Salmon avocado rice bowl

I’ve been getting the not-so-subtle hint from NYT Cooking and other publications that a mediterranean diet seems to be the way to go if you want a healthy long life. And salmon seems to be the star protein that appears in many mediterranean recipes. But salmon is healthy whether it’s in a mediterranean recipe or not. This is my recent favorite way of making salmon; it combines the clever Asian way of marinating fish with the refreshing Californian way of serving salmon with a generous variety of textures.

Ingredients (makes 2 bowls)

• 12 oz of salmon (skin on or skin off)
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1 pinch of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of soy sauce (you can use the special kind of soy sauce for fish that my mother swears by: 蒸鱼豉油)
• 1 teaspoon of cornstarch (optional)
• 2 teaspoons of rice wine
• brown or white rice
• 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 stalk of green onions
• 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
• 1/4 cucumber, sliced
• 1/2 carrot, julienned
• 1 cup of shredded cabbage
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 tablespoon of kewpie mayo (or regular mayo)
• 1 teaspoon of sriracha

Tips

• I like to do this bowl with fried rice instead of plain. The extra effort goes a long way in giving the dish a lot of flavor. But it works fine with plain rice.
• The cucumber, carrot, cabbage and avocado are all toppings. You can customize this however you like. I find that the bowl tastes great with just cabbage and avocado as well.

Instructions

• Cut the salmon into cubes.
• Marinate the salmon with salt, sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch and rice wine for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat up oil in a non-stick pan and scramble the eggs.
• Add the rice, soy sauce and green onions and stir fry it. Once done, divide the rice into two large bowls and set aside.
• Place the marinated salmon cubes into the non-stick pan and cook 3 minutes each side. If you like your salmon to be tender, I suggest not cooking it for more than 6 minutes. But if you want your salmon to be more well done, you can cook it up to 10 minutes. Once done, turn off the stove.
• Assemble the bowls by placing the toppings (cucumber, carrot, cabbage and avocado) into the bowls.
• Add the salmon and top it with the kewpie and sriracha.
• Garnish with more green onions (optional).
• Ready to serve!