The Best Sesame Salmon Bowl

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This delicious bowl has salmon encrusted in sesame seeds atop a salad smothered in miso tahini dressing, all on a bed of black rice and drizzled in spicy mayo. This highly nutritious dinner is an absolute flavour sensation and a quick and easy dish for those busy nights. 

Contents:

This is on of those salmon rice bowls that you are going to want to try! There are so many amazing flavours going on and it is so filling and delicious. Healthy eating never tasted so good! Inspired by my Baked Salmon Poke Bowl and made using my Miso Tahini Dressing and Spicy Sriracha Mayo, this recipe is one not to be missed.

What’s To Love About This Sesame Salmon Bowl

If you’re a lover of grain bowls, buddha bowls or poke bowls then you are going to love this recipe. And if you haven’t tried any of those things then trust me when I say, you are about to experience a new level of delicious. Here’s what I love about this recipe:

• it has a total cooking time of 20 minutes, with only 15 minutes of prep (hello mid-week meal!)
• meal prep this recipe of a weekend for 4 delicious meals throughout the week. 
• this dish is high in omega three, complex carbohydrates, fibre and protein!
• the salmon is baked meaning less hands on cooking time.
• this recipe is gluten free and dairy free.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions 

Below is a list of any ingredients notes and possible substitutions that can be made. You can find the full list of ingredients and quantities in the full recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• mixed sesame seeds – I like to use a mix of black and white sesame seeds but you can just use all white sesame seeds or all black, depending on what you have on hand. 
• fresh salmon fillet – I’ve used Atlantic salmon in this recipe but you could also use King salmon, rainbow trout or tuna steaks. I’ve used skin off filets for this recipe as a personal preference.
• avocado oil – the avocado oil is to coat the salmon before dipping into the sesame seeds. You could use olive oil or toasted sesame oil for this as well. 
• kale – I’ve used common curly kale but you could also use Tuscan kale. 
• red cabbage – also known as purple cabbage, you could swap for another crispy vegetable like red peppers or even thinly sliced carrots. 
• radish – I’ve cut the radishes into matchsticks for this recipe, which worked really well as they get a good coating of dressing. 
• green onions – also known as spring onions. These are best finely sliced. 
• edamame beans – I can find edamame beans from my local grocery store in the freezer section and it is labelled edamame salad (don’t buy the edamame in the pods or you will have to spend time removing the beans). If you can’t find edamame beans a good substitute would be snap peas. 
• fried onions – these are available usually in the international aisle at the grocery store or from an Asian grocer. They are the crispy fried spring onions and add such a delicious crunch to this recipe. 
• black rice – I love black rice in this recipe because it has a delicious flavour and chewy texture. You can also use a short grain or medium grain rice like Jasmine white rice, sushi rice or brown rice. 

Miso Tahini Dressing Ingredients 

If you’d like to read any ingredients notes for the miso tahini dressing you can read through the post here. Otherwise read on to see what ingredients you will need.

• white miso paste
• hulled tahini 
• water
• minced garlic
• tamari sauce
• apple cider vinegar 
• avocado oil 
• pure maple syrup

Sriracha Mayo Ingredients 

• mayonnaise
• sriracha sauce
• fresh lemon juice 

How to Make Sesame Salmon Bowls 

I’m going to break this recipe down for you in simple steps so that you can see just how easy it is to make. 

Cook Rice

First up, cook the rice by adding the rinsed black rice to a medium saucepan along with the water. Place the lid onto the saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil the rice until almost all of the water has evaporated. At this point, turn the heat off and leave the lid on, allowing the rice to steam for at least 5 minutes. 

Bake Sesame Salmon

While the rice cooks, prepare the salmon. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the salmon pieces with avocado oil. Pour the sesame seeds into a shallow bowl and press the salmon steaks into the sesame seeds, oil side down. Transfer them over to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Once you have crumbed all four pieces of salmon, place salmon into the oven to bake for 15 minutes. 

Make Salad and Sauces

While the salmon is baking and the rice is cooking, it’s time to make the sauces and the salad. 

To make the miso dressing, whisk together the miso paste, warm water, tahini and minced garlic in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth and then add the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, tamari and avocado oil. Whisk until smooth and then set aside. 

To make the sriracha mayo, add the mayonnaise, sriracha sauce and lemon juice to a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Make the salad by adding the thinly sliced red cabbage, radish cut into matchsticks, edamame, kale and fried onions into a large salad bowl. Drizzle the miso tahini dressing over the top and toss to combine. 

Assemble the Sesame Salmon Bowls

Once the salmon is baked and the rice is cooked it’s time to serve. Divide the cooked rice between four bowls, top each bowl of rice with salad and a piece of baked salmon. Drizzle in sriracha mayo and serve straight away. Delicious! 

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container (or individual airtight containers) in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to re-heat the salmon before eating.