ginger maple salmon rice bowls
Hooray, our first bowl meal of 2024!
I realized a couple days ago that I’ve been writing ’23 on all my journal entries since the year began. Woopsie. Just like a new age, a new year on the calendar takes some getting used to when put in tangible form. I’ve always probably told more than one person that I’m 29 when that, indeed, changed about a week ago.
Anywho. Not really relevant here, but something I felt like saying since I wrote the current year in the opening line.
Whenever I visit Trader Joe’s, I usually do so with the intent of buying some salmon. It’s one of the few places I beeline towards the display since the fish is pre-cut and I don’t have to be an annoying psychotic food blogger bitch to the fishmonger by explaining just how I want my fish to be cut, and where I want it to be cut from.
Instead, I’m an obnoxious nerd who sifts through every package until I find the correct shape and girth. Bit less obtrusive, maybe, sorta.
Hencewise, salmon occupied my fridge, and I needed to use it. Lately, the manifestation has been in a skillet, sheetpan, or bowl recipe. Today, I chose bowl. A glorious bed of rice decked out with a tangy and simple shaved Brussels sprout salad, and topped with a glossy filet of saucy salmon. Fuck to the yeah.
Minimal ingredients and a whole lotta aesthetic flare. My kinda Tuesday dinner.
Lord of the Fishes
The salmon rounds itself up in one skillet. A few steps are required from start to finish, but once you’re moving and grooving, it’s quite simple.
First, prep your salmons. The key to a good crisp is patting the filets very dry with paper towels. I usually lay a few overtop while I prep some other shit for the dish.
When the salmons are nice and dehydrated, toss together some brown sugar, cinnamon (seriously, the hint of the warming spice in the recipe is bomb), salt, and pepper, then rub all over the salmon. The brown sugar caramelizes when the fish is cooked and creates a sweet char. Delish.
Then, shake up your sauce: soy sauce, maple syrup, cranberry juice (you can also use pomegranate or orange juice, I just happened to have some cranberry left from Christmastime and found that it tasted lovely), minced ginger and garlic, and a spoonful of cornstarch. Get all this nice and emulsified.
Now cook away! Heat some olive oil in a skillet, then set your salmon filets skin side up (so, brown sugar rubbed side down) and sear until the fish easily pulls away from your skillet. This will take about 4-5 minutes, so be patient: if the fish sticks, that means it’s not ready to be released. Flip your salmon and let the skin crisp up for a couple more minutes.
Pour in that lovely sauce and let it simmer for a few minutes to thicken up. Spoon the sauce over the fish intermittently to deepen the caramelization.
Lil Sprout
The Brussels sprout salad came about by necessity, sorta. I had a bag of Brussels sprouts in my fridge that I figured I should use sooner rather than later, and a salad-y thing of some kind felt right.
The fixture is easy. You can buy pre-shredded sprouts if you’d like, or do as I did and cut the little cabbages thinly with a sharp knife.
Add to a bowl along with some green onions and sesame seeds, and toss it all together with toasted sesame oil, lime juice, and a finishing sprinkle of salt to taste.
Woohoo, now it’s build-a-bowl time. I use rice most frequently, but quinoa would be my second choice. Pile on your portion of whatever grainy or faux-grainy shit you choose, then a heap of the salad, and finally a big juicy salmon filet. Be sure to drizzle some extra glaze overtop, and finish with a hit of sesame seeds and a few extra green onions.
Yes, this is a rad meal prep – Brussels sprouts are also great because they don’t wilt quickly when dressed. I’m always a proponent of portioning out some food ahead of time to prevent a rapid grab at the frozen French fries or pizza when pressed for a meal. Though, honestly, I’ve been doing that most the time lately anyhow.
Guess my New Year goal should be to eat less frozen French fries. Is that gonna happen? Nope. But if that’s your intention and you’re stickin’ to it, this salmon is a wonderful starting line.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Slammin’ salmon:
Sheet Pan Sticky Pomegranate Salmon
Sage Butter Cider Glazed Salmon
Sheet Pan Honey Orange Salmon Bowls with Spicy Mayo
Maple Chipotle Salmon and Avocado Rice Bowls
Sesame Crusted Salmon Salad Bowls
ginger maple salmon rice bowls
Ingredients
- 1 lb salmon
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup cranberry juice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- steamed rice, to serve
sesame brussels sprout salad
- 3 cups shaved Brussels sprouts
- 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a small bowl, toss the brown sugar with the ground cinnamon as well as a pinch each of salt and pepper.
- In a bowl or jar, whisk or shake together the soy sauce, maple syrup, cranberry juice, ginger, garlic, and corn starch.
- Pat the salmon filets very dry with paper towels. Rub the brown sugar mixture all over.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the salmon filets skin side up in the pan. Sear for 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook 2-3 minutes more to crisp the skin.
- Pour in the maple ginger sauce and bring to a simmer for 3-4 minutes, basting the salmon filets intermittently, until the sauce thickens and sticks to the fish.
- To make the salad: in a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with the green onions, sesame seeds, sesame oil, lime juice, and a pinch of kosher salt.
- Divide the salad and salmon filets over piles of rice. Drizzle with any sauce from the pan and garnish with extra sesame seeds and green onions, as desired.
