Comforting warm rice bowl with salmon chunks, seasoned spinach, carrots, and mushrooms, topped with fresh avocado, a fried egg, and homemade sesame citrus sauce with gochujang chili paste.

Give it up to Korean Cuisine!
Sitting down to a steaming bowl of comforting sticky sushi rice is a delight, especially when accompanied by flaky salmon chunks with freshly seasoned, cooked spinach, carrots, and juicy mushrooms. The fresh avocado chunks with a fried egg also are the perfect creamy touch. In addition, the homemade banging sesame citrus-flavored gochujang chili paste sauce gave an extra zingy kick to round out the dish!
Like many Korean dishes at restaurants and some homes, Bibimbap combines flavors and textures that can be savored when mixing them with your spoon to create one harmonious bite! The sheer variety in every mouthful makes it hard for me not to relish each spoonful with a big appetite.
All in all, this meal will satisfy any craving - and make your taste buds dance with joy. And if you like rice bowls, try the Japanese/Hawaiian-inspired Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl.
Try the Healthy Poached Egg Avocado Rainbow Tuna Salad and Fresh Hoisin Mushrooms Noodle Bowl with Spicy Peanut Sauce for a rainbow crunch if you love rainbow salads.
Jump to:
And Japanese!
For this salmon rice bowl recipe, the gochujang sauce, referred to as bibimbap sauce, has a variety of recipes out there using ingredients from raw garlic to chili powder. Similarly, this dressing hits several taste profiles: sweet, spicy, salty, and savory.
The idea for using salmon in this bibimbap inspiration comes from my making a favorite Japanese-inspired breakfast of broiled miso salmon over sushi rice served with sauteed spinach, fresh avocado, and a poached egg.
Knowing how much I love this combination, I knew turning this dish into an inspired Korean bibimbap would be just as great.

Ingredients
To make this delicious salmon rice bowl, you will start by making the rice. I use a rice cooker because it is just easy to throw all the ingredients in there, set it, and worry about your other prep.
The Sauce
Use sushi white or brown rice or multigrain Korean or Japanese rice. You'll move on to make the sesame chili sauce. Then combine with a whisk gochujang, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger paste, garlic, sesame oil, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and sesame seeds.
The Salmon
Then, you will prepare the salmon by patting it completely dry, seasoning the fish fillets with salt and cracked black pepper, and searing it on both sides until golden brown. This will create a crispy, flaky fish; it is so good!
The Vegetables
For the topping, you will saute the carrots, spinach, and mushrooms; fry an egg and cut a fresh avocado into chunks. In addition, the vegetables are flash-cooked to keep the carrot's crunchiness and the spinach's bright green color.
For quantities, see the salmon rice bowl recipe card.

Instructions

Use a sharp knife to slice off the skin by placing the fillet's skin side down. Then, turn the fish so that it is horizontal to you.

