Dinner 13 of 20
Salmon Rice Bowl
The rice bowl returns, upgraded: crisp-edged salmon over rice with cool cucumber, avocado, scallions, and a soy-lime dressing. Nothing here is new — that's the point. Rich fish against crunchy, cold, sharp things is the whole lesson, and you already know every move.
24 minutes · Low cleanup · Protein-forward · Uses rice cooker · serves 2 · ~35g protein per bowl
Ingredients
Equipment
rice cooker · skillet (nonstick is genuinely the right call for fish) · chef's knife · cutting board · small bowl (dressing) · thin spatula (a fish spatula if you own one, any thin one if not)
The steps
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Cook Mode walks these one at a time, with timers and a way out when things go sideways.
The idea
Same equation, new protein. You weren't collecting recipes these two weeks; you were collecting parts, and now they snap together on their own.
Substitutions
- salmon → any thick fish fillet, shrimp, or a fried egg. Shrimp: 90 seconds a side. Egg: you've known that one since week one.
- cucumber → shredded cabbage, snap peas, or frozen shelled edamame. Edamame: 3 minutes in the microwave, straight into the bowl.
- lime → rice vinegar or lemon
- sesame oil → skip it and add a pinch more honey. Different dressing, still a good one.
Tomorrow
- Salmon fried rice — cold rice, flaked salmon, a beaten egg, splash of soy, hot oiled pan. Arguably better than tonight.
- Salmon salad toast — flaked salmon mashed with a spoonful of mayo and a squeeze of lime, on toast.
Cooked salmon and rice keep 2–3 days. The avocado, as ever, does not do leftovers. Eat it cold or barely warm; reheating overcooks it.
Make ahead
Dressing and cucumber hold a day in the fridge; rice can be morning-made. The salmon itself is a 7-minute event — cook it when you're eating.
Keep it safe
- Keep fish cold until the pan goes on, and wash hands and board after handling it. Salmon is done at 125–130°F, still slightly translucent in the center.
- Give leftover fish the sniff test before round two — it tells you honestly.