Honey Sriracha Salmon Rice Bowls
Pan-seared salmon gets glazed in a sweet and spicy honey sriracha sauce, then served over rice with quick-pickled cucumbers for a fast dinner bowl.
Prep: 10 · Cook: 15 · Total: 25 · Serves: 4 · Difficulty: Easy · Rating: 4.7/5 (189 reviews)
INSPIRED BY
A weeknight riff on sweet and spicy glazed salmon bowls, built around pantry staples for speed.
Story
Last Thursday was one of those nights where I opened the fridge at 5:40 with zero plan and found four salmon fillets I'd forgotten I bought. This bowl is what happens when I panic-cook with things I already have, honey, sriracha, and rice are always in my kitchen. I used to just dump the sauce in the pan with the salmon from the start, wrong, it burns before the fish is even cooked through. Now I sear the salmon first and add the sauce at the end so it glazes instead of scorches. My husband ate two bowls, my seven-year-old ate the rice and cucumbers and pushed the salmon to the side of her plate, so we're at 80 percent success, which for a Thursday is a win.
By Casey
Ingredients
- 4 (5-6 oz) salmon fillets, skin removed
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 mini cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (for cucumbers)
- Pinch of sugar and salt (for cucumbers)
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Toss the cucumber slices with the extra teaspoon of rice vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Set aside to quick-pickle while you cook.
- In a small bowl, whisk together honey, sriracha, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and garlic. Set the sauce aside.
- Pat the salmon dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add salmon to the skillet and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned and just cooked through.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour the honey sriracha sauce over the salmon and let it bubble and thicken slightly, about 1 to 2 minutes, spooning it over the fillets as it reduces.
- Divide rice among bowls, top with glazed salmon, drained pickled cucumbers, scallions, and sesame seeds. Drizzle any extra sauce from the pan over the top.
Chef Tips
- Pat the salmon dry before it hits the pan, it browns much better without surface moisture.
- Watch the sauce closely once it's in the hot pan, honey can go from glossy to burnt fast.
- No fresh cucumber, a handful of coleslaw mix quick-pickled the same way works too.
- Leftover salmon breaks apart nicely over a cold rice salad the next day.
Cook's Notes
- **Sear first, sauce last:** Adding the honey sriracha sauce too early burns it before the salmon cooks through.
- **Dry fish browns better:** Pat salmon dry with a paper towel before seasoning.
- **Quick pickle timing:** Even 10 minutes of quick-pickling gives the cucumbers real tang.
- **Spice level:** Cut sriracha to 1 tablespoon if you're serving picky eaters, then pass extra sauce at the table.