Place the blade right between the skin and flesh with your hand gently placed on top to prevent the fish from moving. Then, gently go with the flow of the skin to cut the skin off.
Busy Folks - Become a better home cook with cooking tips to help you cook more efficiently on Cook's Notebook tab. Some related detailed steps can be found there. Learn more about preparing fish.
Substitutions
- Cremini Mushrooms - Use shredded oyster mushrooms or sliced fresh shitake mushrooms.
Change Heat Level - Modify the salmon rice bowl recipe's heat level to your liking and learn more about the Scoville Scale and Chili Pairings.
Variations
- Mushroom Bowl - Omit the salmon and make it with a mixture of your favorite mushrooms!
- Other Vegetables - Add cucumber, shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, or zucchini slices.
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl - Used for making the bibimbap sauce.
- Cast Iron Skillet - To perfectly sear the salmon on high heat and sauteeing the vegetables. The cast iron pan is excellent for searing fish because it can spread heat evenly, creating a beautiful golden brown crust. However, a medium frying pan will do if you do not have a cast iron pan.
- Fish Spatula - Used for carefully lifting and flipping the salmon.
- Mandoline - To slice and julienne the vegetables. However, you can cut it by hand if you do not have a mandoline. In addition, to develop this recipe, I used my Benriner Japanese Classic Slicer; it helps to shorten the prepping time.
- Holding Dish - To hold the salmon and vegetables during the cooking process.
Kitchen Must Haves - Find other tools I use here.
Storage
- Refrigerator - To store in the fridge, you can combine the rice with the salmon and vegetables in a 2-inch shallow pan to cool down quickly. Then store in an air-tight sealing container. The rice, salmon, and vegetable mix will last up to three days.
- Freezer - Follow the refrigeration process mentioned above. Then you can place it in the freezer in a labeled, airtight container.
Cooking tips
Avocado Oil for Searing - Avocado oil is excellent for searing fish due to its high smoke point. However, if you do not have it, you can use canola oil as an alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions
This dish was inspired by the comforting iconic dish called bibimbap, Korean for mixed rice. This East Asian dish is also traditionally served in a dolsot, a hot stone pot shaped like a bowl.
You can hear the crackling of the rice being fried by the sesame oil in the hot stone pot when served to you. In addition, the dish is usually topped with various sauteed sesame-seasoned crunchy vegetables.
It is then topped with thinly sliced meat, usually beef, but it can also be with pork or chicken. Then it will be served with a fresh raw egg or a fried sunny side-up egg on top with toasted sesame oil.
The raw egg actually adds creaminess to this satisfying dish. You will also be given kimchi, spicy fermented cabbage, a Korean red chili paste, and a fiery gochujang.
On long days, this was my go-to meal when eating out; I would break open my long metal spoon from the paper protector and just mix all the ingredients, inhale the toasted goodness, and enjoy!
Place the avocado on the cutting board horizontally to you, take the knife, and place the blade in the center where the stem used to be; insert the blade until you hit the seed, and turn the avocado with your hand until the blade has cut around the seed.
With both hands, separate the halved avocados. Then place the avocado with the seed and seed side up on our cutting board, and with the blade, hit the side; it should enter the side, allowing you to pull the seed out with your knife. In addition, please be aware of where your fingers are.
Discard the seed. From this point, you make line incisions into the flesh of the avocado horizontally and vertically. Then you can use a spoon to scoop out the chunks. Note: Please refer to the video for an overview. Disclaimer: In the video, it is done on my hands, but doing this on a cutting board is safer.
This is a Korean red spicy hot pepper paste made with fermented ingredients giving it a salty, sweet, and savory kick.
These oils can reach a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit before smoking; learn more about high smoke point oils.
Make sure to pat dry your fish to remove excess water that can cause hot oil to splatter. You can also try using an oil splatting guard.
Fish Recipes
Looking for other Fish recipes like this? Try these:
- Healthy Poached Egg Avocado Rainbow Tuna Salad
- Smothered Salmon Salisbury Steak with Tomato Mushroom Gravy
- Air Fryer Branzino with Lemon Potatoes and Vegetables
- Blackened Trout with Chorizo Beans and Garlic Broccoli
Asian Recipes
Looking for other Asian recipes like this? Try these:
- Fresh Hoisin Mushrooms Noodle Bowl with Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Chicken Stir-Fry with Mushrooms, Peppers, and Green Beans in Hoisin Sauce
- Shishito Eggplant Shrimp Stir-Fry
- Sweet and Spicy Seafood Neoguri with Mushrooms, Spinach, and Fried Egg
Recipe Video Overview
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Recipe
📖 Recipe

