Teriyaki Salmon Bowls

Delicious, healthy, and with so many toppings to choose from, you really can't go wrong with this fresh tasting summer meal! Salmon is a great source of nutrients like protein, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and potassium just to name a few. Lay it over some sushi rice and top that with your favourite raw veggies and a ginger-packed drizzle (which tastes AMAZING by the way) and you've got an extremely well balanced and flavour-packed meal.

I am so fortunate to have access to fresh, locally caught salmon all summer long, and since I know that most of the people who check out this blog are from my area (hi Facebook friends!) I really wanted to inspire some of you to take advantage of what the beautiful Pacific Ocean has to offer this time of year. Even before I had my amazing boyfriend who brings me fresh and perfectly filleted salmon that he catches himself - humble brag - my summers have always been filled with fresh, delicious salmon dinners. Our local First Nations people commonly have fresh, locally caught salmon (amongst other seafood) for sale along the side of the highway here on Vancouver Island. If you haven't taken advantage of these offers before, I highly encourage you to give it a try! The people are friendly, the fish is fresh, and the price can't be beat. Even the local grocery stores are full of fresh, locally caught salmon this time of year that is usually already filleted - so you've got options!

^Teriyaki glazed salmon fillet on the BBQ

I love flexibility in my recipes, because I know that portion sizes and food preferences change from household to household. If I were to host my girlfriends while serving this dish, it could easily feed 6 of us. However, the same recipe would yield closer to 4 servings if I were serving it to my boyfriend, brother, dad, and grandpa who all have huge appetites. This is why I've left the serving size for this recipe loose, use your discretion!

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 30 mins (includes making the sushi rice)

What you need:

• 4-6 cups sushi rice (I will link the recipe that I used from AllRecipes at the bottom, or feel free to use your own recipe)

• 1 whole salmon filet

Toppings (what I used):

• ½ cucumber, sliced

• 1 carrot, grated

• pea shoots or other micro greens (or your green of choice), desired amount

• pickled ginger, desired amount

Other great options:

• avocado

• edamame beans

• seaweed

• fresh fruit (mango or pineapple)

• sliced radishes

For the teriyaki Glaze:

• ¾ cup teriyaki sauce

• ¼ cup low sodium soya sauce

• 2 tbsp corn starch

What you do:

1. Make the teriyaki glaze – combine the teriyaki sauce, soya sauce, and corn starch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium high heat, whisking constantly then reduce heat and continue whisking until thickened. Set aside.

2. Preheat your BBQ to medium heat. Pat your salmon filet dry with a paper towel and transfer to a sheet of tinfoil, skin side down, and then cover the top of the filet with the teriyaki glaze like in the above image. BBQ on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through. Feel free to periodically baste the salmon with any remaining glaze.

3. Serve – divide the sushi rice between the bowls, laying a piece of the BBQ’d salmon on each one. The salmon should separate easily from the skin. Then, top with the toppings of your choosing. Enjoy!

Here is the sushi rice recipe that I used:

---