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Soy-Ginger Glazed Salmon Rice Bowl

Simple weeknight bowl — rich glazed salmon over rice with quick-pickled cucumber and pickled ginger.

15 min prep · 25 min cook · 40 min total · 2 people

Adapted from Claude

Ingredients

people
  • 2 thick salmon steaks
  • 60 ml soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar (for glaze)
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated (or 1 tsp ground)
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil (for searing — skip if using oven-only method)
  • 300 g jasmine or short-grain rice, dry
  • 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar (for cucumber)
  • 1 tsp sugar (to taste)
  • 0.5 tsp salt (to taste)
  • 30 g pickled ginger, to serve

Steps

  1. Make the glaze. Whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a small bowl. Set aside about 2 tbsp to drizzle at the end — don’t skip this or you’ll have nothing clean to finish with.
  2. Marinate the salmon. Pat the salmon dry. Coat with the remaining glaze and let sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes.
  3. Quick-pickle the cucumber. Toss the sliced cucumber with the 2 tbsp rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Let sit while the salmon marinates — at least 10 minutes.
  4. Cook the rice per package directions. Keep warm.
  5. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Use an oven-safe pan (cast iron or stainless).
  6. Sear the salmon. Heat the neutral oil in the pan over high heat until shimmering. Shake excess marinade off the steaks — it’ll burn. Sear 2–5 minutes per side until nicely caramelized. Watch it closely; the honey browns fast.
  7. Finish in the oven for 8–9 minutes, given how thick the steaks are. The fish should flake easily at the thickest part but still look slightly translucent in the centre for medium. Cook to 145°F internal if you want it fully through.
  8. Rest and assemble. Let the salmon rest 2 minutes. Build bowls: rice base, salmon on top, drained pickled cucumber on the side, pickled ginger alongside. Drizzle the reserved glaze over everything.

Notes

Salmon steaks have a centre bone — it pulls out cleanly once cooked, or just eat around it. Don’t overcrowd the pan on the sear or it’ll steam instead of caramelize. If you have sesame seeds or green onion, throw them on at the end.

Those steaks look like they’re at least 3–4 cm thick so the extra oven time is important — don’t pull them at the 6-minute mark like you would thinner fillets.

Variation: oven only, no sear

Easier and less mess. Same recipe, change:

  • Temp: 220°C (higher than before, since you’re not getting any crust from the sear)
  • Time: 12–15 minutes for thick steaks
  • Method: Line a baking sheet with foil, place steaks on it, spoon glaze over top generously. Don’t flip — just let the top caramelize in the oven.
  • Optional: Broil the last 2 minutes to get some colour on top.

You lose a bit of the caramelized crust but the flavour is identical.

Variation: bake in the marinade

Put the steaks in a baking dish, pour the marinade over, and bake at 200°C for 12–15 minutes. The marinade becomes a braising liquid and reduces into a sauce around the fish. Spoon it over the top halfway through.

Tradeoff vs. dry roasting: no caramelization on the exterior — it’ll be more tender/poached in texture rather than roasted. For thick steaks that’s actually a nice result. Broil 2–3 minutes uncovered at the end if you want any colour on top.

My Notes

(your own tweaks go here)

salmonfishdinnerrice-bowlasian-inspiredweeknight