Tender sashimi grade salmon soaked in a delicious Japanese marinade and served with crunchy cucumber and fresh avocado over rice. This recipe is refreshing, filling and super quick to make!
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Salmon Sashimi Bowl
Salmon donburi is a quick and easy dish made with sashimi-grade salmon, crunchy cucumber and avocado served over Japanese rice.
This is actually one of my go-to recipes when I don't feel like cooking. It's refreshing yet satisfying and filling too. Whether it's summer or winter, for lunch or dinner, this dish is perfect anytime!
Sashimi Grade
When eating raw fish, it's extremely important to use fish that has been stored and prepared especially for sashimi or sushi. This will be labeled as "sushi-grade" or "sashimi-grade" and can be found at Japanese supermarkets or ordered online.
"Sushi grade" means that the fish has been stored and transported at a low enough temperature that that it is parasite free and safe to eat raw. If you're not sure, don't eat it raw!
Tip: If you can't buy sushi grade salmon, switch it for smoked salmon and skip the marinade. I used to do this when I lived in England!
What is Donburi?
Donburi (丼) is the Japanese word for "rice bowl". Because most Japanese families own rice cookers, donburi is considered a quick and convenient meal. You can put pretty much anything on top and make it into donburi!
Popular donburi dishes include:
- Katsudon (かつ丼) deep fried pork cutlet and egg rice bowl
- Oyakodon (親子丼) pan fried chicken and egg rice bowl
- Gyuudon (牛丼) simmered beef and onion rice bowl
- Kaisendon (海鮮丼) Fresh raw seafood rice bowl
- Tendon (天丼) Crispy deep fried tempura rice bowl
Rice
Donburi is always made with Japanese short grain white rice. The rice is a little bit sticky so it's easy to pick it up with chopsticks.
If you have a rice cooker, making donburi couldn't be much easier! But if not, don't fear. I have a whole post on how to cook Japanese style rice on the stove, check it out here!
Tip: When cooking Japanese rice, make extra and store it in portions in the freezer. Then you can microwave it whenever you want to whip up a quick donburi meal! (I literally do this all the time!)
Marinade
To make this dish extra tasty, I like to marinate the salmon and avocado for 30 minutes.
My marinade is made from the following ingredients:
First, I boil the soy sauce, mirin and sake on the stove together to remove the alcohol. (This only takes a few minutes.) I then let it cool down so that it doesn't cook the surface of the salmon. You can speed up the cooling process by transferring the sauce into a heatproof container and sitting the container in some ice.
Soaking a small piece of kombu in with the salmon and avocado adds extra umami to the marinade.
The marinating period is the perfect time to cook some rice too!
Finally, you can drizzle the marinade over the donburi at the end just before serving. It's seriously good! Enjoy!
PrintStep by step recipe
Marinated Salmon Sashimi Bowl (Salmon Don)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
Delicious salmon donburi (サーモン丼) made with marinated sashimi-grade salmon, fresh avocado and crunch cucumber served over soft Japanese white rice. (serves 2 - recipe doesn't include how to cook rice)
Ingredients
- 150-200g sashimi-grade salmon
- 1 avocado
- 50ml soy sauce
- 50ml mirin
- 50ml sake
- 1 small sheet kombu (approx 5g)
- 2 portions cooked rice
- 1 cucumber
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Kizami nori strips (optional)
- Chili threads (optional)
- Wasabi (optional)
Instructions
- Pour 50ml soy sauce, 50ml mirin and 50ml sake into a small pan and bring it to a boil on a medium-high heat.
- Allow the sauce to boil for 1 min to burn off the alcohol in the mirin and sake.
- Remove the pan from heat and allow the sauce to cool down to room temperature. (You can speed up the process by transferring the sauce to a heatproof bowl and placing it in a bowl of ice.)
- Cut the salmon block and avocado into cubes and place them in a container.
- Place a small piece of kombu in the container and then pour the marinade over the salmon and avocado until everything is evenly coated.
- Cover it with plastic wrap, the plastic wrap should be in direct contact with the salmon.
- If your container has a lid, secure it on. (If not, place another piece of plastic wrap over the top.) Store in the refrigerator for 30 mins.
- After 30 mins dish up the rice and cut the cucumber into cubes. Scatter the salmon, avocado and cucumber over the rice.
- Pour ½ tbsp of the leftover marinade over each bowl.
- Sprinkle ½ tsp of sesame seeds over each bowl and garnish with kizami nori and/or chili threads.
- Enjoy!
Notes
If you're using a rice cooker, set the rice while you're waiting for the marinade.
See here to learn how to make Japanese style rice on the stove. (Takes 1 hour)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Marinating Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Rice
- Method: Marinating
- Cuisine: Japanese
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