Baked salmon bowl with teriyaki, pickled cucumber and nori

Baked salmon bowl with teriyaki, pickled cucumber and nori. Photograph: Harry Weir
Baked salmon bowl with teriyaki, pickled cucumber and nori. Photograph: Harry Weir
Serves: 2
Course: Lunch
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Prep Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

  • 200g uncooked rice
  • 400ml water
  • Salt and pepper
  • For the teriyaki sauce:
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 2 tbsp water
  • For the cucumber pickle:
  • 1 cucumber, sliced thinly
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • For the salmon:
  • 400g skinless salmon fillets
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • To serve:
  • 3 nori sheets, cut into thin strips or squares
  • 1 bunch of spring onions, sliced
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Prepare the rice by rinsing it under cold water until the water runs clear. In a saucepan, combine the rice with water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan with a lid and let it simmer for the recommended cooking time according to the rice variety you’re using. Once cooked, fluff the rice with a fork and set it aside.
  2. While the rice is cooking, prepare the home-made teriyaki sauce. In a small saucepan, mix together soy sauce, mirin, honey, grated ginger and minced garlic. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. In a separate bowl, dissolve cornflour in water and then add it to the saucepan with the teriyaki mixture. Stir well and let it simmer for another minute until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. Prepare the pickled cucumber by placing the thin slices in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, mix rice vinegar, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt dissolve. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumber slices and let them marinate for at least 10 minutes.
  4. Season the salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil over it and rub all over. Place the seasoned salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
  5. Assemble the bowl: Start by dividing the cooked rice among serving bowls. Top the rice with the baked salmon fillet. Add the pickled cucumber on the side of the bowl. Drizzle the home-made teriyaki sauce over the salmon and rice. Garnish the bowl with strips or squares of nori sheets and chopped spring onions.
Gráinne O'Keefe

Gráinne O'Keefe

Gráinne O’Keefe is a chef, restaurateur and contributor to The Irish Times. She is chef-patron of the Dublin restaurant Mae