Can’t-Get-Enough Crispy Salmon Bowls

Over the winter, I asked my daughter who was home on college break to make dinner for us one particularly busy day. She did what all good 20-somethings do and turned to TikTok for a recipe for colorful, crispy salmon bowls that are so yummy and versatile they’re now on permanent rotation at my dinner table.

Since I’m not on TikTok, I’ve never been able to get the official recipe (although I have been able to see some of the ingredients). The original recipe comes from @FlavorsByFrangipane on TikTok and is intended to be made in the air fryer. I prefer to make the salmon in the oven and while I’ve used her ingredients for inspiration I’ve made it my own since I couldn’t make hers without the proper proportions.

I love that it’s full of bright colors, heart-healthy omega 3s, and whole grains. Plus, you can pretty much adapt it to whatever veggies you have on hand (or like), which is what I call an all around win! It takes just 5 minutes to make the marinade and only 10-15 minutes to cook the salmon but you’ll want to plan ahead because the fish needs to marinate for at least an hour or two.

Ingredients:

For the salmon marinade:

3/4 cup of soy sauce

1- 1/2 Tablespoons of hot honey

1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons chopped fresh garlic

1-1/2 teaspoons of dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon of salt

A few shakes of black pepper

1-1/2 lb thick-cut wild salmon

For the bowls:

Prepared brown or wild rice (I like the frozen brown jasmine rice from Trader Joes for a short cut)

2 cups of finely shredded purple cabbage

2 cups of chopped or thin-sliced baby cucumbers

2 cups of thin-sliced red bell peppers

2 cups carrots, cut into matchsticks (I buy these precut)

1 cup finely-sliced radishes

1 avocado, chopped and sprinkled with lime juice

1/2 cup sliced cilantro

For the peanut sauce:

Check out this recipe from Cookie and Kate!

Instructions:

If the salmon has skin, remove it and then chop the flesh into bite-sized chunks. Whisk together the first 8 ingredients (everything but the salmon). Toss the salmon chunks in the marinade and refrigerate for at least an hour or two.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and then spread the salmon chunks on the sheet in a single layer. Roast for about 10-13 minutes, until just cooked through, turning the salmon chunks occasionally so they gets crispy on all sides. (You could do this in the air fryer, as in the original recipe.)

While the salmon is cooking. Prepare a peanut sauce of your choice for drizzling. Assemble all the remaining ingredients (rice, veggies, herbs, and peanut sauce) into separate bowls and set them out on your table.

When the salmon is ready, place it in a serving bowl along with the other ingredients on your table. Let everyone assemble their own bowl with the rice as a base, some salmon, and the veggies of their choice. Top each bowl with cilantro and drizzle with peanut sauce.

NOTE: You can really use any vegetables you like in this dish. It would be yummy with roasted or steamed broccoli, edamame, asparagus tips, grilled corn—you name it! I’ve even added pineapple, oranges, and other fruit.