Spicy Salmon Rice Bowl with Cucumber Salad

Glazed salmon bites with an umami-packed cucumber salad.

3-4 bowls
45 mins
Ethan Chlebowski

Ingredients

Cucumber salad

  • Cucumbers, partially peeled & diced
    500 g4-5 small Persian cucumbers
  • Rice Vinegar
    80 g
  • Soy Sauce
    20 g
  • Sesame Oil
    5 g
  • Furikake Rice Seasoning
    a spoonfulto taste
  • Red Pepper Flakes
    a sprinkleto taste

Salmon

  • Salmon
    400 g2 filets/~1lb
  • Salt
    4 gor to taste
  • Neutral oil
    a drizzlefor searing

Spicy salmon sauce

  • Kewpie mayo
    15 g1 part
  • Gochujang
    15 g1 part
  • Rice Vinegar
    10 g2/3 part

To serve

  • Cooked rice

Method

Step 1: Start rice & prep cucumber salad

Start your rice using your preferred cooking method so it finishes by the time everything else is made.

Partially peel the cucumbers, leaving some stripes of skin for texture & color. Dice each cucumber into small, bite-sized cubes.

Transfer the cucumber to a bowl and add vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili flakes, and furikake. Mix thoroughly until everything is evenly coated. Taste & adjust as needed.

  • Store in the fridge to chill until serving.

Step 2: Mix the sauce

In a small bowl, combine mayo, gochujang, and rice vinegar. Stir until smooth and set aside.

Step 3: Prep the salmon

If frozen, thaw the salmon just enough to slice. Cut into planks, then rotate and cube into bite-sized pieces. Season lightly with salt.

Step 4: Sear the salmon

Heat a nonstick pan over high heat and add a light drizzle of oil. Add the salmon cubes in a single layer and let them undisturbed to develop .

Once browned on most sides, turn off the heat.

Step 5: Glaze the salmon

Add the sauce directly to the pan. Toss or mix gently until the salmon is fully coated and glossy.

  • The residual heat in the pan should bring everything together and finish cooking the salmon through, but you can double check a piece for doneness before removing from the pan.

Step 6: Assemble & serve

Add cooked rice to a bowl, followed by a generous portion of cucumber salad. Top with the glazed salmon bites.

For the best flavor contrast, serve immediately while the salmon is hot and the cucumber salad is cold.

“I prep the cucumber salad ahead of time (makes extra) so it’s chilled and ready to go in the fridge. When I need a weeknight meal, I start the rice cooker and make the salmon while the rice finishes cooking.”

Ethan Chlebowski
Creator

Watch & Cook

Nutritional Information

SALAD + SALMON BITES
Calories1180
28g
74g
87g

Show macros split into…

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Recommended: 3 servings

FAQ

Why cut the salmon into cubes instead of cooking whole?

More surface area means more and more sauce adhesion. It also creates more contrast between crispy edges and tender interior.

Do I have to add chili flakes & furikake to the salad?

If you don’t want it , omit the chili flakes.

Furikake brings and from seaweed and dried fish, plus from sesame seeds. It turns a simple cucumber salad into something more interesting and savory.

Can I substitute sauce ingredients?

Yes. The sauce works because it balances (mayo), heat (gochujang), and (vinegar).

  • No kewpie → use regular mayo or melted butter

  • No gochujang → use chili paste (or sambal or sriracha) + a touch of sugar

  • No rice vinegar → use any mild vinegar or citrus