Crispy Salmon Rice Bowl with Peanuty Slaw
Plus a very optional salad of sliced cucumbers with spicy sticky peanuts
It’s July in Wisconsin and the eating is getting good. There are no tomatoes or sweet corn yet, but that isn’t stopping us from devouring salads every damn day, grilling up brats and burgers weekly (okay, we have actually been making them in the cast-iron skillet because that April hail storm destroyed our grill), and generally eating so very well.
Some food highlights since we last talked include…
Homemade baked chicken tender salads.
The best ever (pretty much just pickled) cucumber and cabbage slaw.
A beet salad (with pistachio butter) from the Six Seasons cookbook that somehow I have never made before and will now be making every single time I can get my hands on beets (because it is perfection) - thanks for the tasty creation Nate ;)
My favorite (super crunchy) bok choy salad.
Pasta salad with fennel hidden in it (after being deeply caramelizing) to remind people (ever so subtly) that FENNEL IS DELICIOUS DAMN IT.
Weekly cucumber salads now that Kyle’s farm has an abundance.
(I said we’re devouring a lot of salads, didn’t I?)
But in addition to all the salads, there has also been:
Indian night on repeat.
Pizza night on repeat.
So much egg toast - I really unlocked an obsession there.
Cilantro pesto risotto.
Curried chicken salad.
My own take on a doner kebab.
Yeah, it has been a tasty couple of months despite keeping very busy. I can’t tell if we’re finally learning how to balance life with two, or if summer just makes everything easier. I believe it is a bit of both.
Either way, I hope things keep flowing in this direction because we’re all feeling nourished in more ways than one.
In the midst of a very delicious phase of life, this Crispy Salmon Rice Bowl with Peanuty Slaw is high on the list of favorite things I’ve eaten lately. It’s a smash up of a few favorite recipes, revised and played with over many months until it has become (IMHO) a PERFECT meal.
The salmon, slaw, and sauce are required features. The salmon is tossed with a little mayonnaise and cooked exceptionally quickly under the broiler (thanks for this tip Bon Appetit). The slaw is a bright, rich, peanuty delight. And the sauce is essentially just a spicy garlicky mayo that ties everything together.
Rice provides a good base, but you could easily swap in any favorite grain (or leave it out if you’re more of a meat + veg kind of person). And the cucumber salad with spicy sticky peanuts is completely optional. Honestly, it’s a recipe in and of itself. I added it to my bowl because I happen to be sitting on a LOT of cucumbers, but it does add a couple of steps so feel free to skip it if you want to streamline. It’s not at all essential.
Enjoy my friends. And I hope you have a very beautiful July filled with flowers, warmth, gardens, swimming pools, and slow intentional moments between all the scrambling to savor the long days and sunshine.
Love,
Lauren
Crispy Salmon Rice Bowl with Peanuty Slaw
(and Sliced Cucumbers with Spicy Sticky Peanuts, if you feel like it)
Adapted from Bon Appetit and Bowls of Goodness
If you do decide to make the cucumbers with spicy sticky peanuts, start that recipe first so the cucumbers have time to drain their liquid while everything else cooks. Also, I know the cucumbers shown in these photos are NOT sliced. They were smashed, and I enjoyed them far less that way. I very much recommend slicing.
Takes 30-45 minutes (30 minutes without the cucumbers)
Serves 4
1½ cups water
1 cup white rice
½ head cabbage
1 carrot, shredded
3-4 radishes, cut into matchsticks, optional
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, divided
1 bunch garlic scapes, finely chopped (or 6 minced garlic cloves), divided
½ cup finely chopped cilantro
7 tablespoons mayonnaise, divided
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, divided
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
â…“ cup roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon sriracha
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound salmon filets (preferably skin-on), cut into 1-inch cubes
Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add rice and a pinch of salt. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, but leave the cover on the rice for an additional 10 minutes. When cooked, remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork.
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrot, radishes, half the scallions, half the garlic, and cilantro.
In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, peanut butter, lime juice, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and oil. Whisk until smooth and then pour over cabbage mixture. Add peanuts and ½ teaspoon salt, and toss to combine. Set aside.
In another small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons mayonnaise with reserved garlic, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, sriracha, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
Preheat the broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil. On the baking sheet, use your hands to gently toss salmon pieces with remaining 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and ½ teaspoon salt. Broil for 4 minutes, use a spatula to turn the pieces, and broil for 4 minutes more until salmon is browned and crispy.
To serve, scoop rice into four bowls. Divide salmon and cabbage slaw among bowls. Drizzle salmon and rice with spicy mayonnaise mixture. Serve with a side of sliced cucumbers and spicy sticky peanuts, if you like.
Sliced Cucumbers with Spicy Sticky Peanuts:
3 large cucumbers, thinly sliced
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sriracha
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Place sliced cucumbers in a large colander. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and toss. Let sit for 20+ minutes while you do other things.
Combine peanuts, brown sugar, water, sesame oil and sriracha in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until water has evaporated and the peanuts start to look sticky, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and allow to cool.
Toss cucumbers in a medium bowl with rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. Serve with peanuts on top.