This spicy salmon bowl recipe is quick and easy to prepare and cook and comes together in about 30 minutes! It makes a filling and nutritious lunch or dinner, and is gluten free, dairy free and full of healthy fats from the salmon and vegetables from the spicy slaw. There are many ways to customize your salmon rice bowl to make it taste like a new lunch every day!
Why These Spicy Salmon Bowls Are Great:
- Spicy salmon bowls are filling and nutritious! You can load them up with tons of vegetables and they are a great combination of healthy fats, protein and grains. Or, you can omit the grain for a grain-free/gluten-free salmon bowl.
- It’s very versatile recipe! The bowls can be loaded with any of your favorite toppings, things you already have on hand, and/or the vegetables and additions that you prefer most. There’s lots of room for flexibility!
- This spicy salmon bowl is dairy free and gluten free when made as salmon rice bowls. They can be made grain free by using cauliflower rice or omitting grains completely and using lots of veggies!
- You can use this same recipe and salmon marinade to make these spicy salmon rice bowls into salmon poke bowls instead.
Ingredients Needed
There are three elements to making a spicy salmon bowl or salmon rice bowl. There’s the salmon, which is marinaded in a sauce similar to poke sauce and then baked, the spicy mayo, and the cabbage slaw for topping and adding bulk and veggies to your bowl.
While it looks like a lot of ingredients in the recipe when written out, most of the items needed for the salmon are repeated with the mayo or in the slaw!
Ingredients for the Spicy Salmon:
Salmon: You will need 1 pound of salmon with the skin removed, although you can keep it on if desired. If you’re looking for a high quality salmon, you can get wild Alaskan salmon straight from the source from Surrender Salmon. You can use the code BAILEY10 at checkout to save 10% off your order, which is over $20 off the salmon fillet portions, and free shipping on orders over $125.
Vinegar: 1/4 cup of rice vinegar is needed. Do not use seasoned rice vinegar, just the plain kind. If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can use rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Soy Sauce: You’ll also need 1/4 cup of soy sauce, and in place of soy sauce you can use coconut aminos, or a gluten-free soy sauce option. Do not add any extra salt to the recipe as soy sauce has quite a high salt content on it’s own.
1 tablespoon each of sesame oil, sriracha, honey is also included in the spicy salmon bowl marinade, along with garlic and onion powder.
Ingredients for the Spicy Mayo:
The spicy mayo is very easy to whip together and only requires three ingredients. You’ll need mayo, sriracha and sweet chili sauce. Those get combined and will be a delicious creamy addition to drizzle over your spicy salmon rice bowl!
Ingredients for the Slaw:
To make the slaw for the salmon rice bowls, you’ll need shredded green cabbage. For this you could also use bagged coleslaw. Then you’ll need rice vinegar, soy sauce (or coconut aminos), sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and green onions. This will get mixed together to make a crisp veggie addition to the spicy salmon bowl.
Step by Step Recipe Instructions for Spicy Salmon Bowls
This step by step guide will walk you through how to make a salmon rice bowl. There are 4 main steps, that include prepping the marinade, slaw and mayo and then cooking the salmon. The final step is to assemble the bowls and add your favorite toppings!
Step 1
The first step to make your salmon bowl is to add all of the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Stir or whisk them to combine everything together, and then add in the diced salmon pieces. You’ll gently toss the salmon in the marinade so they’re all evenly coated. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to let the salmon sit in the sauce for a bit.
Step 2
The next step in the cooking process for making your spicy salmon bowl is to make the quick spicy mayo. To do this, add the three ingredients, mayo, sriracha and sweet chili sauce together in a dish and mix them well to combine.
Set this aside in the refrigerator. Then prep the slaw by adding all of the slaw items together into a large bowl and mixing it. You can let the slaw sit out until you bake the salmon so that the cabbage softens up a bit.
Step 3
Once your salmon has marianded for about 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or simply spray the sheet pan with a nonstick cooking oil to prevent the salmon from sticking to the tray.
Then, add the salmon pieces on the sheet pan in a way so that they are not touching or overlapping and then discard the excess marinade. Bake the salmon pieces for 8 minutes, or until they’re fully cooked and flake easily with a fork. Salmon cooks very quickly, so you don’t want to overcook them and dry it out.
An optional step when baking the salmon is to turn your oven to broil for the last 1 minute of cooking. Cooking under the broiler will get the top of the salmon pieces crispy and caramelized without drying the fish.
Step 4
The final step is to build your salmon bowls with a base of rice or greens, then your cabbage slaw and baked salmon, and then any of the optional toppings and vegetables you want to add. The last thing to add is a delicious drizzle of the spicy mayo sauce!
