Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Paleo Option
Buttery, flakey salmon is coated in homemade sweet and sour sauce and served alongside fresh cucumber slices, crunchy purple cabbage, and warm, tender broccoli florets in this easy recipe. Plus, this healthy dish is ready in only 25 minutes!
What I Love About This Recipe
This power bowl was inspired by a small family owned Thai restaurant my husband and I used to visit. We loved their use of different textures and temperatures to create interesting flavor combinations.
Tender broccoli, flaky caramelized salmon, chewy rice, crunchy cabbage and cucumber come together to create an explosion of both sweet and umami flavor! I also adore the combination of warm and cool components in this recipe.
This healthy meal is packed with vitamins, minerals and protein. It's perfect for an easy dinner for 2 with leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.
Sweet and Sour Salmon Bowl is nice enough to double and serve to guests and simple enough for an after work weekday meal.
Cooking Tips
For a paleo friendly recipe replace jasmine rice with sautéed cauliflower rice. I've made it both ways and they are each equally delicious!
Be sure to leave the skin on the salmon while baking. It provides a barrier to prevent the fish from sticking to the baking dish. It also helps ensure more even cooking.
If you don't need to have a paleo version of sweet and sour sauce, feel free to use store bought. Use a generous 1 cup portion, divided, for this recipe.
If you have leftovers, I wouldn't try to re-heat salmon especially not in the microwave. Salmon actually tastes great cold. So, feel free to heat up the rice and broccoli but keep the salmon chilled.
If you prefer to steam your own fresh broccoli, you can totally do that! Start it right after you put the rice on. You'll need a medium steamer pot and steamer basket. Cut 1 head of broccoli into florets and steam covered until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from boiling water and season with a few pinches of salt.
Meal Prep Instructions
- Up to 2 days before cut and steam the veggies according to directions.
- Pre-make the Sweet and Sour Sauce (or use your favorite store bought brand).
- If using cauliflower rice instead of jasmine rice, sauté it. Store refrigerated in separate airtight storage containers.
- On the day you plan to have this meal, cook the rice and bake the fish according to directions. Warm the broccoli (and cauliflower rice if using), grab some bowls and pull it all together!
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📖 Recipe
Sweet & Sour Salmon Bowl {Paleo Option}
Equipment
- 1 8" baking dish
- 1 medium pot
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 cup jasmine rice may sub white or basmati
- 1¾ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Salmon
- 16 oz fresh salmon with skin on
- 1 batch Sweet and Sour Sauce** divided
Vegetables
- 1 12oz steam friendly bag frozen broccoli*
- 1 cup purple cabbage shredded
- 1 large English cucumber thin sliced
Garnish
- white or black sesame seeds optional for garnish
- chopped fresh scallions optional for garnish
- fresh cilantro leaves optional for garnish
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425℉.
Start the rice
- Add rice and 1¾ cups water in a medium pot, cover and bring to a boil over MED-HIGH heat. Add salt and stir. Reduce heat to LOW and let simmer moving the lid over slightly to leave a small venting space. Cook until most of the water has been absorbed, stirring occasionally about 10 minutes. Stir, fully replace lid, turn heat off, leave on burner and let steam until salmon is prepared.
Bake the salmon
- While rice is cooking, place salmon fillets in 8" glass baking dish. Cover salmon in ½ of the sweet and sour sauce. Set aside the other half to use later.
- Bake salmon uncovered 12-15 minutes until fully cooked and flakes easily with a fork. Internal meat thermometer should read 125℉.
Prep the vegetables
- While salmon is cooking use a knife or food processor to shred the purple cabbage and a knife or mandoline to thinly slice the cucumber. Steam broccoli according to package directions. Sprinkle broccoli with a couple pinches of salt when finished cooking.
Finish the rice
- When salmon is finished, remove lid from rice and fluff with fork.
Bring it together
- To serve: Fill a shallow bowl with ⅔ cup rice, ⅓ cup shredded cabbage, ⅓ English cucumber slices, and a hearty scoop of broccoli. Place baked salmon on top of the rice. Drizzle all over with remaining sweet and sour sauce. Optional toppings include: white or black sesame seeds, chopped scallions, or fresh cilantro leaves.
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