ByCasey Rooney Updated on
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If you love food and you’re on TikTok, you’ve seen gorgeous Emily Mariko whipping up this TikTok Rice Bowl with Salmon that’s been a total viral sensation! Trust me, this one lives up to the hype! And the best part?? There is no real “cooking” involved!
I’ll be honest. I am very skeptical about TikTok food trends…I have tried MANY of them and only SIX have made it onto the blog! One is the “Tortilla Trend” or Easy Tortilla Wrap. I have made that thing so many times I can’t even count. It’s AMAZING!!! The other two that are worthy are Gigi Hadid’s spicy vodka pasta and the Baked by Melissa Green Goddess Salad.
My latest favorite snack is Hailey Bieber’s Pizza Toast! OMGG! SO. GOOD. Want the best sandwich?! Try this Viral Italian Grinder!
Ya’ll know I am obsessed with my air fryer so I *HAD* to try the air fryer pancakes on parchment paper that the charming singing guy made. I mean, he even SAYS don’t try this at home…but I HAD to! Yeah, EPIC FAIL!
The good thing is that I was so obsessed with pancakes in the air fryer that I came up with my own version…and it works perfectly!! You can check out that recipe here: Perfect Air Fryer Pancakes.
When I made this TikTok Salmon Rice Bowl recipe, I knew it was a keeper! I could barely photograph it… I just wanted to eat it!!! So here’s the recipe and all of my tips!! If you just want to recipe, just scroll on down!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- A viral TikTok recipe that ACTUALLY lives up to the hype!
- Great way to use leftover ingredients for a quick lunch or quick meal!
- There is zero “cooking” involved! Great for using up leftovers!
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this delicious Leftover Salmon Rice Bowl:
INGREDIENT NOTES
Salmon: This recipe was originally written to use LEFTOVER salmon, but you can cook up some “fresh” salmon too! My Easy Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon is perfect in this dish. I always use wild-caught salmon fillets for the best taste.
Rice: Cold, leftover rice straight from the fridge is what Emily uses in her recipe. The ice cube will steam it up nice! Of course, you can cook up some fresh rice in the rice cooker or Instant Pot, too!
Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise: I am able to find this delicious Japanese mayo at my regular chain grocery store now! But if you can’t find it, regular mayo works just fine. Even better, make the sriracha mayo from my shrimp bowl recipe!
Soy Sauce: Any kind of soy sauce you have in the fridge is just fine! Regular, low sodium, or even Maggi is great! You can also sub in Tamari or coconut aminos.
HOW TO MAKE THIS VIRAL SALMON AND RICE BOWL: STEP BY STEP
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that the recipe card below will include full instructions with exact ingredients!
Step 1: Flake leftover salmon into small pieces with a fork.
Step 2: Add rice and an ice cube. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper or a paper plate and microwave for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes until warm.
Step 3: Add a drizzle of soy sauce, mayo, and sriracha; mix well.
Step 4: Top with avocado slices and more sriracha, if you like!
Step 5: Serve on it’s own or in mini wraps using seaweed sheets!
RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS
- Make sure you remove anything left of the ice cube after microwaving the rice/salmon 🙂
- Of course, you can whip up a batch of fresh rice, but dry, leftover rice works so well!
- Make sure you loosely cover the salmon and rice bowl when microwaving it so the ice cube can steam the salmon and rice. In the TikTok video, she covers it with parchment paper, but you can use a paper plate or even just a paper towel. Just make sure it’s loose so the steam can escape.
🌟CONFIDENCE TIP 🌟
I get that kimchi is not everyone’s jam. Crunchy carrots or cucumber are a great swap! Make this recipe your own!
STORAGE & REHEATING
This dish is, for the most part, made up of “leftovers” (salmon and rice), so it doesn’t store and reheat well all that well.
That being said, if you have any leftovers, store the salmon and rice in an airtight container (toss it if you’ve mixed it with the mayo). I have personally nuked some leftover salmon and rice for about 30 seconds, wrapped it in some seaweed, and was in heaven. It’s not unheard of, just not ideal 🙂
ADDITIONS & SUBSTITUTIONS
SUBSTITUTIONS:
Kewpie Mayo: I am able to find this delicious Japanese mayo at my regular chain grocery store now! But if you can’t find it, regular mayo works just fine. Even better, make thesriracha mayo from my shrimp bowl recipe!
Soy Sauce: Coconut aminos, Tamari, or Maggi are just fine to substitute.
Rice: White rice can be subbed for brown rice or cauliflower rice.
Kimchi: I love kimchi for its tang and crunch, but I know it’s not everyone’s thing. Crunchy carrots or cucumber would be a great swap.