Best Additions and Toppings to Build Your Spicy Salmon Rice Bowl
- Cooked sushi/sticky white rice
- Brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa or couscous
- Sliced mini cucumbers
- Arugula, spinach or red leaf lettuce
- Black and white sesame seeds
- Nori sheets cut into strips
- Cilantro or green onions
- Sliced avocado
- Matchstick carrots or thinly sliced radishes
Storing Instructions:
If you have leftover spicy salmon bowl ingredients, you can store them to make another bowl for lunch the following day. They are best enjoyed fresh, but it is possible to enjoy them later or meal prep them.
The most important step for storing leftover salmon or salmon bowl ingredients is to store the “wet” ingredients separate on their own.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl Instructions:
To make your spicy salmon rice bowl into a salmon poke bowl, there are two simple things to change with this recipe. First, you need to ensure you’re using salmon that is sushi grade.
Secondly, instead of cooking the salmon as the recipe directs, you leave the salmon raw and let the cubes of salmon sit in the marinade longer. Then you can just add the raw salmon into your bowl and add any toppings you’d like same as you would with the cooked salmon!
Other Seafood Recipes You’ll Love:
- Air Fryer Mahi Mahi
- Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon
- Greek Salmon
- Smoked Shrimp
- Broiled Haddock
- Bang Bang Shrimp
- Air Fryer Shrimp Fajitas
Spicy Salmon Bowl
This spicy salmon bowl recipe is quick and easy to prepare and cook and comes together in about 30 minutes! It makes a filling and nutritious lunch or dinner, and is gluten free, dairy free and full of healthy fats from the salmon and vegetables from the spicy slaw. There are many ways to customize your salmon rice bowl to make it taste like a new lunch every day!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
- Category: Salmon
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American, Asian Inspired
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the Salmon:
- 1-pound salmon, skin removed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (toasted or regular)
- 1 tablespoon sriracha (or more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
For the Spicy Mayo Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
For the Slaw:
- 4 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, or coconut aminos
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil (toasted or regular)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 2 green onions, chopped
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the salmon marinade ingredients together in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the salmon pieces into the bowl and gently toss so they are all coated in the marinade. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes
- While the salmon is marinating, mix together the spicy mayo sauce ingredients in a small bowl and place in the refrigerator
- Next, prepare the slaw by combining all of the slaw ingredients into a large bowl and stir until all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Set aside
- Once the salmon has marinated for at least 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray lightly with nonstick cooking oil
- Place the salmon pieces on the baking sheet and arrange them so they are evenly spaced apart. Discard the leftover marinade. Bake for 8 minutes, or until fully cooked and flake easily
- Optional: in the last 1 minute of cooking, switch the oven to the broiler and let cook under the broiler to get the top of the salmon crispy and caramelized
- Once done, build your bowl with the base of rice, green cabbage slaw, salmon, and any optional toppings and then drizzle with the spicy mayo sauce
Notes
Optional ingredients to build your spicy salmon bowl:
- Cooked sushi/sticky white rice
- Brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa or couscous
- Arugula, spinach, red leaf lettuce
- Sliced mini cucumbers
- Black and white sesame seeds
- Nori sheets cut into strips
- Cilantro, sliced green onions
- Sliced or diced avocado
- Matchstick carrots and sliced radishes
Nutrtional facts are based on 1 bowl that uses 8 ounces of salmon and will vary based on additional items you add to yours as toppings or as a base.
Nutrition Facts:
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 536
- Fat: 25 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 52 g
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Marty says
Marinade is good, but soy sauce has gluten and I didn’t realize until after I marinated the salmon 😭Might be best to point that out in the recipe to find a gluten free alternative. Otherwise, it was great!
paleobailey says
Hello! The recipe does give the option for soy sauce or coconut aminos (gluten and soy free alternative)
Cindy says
I made this tonight, Super good and really easy!! Thank you!
Bri says
This was SO good! I barely tasted it because I ate it so fast.. but wow, so delicious! The whole thing came together in 20 minutes. It’s perfect for the busy week nights or when you really don’t feel like cooking but need a healthy option.
Molly says
This was so good!! Thank you!! Is the calorie information based on having rice with it?
Sarah says
I have never commented on a recipe before but this was too delicious not to! This has great flavor and plenty of good spice. Highly recommend and I’m thankful for the great recipe!
paleobailey says
I’m SO glad to hear this!! Thank you so much, Sarah!
Allison Masters says
My daughter made this last night and I ate two bowls. I’m going to make it for my household tonight! Very, very flavorful and fresh tasting. We used spinach instead of the slaw, however. My daughter prepped everything so we could quickly assemble our own bowl. Fantastic, quick recipe!
Trudy says
Very good! Picky husband enjoyed so definitely a win
Liane Walker says
Really good! And quick to make too.
Juli says
Delicious! The flavor of the salmon and sauce are perfect together. Really easy to do for quick dinners. It’s a new go to way to make salmon for us!