Crispy sesame seed crusted salmon baked in the easiest sweet and spicy glaze over a bed of your favorite rice and veggies: these Honey Sriracha Sesame Salmon Bowls are a new staple in my house!!
Jump to RecipeAfter two years of standing strong, I eventually got Covid this week. It sucked, but it’s over. One big realization I had during this time was just how much I rely on going to the grocery store. I mean, new recipes, new ingredients. Seems simple, right? Well, yes… it usually is. But, when learning to rely on just as few instacarts and friends/family runs to the store as possible, I’ve had to come up with some ways to cook with just ingredients you have in your house. Now, I’m not saying that everyone has salmon or particular veggies lying around, but I most definitely always have sriracha, honey, rice, and various other ingredients used in this Honey Sriracha Sesame Salmon Bowls. Hence, I whipped up this recipe on a whim. And, let me tell you, it has become a new tried and true dish for me!
The breakdown…
This Honey Sriracha Sesame Salmon Bowls is truly the best of both worlds. It’s spicy yet sweet, sticky not too overpoweringly-glazed, and crunchy yet soft. Oh, and it’s pretty freaking healthy, too. To start off this multifaceted dish, I like to get my rice going. I always forget to cook my rice before starting a dish like this… that’s why I included it in the directions this time. Go with jasmine, basmati, brown, white, quinoa, farro, etc etc… any grain will work, really. You could even serve this over cauliflower rice, if you would like, for more of a grain-free option. In any case, get that going before you start making that sauce.
Speaking of which, I could truly talk about this honey sriracha sauce all day. With mostly pantry staples — ie sriracha, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and honey — mixed in with some fresh flavors from the ginger and garlic, it doesn’t get much better than this. Moreover, when you cook it all up over the stovetop for just ten minutes it creates the most perfect glaze for on top of salmon. It’s not too sticky (I’m not a big glaze girl), but it does hold its place well on the salmon. Oh, and I definitely recommend saving about a ¼ cup to mix with mayo or greek yogurt down the road. The final drizzle is the best!
the salmon…
With your sauce underway, the next step for this Honey Sriracha Sesame Salmon Bowls recipe is to get that salmon going. Simply pat your filets super dry to ensure a nice sear. Then, dredge each filet through the sesame seeds. This gives the most perfect crust to your salmon without having to use too much oil/breading. Plus, the little flavor from the toasted sesame seeds is divine. Press them in firmly, then send everything to your skillet. You want your skillet to be nice and oiled up. Oh, and it’s gotta be hot. This is the key to a good sear. Then, go ahead and flip that salmon, sesame side down, into the oil to get searing. After just a few minutes, it should be ready to get flipped and sent to the broiler. This is where the magic happens: it continues to cook and get crispy, yet doesn’t over do it in the middle. It’s the best method.
assemble and serve!
While your salmon is cooking, go ahead and shave up those cucumbers, defrost that edamame (always recommend buying frozen), and slice up those avocados. Batta-bing, batta-boom. Oh, and at this time you’ve gotta mix up that reserved glaze with some greek yogurt or mayonnaise. Personally, I like to do a mixture. I’m not crazy about mayo, but it brings in a nice creaminess here with the tart sriracha. Serve everything up over that rice with so much of that sauce and the juicy crispy salmon. Finish with some cilantro (and maybe some more sriracha??) and omg… it’s just so good. Whether you make this for an easy weeknight dinner, have it for a fun lunch, or make it for a crowd, these Honey Sriracha Sesame Salmon Bowls are always a winner!
I hope you love this Honey Sriracha Sesame Salmon Bowls recipe as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:))))
Honey Sriracha Sesame Salmon Bowls
Course: Main CourseCuisine: American, Asian, FusionDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes15
minutes30
minutesA little crispy from the sesame, a tad sticky from the honey glaze, and a whole lotta sweet, spicy, and fresh from all the toppings: these Honey Sriracha Sesame Salmon Bowls are a new staple in my house!!
Ingredients
- honey sriracha sauce:
¼ cup sriracha
½ cup honey*
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup water
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
- salmon:
4 filets salmon, skin on deboned
½ cup sesame seeds
3 tbsp neutral oil (such as avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or vegetable oil)
- assembly:
½ cup mayonnaise or greek yogurt
Prepared jasmine rice, to serve
2 avocados, thinly sliced
1 cup edamame, shelled*
2 large cucumbers, shaved
Cilantro, to garnish
Instructions
- Prepare your rice according to its package. Preheat the oven to broil.
- In a small saucepan, whisk all of the honey sriracha sauce ingredients until combined. Over medium-high heat, bring the liquids to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until a glaze starts to form.
- Meanwhile, spread your sesame seeds out on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Pat the salmon filets dry with a paper towel, then press each filet into the sesame seeds (the non-skin side) and press firmly — making sure the sesame seeds stick to the fish’s exterior.
- Then, in a large cast iron (or other ovenproof skillet) heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once very hot, add each salmon filet, sesame seed side down, into the skillet. Sear for 3 minutes, then flip. Brush the majority of the glaze over top of the salmon, saving about ¼ cup to the side for later. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer to the broiler. Broil for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through, flaky, and crisp.
- In a small bowl, whisk the mayo or yogurt with the reserved ¼ cup of the glaze. Thin with 1-2 tbsp of water, as needed.
- Serve your salmon over a bed of jasmine rice with some avocado, edamame, cucumber, and cilantro, to garnish. Finish with a drizzle of the honey sriracha mayo. Enjoy!
Notes
- Instead of honey, you could also use brown sugar. You can also adjust how sweet/spicy you would like your glaze by adding more or less honey.
- I recommend buying your edamame frozen and then defrost it in the microwave for a bit.