Incredibly easy teriyaki salmon (oven baked or air fried, your choice!) packed into bowls with a delicious mango avocado cucumber salad, fluffy rice and a bed of shredded red cabbage. Top it off with a creamy-spicy sauce – a vibrant and delicious dinner made in just 30 minutes!
What makes this recipe great
I think there must be millions of salmon bowl recipes out there, and I’m not here claiming I reinvented the wheel with my recipe. But I do a few things my way because they work for my actual everyday.
- Store-bought teriyaki sauce: I think it’s super great and noble and also not hard to make your own, I even have a recipe for homemade teriyaki sauce. However, this is a fast dinner and I appreciate a 2 minute prep time from “here is a slab of salmon” to “it’s ready for the oven”.
Just buy the teriyaki sauce you love the most – I like something with actual ginger/garlic/sesame seeds etc in it like Soy Vay. Alternatively, make Honey Glazed Salmon if you prefer. - A salad, not just toppings: Look, I love a bowl with several toppings neatly arranged and compartmentalized. But also, I have small humans at my dining table and if it’s not in a salad, they fight over the avocado and will eat nothing else.
And for some reason it’s just easier to throw it all into a bowl with a little lime juice etc. when the evening is already crazy. Feel free to keep all the toppings separate if you prefer! - A spicy sauce: I like to add spiciness via toppings and sauce because everybody can choose how much they tolerate. I will typically have a container of plain sour cream for the more spice sensitive dinner companions as well.
You can spice your sauce however much you like – this is more of a loose guide, not an IKEA manual (although to be fair, sometimes IKEA manuals are more of a loose guide, too…) This time, I added some red yuzu pepper paste my husband randomly bought the other day to the portion for the adults, and wow – it was so good! Highly recommend.
Also, final word: You can go with whatever salmon you like best. When I see fresh salmon sides for a good price, I buy enough to stock up the freezer. We prefer one large piece of skin-on salmon over small filets because it’s harder to overcook. However, I have made this with random frozen salmon fillets before and it’s perfectly delicious, too.
Let’s see how we make this:
Initial side note: I say “sheet pan” for the salmon but there is a baking dish in the picture. In a crazy, never-happened-to-me-before situation, this dish I have used several times for salmon in the oven, split neatly into two parts at the end of the baking time. So I guess I’ll be the cautionary tale and tell you better safe than sorry – use a sheet pan.
Step 1
Sauce up your salmon.
Place your salmon on a small sheet pan and brush it with teriyaki sauce. I use about 4-5 tablespoons for a pound of salmon, but adjust it to the brand you’re using.
Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then bake or air fry until done.
Step 2
Sauce assembly.
This just needs to be stirred together while you wait for the salmon to go into the oven/air fryer.
I like to use sour cream for the base, but you can do mayo. My secret ingredient is a tablespoon of barbecue sauce, the smokiness is just perfect here.
Step 3
The salad.
I prefer medium-small dice here – make sure everything is the same size. If your cucumber is very seedy, cut away the seedy part so your salad doesn’t end up watery.
Toss with lime juice, toasted sesame oil, and salt. Choose your own adventure with the herbs – cilantro, mint and basil are all very good here.
Step 4
Assemble in bowls.
This is the fun part. I usually go for a bed of rice and shredded red cabbage, salmon, a pile of salad and plenty of sauce.
I was sad to discover we were out of edamame, but I found a bag of lima beans hiding in the freezer and tossed them into the salad instead after a quick simmer. Also very good!
Tl; dr: All the important stuff a glance
- Quick recipe rundown: Brush your salmon with teriyaki sauce and set it aside until your oven/air fryer is hot. Cook some rice. Stir together the sauce. Bake the salmon until flaky and juicy and perfect. Make the salad while the salmon is in the oven. Assemble into bowls and enjoy while listening to people complaining about not being able to eat the avocado separately.
- Choose your preferred salmon – skin-on slab, individual fillets, defrosted from frozen: All good.
- Use your favorite spicy condiment in the sauce – sriracha is classic, but sambal oelek works, chili sauce works, and yuzu pepper paste is my most recent discovery which is nothing short of amazing.
- Air fryer or oven – either is fine. I do oven because it’s easier with a salmon side. Individual filets are perfect in the air fryer – see my air fryer salmon.
Lately, this has been one of our favorite fresh and tasty dinners and we haven’t gotten tired of it yet. I definitely love how fast it comes together, and that it’s basically eating a bowl of salad with extras. So good!
Some other fresh and quick meals we’ve been enjoying are Mediterranean baked cod, sweet and sour pork, sheet pan chicken fajitas (so good!) and ground beef tacos.
Teriyaki Salmon Bowls
Ingredients
For the salmon
- 1 pound salmon (Note 1)
- 4-6 tablespoons teriyaki sauce (Note 2)
For the sauce
- ¾ cup sour cream OR Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (optional)
- 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce (or more to taste)
- Sriracha, sambal oelek OR red pepper paste (to taste)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
For the salad
- 1 avocado (diced)
- 1 mango (diced)
- 1 English cucumber (diced)
- 1 cup edamame (prepared according to package directions and cooled)
- 2 tablespoons chopped herbs (such as parsley, cilantro, basil or mint)
- fresh lime juice (to taste)
- toasted sesame oil OR olive oil (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
To serve (optional)
- shredded red cabbage
- cooked rice
Instructions
- Before you begin:Don't forget to cook your rice and shred some red cabbage!
- Salmon:Preheat the oven to 425°F (Note 3). Place the salmon on a sheet pan and brush with teriyaki sauce. Set aside to marinate until the oven is hot. When ready, bake the salmon until it's opaque and flakes easily – about 12 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness and if you're using a slab of salmon or individual filets.1 pound salmon, 4-6 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
- Sauce:Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Place in the fridge until ready to use.¾ cup sour cream OR Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, ½ tablespoon soy sauce, Sriracha, sambal oelek OR red pepper paste, salt & pepper
- Salad:Add the avocado, mango, cucumber, edamame and herbs to a medium bowl. Add lime juice, oil and salt to taste. Toss to combine.1 avocado, 1 mango, 1 English cucumber, 1 cup edamame, 2 tablespoons chopped herbs, fresh lime juice, toasted sesame oil OR olive oil, salt
- Serve:Divide the red cabbage and cooked rice between 4 bowls. Arrange the salmon on top, add salad and sauce to taste.shredded red cabbage, cooked rice
Notes
- Note 1: I like to use a skin-on slab of salmon, but skinless salmon or individual fillets are totally fine. If you use skinless, consider using baking parchment under your salmon so it won’t stick.
- Note 2: A teriyaki sauce with actual pieces of ginger, garlic and/or sesame seeds is very delicious here.
- Note 3: To air fry, preheat your air fryer for 5 minutes. Air fry individual salmon filets at 400°F for 8-12 minutes (depending on their thickness), or until they are opaque and flake easily.
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