Salmon: This simple recipe is so damn good, you can sub pretty much any protein here! We tried chopped rotisserie chicken and random leftover chicken and it was SO GOOD!!
ADDITIONS
Veggies: The more crunch the better! Carrots, cucumber, red pepper, green onion, or any other veggies you want to add would be great!
Rice Vinegar: To give the rice extra flavor and mimic a “sushi bowl” of sorts, drizzle a bit of rice vinegar on top of the rice when it comes out of the microwave.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the TikTok Salmon and Rice Bowl?
This delicious bowl is super easy, uses leftovers and basically requires no cooking. Leftover cooked salmon is flaked and mixed with soy sauce, kewpie mayo, avocado, and sriracha sauce. In the viral video, Emily Mariko enjoys the rice bowl ingredients wrapped in seaweed.
How did this TikTok salmon and rice bowl become famous?
Salmon rice bowls are nothing new, but gorgeous, TikTok’er Emily Mariko whipped one up in a video in 2021 and it’s been all the rage! Some people refer to this recipe as Emily Mariko’s Salmon Rice Bowl–and I love it! Give credit where credit is due!
I think people are fascinated by her calm, cool demeanor in the video along with her putting an ice cube in her rice and salmon before microwaving it! #genuis It captured our attention and it’s around to stay because IT WORKS and IT’S DELISH!!!!
Does this viral salmon rice live up to the hype?
Yes! I can safely say, it’s delish. Of course, salmon rice bowls and “bowls” in general are nothing new. However, this combo of salmon, avocado, mayo, and soy sauce is delish, and new or old, I’m chowing down!
I don’t have parchment paper. What else can I use?
You can just cover your bowl with a paper plate or a paper towel. You just want to loosely lock in the moisture so the rice and the salmon both get nice and steamy.
Can I use regular mayonnaise?
Kewpie mayo is delish but yes, you can use regular mayo. Mixing mayo with a little sriracha and rice wine vinegar like in my recipe for Shrimp Poke Bowls, is divine! Just spoon it on and mix everything up!
Can I use leftover rice straight from the fridge?
Yep! In fact, this recipe works best with cold, day-old rice. The ice cube totally brings it back to life!
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TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
Check out all of my kitchen essentials in my Amazon store!
Instant Pot (optional): My favorite way to cook rice!!
OTHER VIRAL RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
I hope you love this TikTok Rice Bowl with Salmon! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
TikTok Rice Bowl with Salmon (Viral Recipe)
If you love food and you're on TikTok, you've seen gorgeous Emily Mariko whipping up this TikTok Salmon Rice Bowl that's gone absolutely viral! Trust me, this one lives up to the hype!
4.68 from 106 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 5 minutes mins
Course Dinner, lunch
Cuisine American, Asian, Japanese
Servings 2
Calories 435 kcal
Ingredients
- 1-2 cooked salmon filets (about 4 oz. each)
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 ice cube
- 1/2 avocado, diced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce to taste, Tamari or coconut aminos also work
- 1-2 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise to taste, See Note 1
- 2 tsp sriracha, to taste optional
- kimchi, to taste optional, See Note 2
- sesame seeds, to taste optional
- 12 roasted seaweed sheets optional, See Note 3
Instructions
In a microwave safe bowl, flake your cold salmon until it's broken up into small pieces. Using a fork works best.
Add your leftover rice right over the salmon, then place one cube cube in the center, nestling it into the rice.
Cover with parchment paper or a paper plate (just make sure steam can escape) and microwave on high for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
Remove bowl from microwave and discard any remaining ice.
Add soy sauce, mayonnaise and sriracha (if using) and mix with rice/salmon until combined.
Top the dish with diced avocado and more mayonnaise, sriracha (optional) soy sauce to taste. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like!
At this point, you can enjoy the rice bowl as-is OR add kimchi and wrap the rice mixture in your seaweed pieces and enjoy as mini-wraps!
Notes
Note 1: I am able to find this delicious Japanese mayo at my regular chain grocery store now! But if you can’t find it, regular mayo works just fine. Even better, make the sriracha mayo from my shrimp bowl recipe!
Note 2: I like kimchee for the tang and crunch but I totally know it’s not everyone’s thing. Crunchy carrots or cucumber would be great too!
Note 3: The seaweed is optional and only if you want to follow the TikTok video EXACTLY and wrap the salmon/rice with the seaweed. The salmon rice bowl can be enjoyed without the seaweed, too!
Nutrition
Calories: 435kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 30gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 1154mgPotassium: 969mgFiber: 8gSugar: 1gCalcium: 34mgIron: 2mg
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