Salmon Sesame Chili Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 3 cloves of garlic minced or garlic pressed
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 226 grams salmon fillets
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¾ cup carrot shredded or julienne
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ avocado
- ½ cup cooked sushi rice
Instructions
- Save time in the kitchen: Read the instructions thoroughly, then gather and prep all your ingredients before cooking! Learn Prepping Tips.
- In a small 2-cup mixing bowl, make the sauce by combining the gochujang, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and sesame seeds with a whisk and set aside.
- On a cutting board for raw fish, pat your salmon dry with a paper towel.
- If your salmon has skin and you wish to remove it, use a sharp knife to slice off the skin: Place the fillet's skin side down, turn the fish so that it is horizontal to you, place the blade right between the skin, and flesh with your hand gently placed on top to prevent the fish from moving, gently go with the flow of the skin to cut the skin off. Note: Use the picture tutorial in the recipe's post for visual assistance.
- Next, season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat the pan on medium-high heat in a 10-inch medium cast iron or 10-inch medium nonstick pan.
- Once the pan is hot, add and heat the avocado oil.
- Once the avocado oil is hot, add your salmon flesh side down right before it starts smoking.
- Flip with a fish spatula or silicone tongs to prevent breaking the fish after 2 minutes to brown the other side. Note: The fish should easily come off if cooked in high-heated oil.
- Remove the seared fillets and place them on a medium sheet pan or dish close to the stove to keep warm.
- Reduce the stove heat to medium-low.
- Using your tongs, saute the carrots with a pinch of salt for one minute and remove them, and place them on the same sheet pan with the cooked salmon fillets.
- Next, saute the spinach with a pinch of salt for one minute and remove them, and place them on the same sheet pan.
- Finally, saute the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and black pepper for two minutes and remove them, and place them on the same sheet pan.
- Then add more oil if necessary and fry the eggs in the pan until the side of the eggs is golden brown. Remove with a spatula and place on the sheet pan. Note: To prevent overcooking, do not leave the eggs in the pan.
- Using a fork or chopsticks, shred the salmon into smaller chunks.
- Plate up the servings of cooked sushi rice in bowls and gently spread it out evenly to add the toppings.
- Using your tongs, plate the carrots, spinach, mushroom, and salmon.
- To prepare the avocado, place the avocado on the cutting board horizontally to you, take the knife, and place the blade in the center where the stem used to be; insert the blade until you hit the seed, and turn the avocado with your hand until the blade has cut around the seed. With both hands, separate the halved avocados. Place the avocado with the seed and seed side up on our cutting board, and with the blade, hit the side; it should enter the side, allowing you to pull the seed out with your knife. Please be aware of where your fingers are. Discard the seed. From this point, you make line incisions into the flesh of the avocado horizontally and vertically. Then you can use a spoon to scoop out the chunks. Note: Please refer to the video for an overview. Disclaimer: In the video, it is done on my hands, but it is safer to do this on a cutting board.
- Then plate up the avocado chunks among the bowl servings.
- Place the fried egg in the center of each bowl.
- Using a spoon or whisk, combine the sesame chili sauce again in its mixing bowl.
- Using the spoon, drizzle the sauce over the bowl dish.
- Serve the extra sauce on the side.

Salmon Sesame Chili Rice Bowl
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
What is gochujang?
- This is a Korean red spicy hot pepper paste made with fermented ingredients giving it a salty, sweet, and savory kick.
What mushrooms to use?
- You can use a variety of mushrooms, but white to brown button mushrooms to oysters.
Why cast iron to sear fish?
- The cast iron pan is great for searing fish because it can spread heat evenly, creating a beautiful golden brown crust.
Why avocado oil for searing fish?
- Avocado oil is excellent for searing fish due to its high smoke point.
- If you do not have it, you can use canola oil as an alternative.
What is a smoke point?
- These oils can reach a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit before smoking, learn more.
How to prevent oil from splattering when cooking?
- Make sure to pat dry your fish to remove excess water that can cause hot oil to splatter.
- You can also try using an Oil splatting guard.
Storage: Refrigerator
- To store in the refrigerator, you can combine the rice with the salmon and vegetables in a 2-inch shallow pan to cool down quickly.
- The avocado should be stored separately, and if you are saving a cooked egg, just know the next time you reheat it, it will be overcooked.
- Then store in an air-tight sealing container.
- The rice, salmon, and vegetable mix will last up to three days.
Storage: Freezer
- First, follow the refrigeration process mentioned above.
- Then you can place it in the freezer in a labeled, airtight container.
Reheat
- Thaw it out entirely in the refrigerator to prevent bacterial growth.
- Stovetop
- For the dish, I suggest heating it slowly in a saucepan, all mixed up on low heat, covered with a lid with an ice cube, and occasionally stirring to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pan.
- Microwave
- For the dish, heat one to two cups in a bowl for two minutes with one ice cube and a microwave cover, stirring the dish content every minute until it is hot.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
525.93Fat
28.86 gSat. Fat
5.1 gCarbs
32.75 gFiber
7.09 gNet carbs
25.66 gSugar
10.69 gProtein
35.02 gSodium
1499.68 mgCholesterol
248.15 mgThese are calculations based on search results of the ingredient's nutritional information.
Food safety
- Cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat to prevent food bourne illness from contaminated uncooked meats.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat to prevent cross-contamination.
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods; this can breed bacteria.
- Never leave cooking food unattended to prevent burns and fires.
- Use oils with a high smoke point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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