Salmon coated in a sweet, salty, and spicy marinade over a bed of fluffy rice with fresh greens like avocado and cucumber on top, this Spicy Salmon Bowl will send your tastebuds dancing. Enjoy it as an easy and quick dinner (just 25 minutes!) or as a meal prepped lunch you’ll look forward to all week long.
Update: This post was originally published in 2022. It was updated in early 2026 with new images, modified recipe, and updated body content.
About this Spicy Salmon Rice Bowl Recipe
This spicy salmon bowls recipe was originally published in 2022 but it didn’t get much traction and it needed a nice and easy glow up (imo). Because I have many bowl recipes (see 15+ High-Protein Power Bowl recipes for inspiration), it’s key to deviate and put together unique combinations. This may be one of the easiest bowls to make – and the delicious flavor is remarkable!
I took the viral cucumber salad recipe (my Viral Cucumber & Peppers recipe would work here too!) paired it with some flavorful baked salmon, fluffy white rice and topped with chili oil to create a nutritious power bowl.
And if you want to try a sweeter salmon, check out this Maple Miso Salmon recipe, my Teriyaki Salmon Bowls or this Salmon BLT. I bet you will enjoy this Sushi Casserole as well!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Salmon – I bought fresh salmon with the salmon skin removed. If you’ve got leftover salmon fillets afterward, make this California Fish Burrito!
- White Rice – The base of our Spicy Salmon bowl serves as a blank canvas to soak up all of the delicious flavor piled on top. I used pre-cooked rice out of convenience, but feel free to cook your own, use brown rice, jasmine rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice or leftover rice you’ve got in your fridge!
- Veggies – Cucumber, jalapeño, green onions and avocado.
- Dressing – For the cucumber salad we’ll use mayo, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, Sriracha, sesame seeds and salt.
- Kewpie or Spicy Mayonnaise – The creamy heat is perfect dressing for this Spicy salmon bowl. Add a little (or a lot) on top of the bowls before serving.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Dial up/down the heat as you see fit: the chili crisp, sriracha, jalapeno are all contributors of how spicy this bowl actually is! Add chili flakes for even more heat!
- The slaw is customizable. We kept it easy with cucumbers & jalapenos, but would be delish with many other fresh veggies like edamame, red bell peppers, sliced carrot coins, etc.
- Switch up the protein and make this exact same recipe with shrimp, chicken or even tofu!
- Make it lower carb with cauliflower rice or serve over a bed of greens.
How to Make This Spicy Salmon Bowl Recipe
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prep the salmon: Cut the filet in half if not already, dry with a paper towel/remove excess liquid. Use a silicon brush to spread chili crunch oil onto the top of the salmon. Bake salmon pieces for 12-15 minutes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 145°F.
2. While the salmon is cooking, cook the rice according to box instructions and make the cucumber salad. We love to do this in a tupperware so you can toss, shake and store without extra dishes. Add everything into a tupperware and shake until completely coated.
3. Build the bowls: split everything into two bowls. Rice on the bottom of the bowl, pickled cucumbers salad, diced creamy avocado, and top with each cooked salmon filet. Drizzle chili crunch oil and/or kewpie mayo over the salmon filets. That’s it – enjoy!!
PRO TIPS
Don’t over cook your salmon! There’s a fine line between done and overdone and over done salmon becomes quite tough. Start with a lower cook time and cut into a piece to check it. You can always turn the heat back on.
Recipe FAQs
Store your Spicy Salmon Sushi Bowls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. I suggest adding the avocado just before enjoying to avoid browning.
I used Sockeye Salmon which has the lowest fat content, but there’s a pretty big difference between types of salmon so choose according to your preference. The three most widely available types you can find at your grocery store include King Salmon, Atlantic Salmon, and Sockeye Salmon. King Salmon is highest in Omega 3 fats largest in size. Commercially available Atlantic Salmon is going to be farmed salmon which is mild in flavor and the lightest in color. Sockeye Salmon is lowest in fat and the brightest red color, often described as the “fishiest” flavor.
If you don’t want to cook your salmon, you can instead buy sushi grade salmon and marinate with the same marinade for more of a deconstructed sushi bowl with raw fish.
I like this Spicy Salmon bowl with a combination of temperatures. The salmon and rice are hot with all the veggies cold. If you’re making for meal prep or eating it as leftovers, it’s also delicious with everything cold or room temperature. I would shy away from warming the entire thing as the cucumbers and green onion will get soggy.
Serving suggestions
Best mixed all together so you get a little something in every bite!
Change it up your Spicy Salmon Bowl over a bed of Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice for extra flavor and top with some Quick Pickled Onions for a little more zing. This Oriental Coleslaw would be a tasty side dish, too!
Not feeling a bowl? Try this Spicy Salmon Bake from my friend, Julie.
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Spicy Salmon Bowl
Equipment
- Silicone brush
- Measuring cups and spoons
- large tupperware
- Sauce pot
Ingredients
Salmon
- 1 lb Salmon filet. Cut into two, ~10-12 oz filet
- ½ tbsp Chili oil crunch, love Momofunku
Ingredients – spicy cucumber slaw
- 6 persian cucumbers
- 1 small jalapeño
- ½ cup diced Green onions
- ½ cup light mayo
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sriracha, more or less depending on spice preference
- ½ tbsp Sesame seeds
- Generous pinch of salt
Bowl
- 1 bag jasmine rice, we love the 90 second cook in the microwave packet
- ½ Avocado, diced
- Kewpie mayo
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prep the salmon: Cut the filet in half if not already, dry with a paper towel/remove excess liquid. Use a silicon brush to spread chili crunch oil onto the top of the salmon. Bake salmon pieces for 12-15 minutes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 145°F.
- While the salmon is cooking, cook the rice according to box instructions and make the cucumber salad. Add all the salad ingredients into a tupperware and shake until completely coated.
- Build the bowls: split everything into two bowls. Rice on the bottom of the bowl, pickled cucumbers salad, diced creamy avocado, and top with each cooked salmon filet. Drizzle chili crunch oil and/or kewpie mayo over the salmon filets. That’s it – enjoy!!
This is such an easy recipe! We love the flavor of the salmon. SO good!
With the salmon cut in pieces, it cooks so fast! This recipe is so easy and quick, perfect for a weeknight din
Please ignore my presentation that isn’t as beautiful as yours but this was amazing! So easy and quick to make. Definitely will use this for an easy lunch recipe now that I’ve made it!
These were amazing!! Very easy to make and full of so much flavor. Made them for my sister and husband and they loved it!
One of my new favorites!! Loved the marinade on the salmon.
Oops I accidentally commented twice but they were just that good!
this recipe is on repeat at my house
If you are in the mood for Salmon look no further than this recipe.