cools.
• Prep all your components before assembling and don’t skip any element. The cucumbers, spicy mayo, and sticky sauce all work together to create layered flavor. Each one plays a role — the crunch of the cucumbers, the heat of the mayo, and the sweet-savory sauce make the whole bowl come alive!

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!