Salmon rice bowls with wild rice, asparagus, fresh herbs and a tangy and bold fat-free Thai-style dressing are flavour-packed, nourishing and satisfying. Flaked salmon, crunchy greens and a bold kick of heat make these salmon bowls a delicious go to for lunch or dinner.
Other spicy lunches to try include chilli cheese on toast and cucumber tomato noodle salad.
Why I Love These Spicy Salmon Bowls
- Fresh & delicious: Each forkful from these salmon rice bowls delivers the salty-spicy-zesty boom from the dressing, mixed with the cooling mint and coriander.
- Textures: There's crunch from the asparagus & onions and the slightly chewy texture from the salmon and wild rice.
- Quick & easy: Ready in 30-minutes and achievable even for novices in the kitchen.
- Good source of protein and fibre: Each salmon rice bowl contains approximately 25g protein and 6g of fibre.
Ingredients Notes
Rice: Wild rice is rich in fibre & minerals and provides more protein than white rice making it a great addition to these spicy salmon bowls. I recommend either Biona wild rice or Tilda basmati & wild rice mix.
Salmon: Boneless, skinless cooked salmon is required for these salmon bowls. You can, of course, cook your own fillets ahead of starting this recipe - pan fry, poach, oven-bake or air-fry.
Asparagus: Ideally, use fresh asparagus that is not too thick.
Fresh herbs: Use fresh mint and coriander as these compliment the sweet & sour spicy dressing perfectly. Dried herbs will not suffice in these salmon bowls.
Thai-style dressing: Made from lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar and red chilli.
Ingredient Substitutions
If you don't happen to have wild rice handy then feel free to substitute white or brown rice instead.
Use either brown sugar or coconut sugar in place of the palm sugar.
How To Make Salmon Rice Bowls (Step-By-Step Instructions)
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Step 1: Cook the rice according to the pack instructions. Set aside to cool.
- Step 2: Trim the woody ends from the asparagus. Slice the remaining asparagus into 2cm lengths and plunge into boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, refresh in cold water, drain again and set aside.
- Step 3: Finely slice the salad onions and pick the coriander and mint leaves from their stalks. If the mint leaves are large, rip them into smaller pieces.
- Step 4: Once the rice has cooled, add the asparagus, salad onions, mint and coriander. Flake the salmon into the bowl and stir to combine.
- Step 5: To make the dressing remove the seeds from the chilli and finely chop. Mix the lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar and chopped chilli in a bowl until the sugar dissolves.
- Step 6: Pour the dressing over the salad, mix gently and spoon into bowls. Serve immediately.
Storage Instructions
These spicy salmon bowls are best eaten fresh as the herbs will discolour over time.
If meal-prepping, the prepared ingredients can be stored in the fridge for 2 days, but it is best to keep the herbs separate and add them when ready to serve. Once cooked and cooled, it is essential the rice is refrigerated immediately to avoid the risk of unhealthy bacteria forming.
These spicy salmon rice bowls are not suitable for freezing.
Tips For Success
- Crush the palm sugar: If your sugar is in a big block or large crystals use a pestle and mortar to crush it to make it easier to dissolve in the dressing.
- Vary the chilli heat: Some chilli peppers are hotter than others. If you are unsure, or like a milder kick of chilli, use just half of it, taste and add more if desired.
- Taste before serving: A quick spoonful to check that the balance of flavour is spot on for you is a good idea:
- Too salty: Add a dash more lime juice and a sprinkle of sugar.
- Too sour: Stir in a little more sugar.
- Too sweet: A dash of lime juice and fish sauce will rectify this.
Frequently Asked Questions
These salmon rice bowls are a good source of protein and fibre, whilst being low in unhealthy fats. They also include plenty of greens but the sodium level is on the higher side due to the fish sauce.
Yes, you can. If eating when made they will be room temerature but if made in advance they must be stored in the fridge to keep them safe. In this instance it's best to eat them cold rather than reheating which would adversely affect the fresh herbs.
Yes, you can. However, the rice must cooled quickly and refrigerated promptly to keep it safe to eat. It's a good idea to add the coriander and mint when ready to serve to prevent them from going brown during storage. The ingredients for these salmon bowls will stay fresh for 2 days.
Variations
- Swap the salmon: replace it with cooked prawns or white crab meat.
- Switch the veg: Use tenderstem broccoli or peas in place of the asparagus.
- Boost protein: Mix in 150g cooked edamame beans to add in an extra 5g of protein per serving.
Have you made these spicy salmon bowls? Please let me know what you thought of them by leaving a review.
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📖 Recipe
Salmon Rice Bowls
Ingredients
For the bowl mix:
- 300 g Salmon fillets (approx 2 fillets, skinless, cooked)
- 200 g Wild Rice Mix
- 250 g Asparagus stems
- 20 g Fresh coriander reserve a few leaves for garnish
- 20 g Fresh mint - reserve a few leaves for garnish reserve a few leaves for garnish
- 6 Salad onions
For the Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons Fish sauce
- 4 tablespoons Lime juice
- 1 teaspoon Palm sugar
- 1 Garlic clove peeled and minced
- 1 Red chilli - deseeded and chopped fine
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the pack instructions. Set aside to cool.
- Trim the woody ends from the asparagus. Slice the remaining asparagus into 2cm lengths and plunge into boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, refresh in cold water, drain again and set aside.
- Finely slice the salad onions and pick the coriander and mint leaves from their stalks. If the mint leaves are large, rip them into smaller pieces.
- Once the rice has cooled, add the asparagus, salad onions, mint and coriander. Flake the salmon into the bowl and stir to combine.
- To make the dressing remove the seeds from the chilli and finely chop. Mix the lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar and chopped chilli in a bowl until the sugar dissolves.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, mix gently and spoon into bowls. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Crush the palm sugar: If your sugar is in a big block or large crystals use a pestle and mortar to crush it to make it easier to dissolve in the dressing.
- Vary the chilli heat: Some chilli peppers are hotter than others. If you are unsure, or like a milder kick of chilli, use just half of it, taste and add more if desired.
- Taste before serving: A quick spoonful to check that the balance of flavour is spot on for you is a good idea:
- Too salty: Add a dash more lime juice and a sprinkle of sugar.
- Too sour: Stir in a little more sugar.
- Too sweet: A dash of lime juice and fish sauce will rectify this.
- If you need to cook raw salmon fillets then it's up to you how to cook them - pan fry, poach, oven-bake or air-fry.
- These salmon bowls are best eaten fresh as the herbs will discolour over time.
- However, leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 24 hours provided that they are covered and refrigerated as soon as the rice has cooled. It is vital to store cooked rice correctly to avoid the risk of unhealthy bacteria forming.
- These salmon rice bowls are not suitable for freezing.
Variations
- Swap the salmon: replace it with cooked prawns or white crab meat.
- Switch the veg: Use tenderstem broccoli or peas in place of the asparagus.
- Boost protein: Mix in 150g cooked edamame beans to add in an extra 5g of protein per serving.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
You can just tell how fresh, nourishing & healthy these wild rice and salmon bowls are from looking at the images. I can definitely see myself making the recipe tomorrow for lunch - thanks for the idea!
Jane Saunders says
Hope you enjoyed it, Thalia 🙂