This Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl is sushi inspired and has everything we all love deconstructed into a fabulous, healthy and wholesome bowl. Sushi rice, a zippy cabbage slaw, sliced avocado, cool crisp cucumbers and broiled marinated salmon. Sprinkled with crushed nori, sesame seeds, a crunchy panko topping and drizzled with an incredible spicy mayo. This recipe serves 4 and is also great for meal prep!

Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl

Think Deconstructed California Roll.

Sushi, sashimi and maki are definitely one of my all time favorite things to eat. Some of my most favorite moments in life include friends, family and platters of different types of each. And I always stop to pick up an order crunchy spicy California rolls after I get my hair done. It’s become a thing.

So I decided to turn my love of the California roll into a bowl featuring salmon, spicy mayo and a crunchy garlicky topping. Which to me is the best part.

Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl

And this bowl is quite possibly the best thing I have ever made.

ingredients for Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl

To Make These Spicy Salmon Maki Bowls You Will Need:

for the spicy mayo

  • Japanese mayo
  • sriracha

for the salmon

  • salmon
  • coconut aminos
  • rice vinegar
  • toasted sesame oil
  • sriracha
  • green onions (light green/white parts)

for the quick pickled slaw

  • shredded cabbage
  • green onions (dark green parts)
  • tamari
  • rice vinegar
  • toasted sesame oil
  • ginger
  • garlic

for the crunchy topping

  • toasted sesame oil
  • panko breadcrumbs
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder

for building the bowl

  • cooked sushi rice (2 cups or more if desired)
  • avocado
  • mini cucumbers
  • nori (about 1/2 to 3/4 of a sheet)
  • toasted and/or black sesame seeds

spicy mayo

Ever wondered how they make that spicy mayo that zigzags your favorite rolls? It’s simple, you need equal parts Japanese mayonnaise and sriracha. Since it’s hard for me to find Japanese mayo where I live, I order it online. But it’s a must if you want to recreate that sauce. For this recipe, I mix 2 tablespoons of each together.

salmon

As for the salmon, you will want 1 pound skinless (wild caught is best) salmon. I just so happened to go shopping on a Monday morning and all I could find were these salmon steaks. So I cubed them into 1 to 1-1/2 inch cubes. Worked great!

salmon marinade

Next whip up the salmon marinade. It consists of 1/4 cup coconut aminos, 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon sriracha and the light/white parts of 3 green onions. Whisk to combine.

salmon in a bag

Add your salmon to a re-sealable bag.

pour marinade over salmon

Pour the marinade over top.

let the salmon marinade

Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal to close. I like to place it on a small tray or pan just incase the bag leaks. Pop this into your fridge to marinated for 30 to 45 minutes.

rinse and cook rice

This is when I start the rice.

First rinse your rice until the water runs clear. Then follow the package instructions for preparing the rice or use your rice cooker. I always make rice in my rice cooker. With that said, I used the rice cooker cup to measure 2 “cups” and added it to my rice cooker, filled it up to the 2nd line and let the cooker work its magic. I also measure my cooked rice before serving.

If using the stovetop method, use a standard 1 cup measure. That should yield 2 cups sushi rice.

cabbage and green onion

While rice is cooking and salmon is marinating, prepare the cabbage slaw. Add 4 cups thinly shredded cabbage plus the dark green parts to the onion (reserved from making the marinade) to a bowl.

sauce for cabbage

Make the dressing by whisking together 2 tablespoons tamari, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon both grated ginger and grated garlic.

Pour in all of the dressing.

toss cabbage in sauce

And then toss to combine.

sesame oil, panko, garlic and onion powder in skillet

Moving on to the crunchy topping. Add a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil to a small non-stick skillet. Measure and add 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs and 1/4 teaspoon each garlic and onion powder.

toasted panko

Stir over medium-low heat until golden brown. Remove off of the heat and set aside.

salmon on foil lined pan

Preheat your oven to 400℉ (or 200℃).

