Sushi bowl with smoked salmon, avocado, cucumbers, edamame and rice makes for the perfect Japanese themed meal that is ready in under 30 minutes. All the flavors of a sushi roll but none of the fuss. Gluten Free and Dairy Free too.
Sushi bowl recipes are my life. If you know me you know I am obsessed with sushi and always proclaim my favorite country (out of the 56 I’ve been to) as Japan. If you ask me Japanese food is the best and anything related to sushi is always at the top of my list. If I had to pick one cuisine to eat the rest of my life it would be Japanese.
While I love ordering sushi rolls when I’m out, I’m not super keen on making them at home.
I have tried, and it’s always been somewhat successful but they’re never quite as graceful and dignified as the professional sushi rolls at the restaurants. You know what I mean? Somehow with a sushi roll I can never get it to slice cleanly and properly. My sushi rolls never look too plump, instead a bit mashed in. First world problems, I know.
So instead of a sushi roll, I’ve create a sushi bowl. Problem meet solution.
Try saying sushi roll and sushi bowl several times quickly without getting tongue tied. Kind of fun right?
How what to put in my sushi bowl?
I opted for these toppings
- smoked salmon rolled into roses (so easy to work with – no cooked required)
- cucumbers, cut into matchsticks
- edamame, quickly boiled and shelled
- avocado, thinly sliced
- toasted sesame seeds
- nori sheets, cut up
Smoked salmon and rice make for an awesome combo and there is no need to spend time cooking the fish! A major bonus for a quick low fuss recipe.
All my favorite flavors are Japanese inspired; think tamari, wasabi and ginger. So good. That pickled ginger on the sushi plate at the Japanese restaurants is gone, before you even had a chance to crack apart your chopsticks. Tell me I’m not the only one?
I simply assumed you just didn’t want any if you were taking so long. Wasabi has taken a few years to grow on me.
There was a time when I scrunched up my face as I saw my parents add it onto their sushi rolls, but now I’ve joined in, generously adding a dash every time I can.
Do you spread it on top of the sushi or mix it into the soy sauce? What’s your method?
Think of this recipe as a deconstructed sushi roll. I got the idea for these smoked salmon and avocado sushi bowls after making my low carb sushi. You still get all of those delicious Japanese flavors but without all the required patience and coordination.
Cook up some rice and mix it up with the tamari, sesame oil and rice vinegar dressing. Have you smelled sesame oil before? It’s one of the best scents out there. Open up your bottle and breath in that toasty goodness.
Now if I had access to fresh sushi grade salmon I would have gladly used it, but I didn’t so I used smoked salmon instead — not a bad alternative if you ask me.
The avocados and cucumbers give the smoked salmon and rice bowl a nice fresh taste and you can’t skimp on the nori seaweed sheets.
Now there are seaweed sheets and seaweed snacks. I love both but am currently obsessed with the snacks. Have you tried these before? They come in nice little single serving packages that you can munch on like chips. You can find them at Whole Food’s and Trader Joe’s and maybe even the regular grocery stores and they’re addictive and so good. Way healthier than chips too!
If you’ve got some pickled ginger and fresh wasabi, serve those on the side.
What you’ve got here is a delicious avocado and Japanese smoked salmon rice sushi bowl that comes together in no time and is both gluten-free and dairy-free.
If you’re trying to go the low-carb route make this rice free low carb sushi recipe or just use cauliflower rice in this sushi bowl instead.
If you love this sushi bowl here are some other Asian infused recipes you’re sure to love include:
- Low Carb Sushi Rolls with Smoked Salmon and Avocado {GF, DF}
- Soft Shell Crab Spider Roll Recipe {GF, DF}
- Asian Fusion Smoked Salmon Avocado Salad {GF, DF}
- Paprika Broiled Lobster Tail with Sriracha Aioli {GF, DF}
How to make my sushi bowl recipe:
- 1 cup rice cooked according to directions
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- 6 ounces smoked salmon sliced and rolled into roses (optional)
- 3 small cucumbers sliced into matchsticks
- 1 sheet cut into strips nori seaweed, cut into thin strips
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- "!For the Rice:"
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons gluten free tamari
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- "!For the Dressing:"
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha or chili garlic sauce
- 1 lime zest and juice
- optional: pickled ginger and wasabi
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Cook rice in a rice cooker or on the stove top according to directions (I add 2 cups water to 1 cup rice, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until cooked).
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In a small bowl combine dressing ingredients. Mix.
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Combine cooked rice and dressing, and mix until combined. Split rice between three bowls.
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In a small bowl combine the dressing ingredients, mayo, Sriracha and lime zest and juice. Mix.
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Top rice bowls with a third of the avocado, cucumber, salmon, nori and sesame seeds. Top with dressing.
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Optional -- serve with pickled ginger and wasabi
BusyWorkingMama says
Sounds wonderful! I, too, could not give up fish. Chicken, turkey, lamb, beef? Meh. But Pulled pork and bacon are also on my permanent list! Great recipe!
Vicky says
Thanks! I hear you! Would not want to give up pulled pork or bacon hmmm though I rarely eat either I do love both!
Julie @ This Gal Cooks says
Ya know, I always say that if I could only eat one type of cuisine for the rest of my life, I’d choose Mexican. But then I eat some sort of Asian food and I change my mind. LOVE this dish. Salmon is my favorite type of dish and I could eat avocados every day for the rest of my life. Pinned!
Naomi says
I think if I had to choose one ethic type of food it would be Japanese as well! It’s light and refreshing (usually) but still filling. Love the idea of a deconstructed sushi bowl!
Vicky says
Thanks! Much less coordination and patience required for the deconstructed bowl than an actual sushi roll : )
Julia says
These rice bowls sound delicious. The only thing I’d alter is that I would cook the salmon. Even smoked fish is a little too raw for me. But I do like fish and Asian cuisine!
Vicky says
Thanks! Feel free to use regular cooked salmon instead of the smoked salmon in this recipe too – I’m sure it will be delicious that way too : )
Kelli @ The Sustainable Couple says
You had me at avocado 🙂 Thanks for sharing on Mostly Homemade Mondays! Be sure to stop over tomorrow and link up a few more posts 🙂
Kelli @ The Sustainable Couple
Miz Helen says
Your Japanese Salmon Avocado Rice Bowls look fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great week and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Patty @pattysaveurs.com says
Great bowl of yummyness, love the way you assembled these delicious ingredients, anything with salmon 🙂
Vicky says
Thanks! Yes anything with salmon and I am IN!
Kelly @ trial and eater says
I love the idea of a sushi bowl!
Vicky says
They are the best!
Dannii says
I love serving sushi in a bowl. It’s all my favourite parts of sushi and a salad together.
Vicky says
Yes the best of both worlds!
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
First of all, how cool that you’ve been to so many countries! I’d love to travel to Japan! And secondly, it’s so funny you say that about toasted sesame oil. I remember hating the way it smelled the first time I smelled it as a child. But after trying it, and loving it, I quickly began loving the smell.
Vicky says
I’ve spend the last almost 5 years backpacking around the globe so have been adding new countries as I go! Can’t believe you used to hate the smell of sesame oil — I’ve always love it! (it’s the smell of fish sauce I’m not so keen on!)
Lynda says
Girl – I think I am going out to eat sushi for dinner tonight – must be karma that I stopped by and read this post today. I love the creativity of a sushi bowl at home.
Vicky says
Sushi bowls at home are the best : ))