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, lightly spray with olive oil and arrange the marinated salmon. Discarding any leftover marinade.

cooked and broiled salmon

Slip the salmon onto the middle rack and bake 6 to 8 minutes. Then remove and (using oven mitts) move the oven rack to the highest position. Turn on the broiler on high and broil until crispy, about 1 minute or so. Watch carefully, rotating the pan as needed to ensure equal browning.

FYI as for reheating leftovers, this salmon crisps and reheats beautifully in the air fryer. (4 minutes or so at 390°)

Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl

Build your bowl!

Divide rice among 4 bowls and top with slaw, salmon, avocado and cucumbers. Sprinkle with crush nori, toasted sesame seeds and the crunchy panko topping.

Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl

Lastly, drizzle with the spicy mayo

Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl

The flavors!! Oh my goodness the flavors of this bowl are exceptional. The sushi rice and salmon with the creamy avocado, cool cucumber and spicy mayo are out of this world. The crunchy panko hits this dish out of the park.

Prepare to fall in love.

Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl

Enjoy! And if you give this Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl

Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl
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Yield: 4 bowls

Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl

This Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl is sushi inspired and has everything we all love deconstructed into one fabulous, healthy and wholesome bowl. Sushi rice, a zippy cabbage slaw, sliced avocado, cool crisp cucumbers and broiled marinated salmon. Sprinkled with crushed nori, sesame seeds, a crunchy panko topping and drizzled with an incredible spicy mayo. This recipe serves 4 and is also great for meal prep!

Ingredients

FOR THE SPICY MAYO:

  • 2 tablespoons Japanese mayo
  • 2 tablespoons sriracha

FOR THE SALMON:

  • 1 pound skinless wild caught salmon, cut into 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup coconut aminos
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 2 to 3 green onions, light green/white parts

FOR THE CABBAGE SLAW:

  • 4 cups shredded cabbage
  • reserved dark green parts from 2 green onions
  • 2 tablespoons tamari, or low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh garlic

FOR THE CRUNCHY PANKO TOPPING:

  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

FOR BUILDING THE BOWL:

  • 2 cups cooked sushi rice
  • 1 small avocado, quartered and sliced
  • 2 mini cucumbers, sliced
  • 1/2 to 3/4 sheet nori, crushed
  • 2 teaspoons total toasted and/or black sesame seeds

Instructions 

TO MAKE THE SPICY MAYO:

  • In a bowl, combine Japanese mayo with sriracha. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

TO MAKE THE SALMON:

  • Prepare the marinade by combining; coconut aminos, rice vinegar, oil, sriracha and the light/white parts of the green onions. Place salmon in a bowl or resealable bag and pour marinade over top. Squeeze out as much air as possible and refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes.
  • While the salmon is marinating I prepare the rice (following the package directions, or like me, use a rice cooker), the slaw and crunchy topping.
  • Once marinated (and the rest of the prep is done for the rice, slaw and crunchy topping) remove the salmon and preheat your oven to 400℉ (or 200℃). Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil, spray with olive oil and remove and arrange the salmon pieces. Discard the marinade.
  • Once the oven is preheated, slip the salmon into the oven and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Then (using oven mitts) remove and move the oven rack to the highest position. Turn on the broiler and broil until crispy, about 1 minute or so.

TO MAKE THE CABBAGE SLAW:

  • Make the dressing by combining the tamari, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, ginger and garlic. In a large bowl add the cabbage and green onion. Pour in the dressing and toss well to combine.

TO MAKE THE CRUNCHY TOPPING:

  • Add toasted sesame oil, panko, garlic and onion powder to a small non-stick skillet. Heat over medium-low toasting the panko until golden. Remove off of the heat and set aside.

BUILD YOUR MAKI BOWL:

  • Divide rice among bowls (about 1/2 cup each) and top with cabbage slaw, salmon, avocado and cucumbers. Sprinkle with crush nori, toasted sesame seeds and the crunchy panko topping. Lastly drizzle with the spicy mayo.
Serving: 1bowl, Calories: 704kcal, Carbohydrates: 58g, Protein: 35g, Fat: 38g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 29g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 1459mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 15g

Spicy Salmon Maki Bowl