I am still basking in the afterglow of how much we loved this Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Salmon dinner. With the exception of cooking the brown rice, this is a sheet pan dinner extraordinaire. The pickled cucumbers are sweet and tangy. Some of the cucumber marinade is also used to flavor the brown rice, and it’s incredibly flavorful. The salmon was roasted to perfection without a hint of dryness. This is a lovely and healthy and colorful meal, without sacrificing flavor.
Something magical has happened, ever since I finally got to update and remodel our kitchen! Cooking and baking has become a joy, because I’m no longer battling for counter space. I found a wonderful cabinet maker who designed pull out cabinets and drawers where I can organize and store my knives, spatulas and my appliances. I am so grateful to have an updated kitchen.
I’ve also had time to adjust to my new life of retirement. At last, I can make many of the recipes I’ve bookmarked over the years. One of my favorite recipe sources is “America’s Test Kitchen“. I subscribe to their all-access website, and it’s been worth every dollar. I can read their magazines “Cook’s Country” and “Cook’s Illustrated“, plus I can watch countless videos on how to make a recipe. Yes, I own many of their cookbooks, too! I have become a better cook because of them, I do believe.
I also subscribe to their Facebook and Instagram feeds (see, I really am a devoted fan) and that’s how I discovered this recipe. I watched the video, and I was hooked! I had some frozen salmon that was leftover from the Salmon Wellington that I made for Christmas.
I had most of the ingredients, with the exception of Shiitake mushrooms. They can be tricky to find (I had to visit two different grocery stores), and they’re also a lot more expensive than regular mushrooms. At $12.00 a pound, I only bought 1/3 of a pound (and that ended up just fine for the two of us).
There is some prep work involved, and I recommend cutting all of the vegetables before you actually start to cook. I’ve honed (pun intended) my knife skills, over the years, it took me about 20 minutes. With a good audio book playing, I find “mis en place” to be therapeutic.
The quick pickled cucumbers were so good! You definitely don’t want to skip this!
There are a few components to make, but don’t let that scare you away! Here I’ve sauteed some green onion, fresh ginger and garlic. To that, I’ve added some of the pickled cucumber juice and hoison sauce. This is loaded with flavor, that will be used to season the cooked rice– and to spoon over the finished dish. So good!
What’s interesting is that the short grain brown rice is cooked like pasta! It takes about 30 minutes to cook, and then it’s drained. NOTE: I don’t recommended regular brown rice for this dish. Short-grain brown rice has a chewier texture and (IMHO) a nuttier flavor. While the rice is cooking, I prepared a baking sheet with parchment paper. (You can use foil, but I prefer parchment paper.) The shiitake mushrooms and carrots have been seasoned and roasted for about 15 minutes. That’s when they are shoved aside to make room for the salmon, that has been glazed with hoison sauce. Hoison sauce is an ingredient that I always have in my refrigerator. I love the Asian flavor, and it’s so versatile (and easy to find at the grocery store).
The only way I deviated from the original recipe is that my salmon already had the skin removed. No problem! It only took about 10 minutes for the fish to be perfectly cooked.
The assembly was the fun part. I divided the rice into two bowls (I halved the recipe for the two of us). The garnishes are toasted sesame seeds and the remaining “pickled marinade”. Time to eat!
TASTING NOTES: My husband and I were very quiet, as we started to eat. When that happens, it means we are savoring our food. The salmon was perfectly cooked. I rarely buy shiitake mushrooms, and I need to change that. They were nutty and flavorful. The cucumbers! They were crunchy and incredibly good! (I kept snacking on them while cooking.) We both rated this recipe a high five stars. I am 100% positive I would make this recipe again and again. This is healthy eating at is finest and one that I would proudly serve dinner guests– whenever that gets to happen again. I hope you give this recipe a try. You’ll love it!
Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Salmon
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil divided
- 3 scallions white and green parts separated and sliced thin on bias
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger divided
- ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ¾ teaspoons table salt divided, plus salt for cooking rice
- 1 English cucumber quartered lengthwise, seeded, and sliced on bias ¼ inch thick
- 1 ¾ cups short-grain brown rice regular brown rice isn't recommend, as it has a different much softer texture
- 1 pound carrots peeled and sliced on bias ½ inch thick
- 1 pound shiitake mushrooms stemmed, caps larger than 2 inches halved
- 1 1-pound skin-on salmon fillet, about 1½ inches thick at thickest part NOTE: My salmon didn't have skin on, and it worked out just fine.
- 4 teaspoons hoisin sauce about 1½ inches thick at thickest part
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds toasted
- sriracha optional
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add scallion whites and 1½ teaspoons ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer scallion mixture to small bowl.
Cook the rice:
- Bring 6 cups water to boil in now-empty saucepan. While water is coming to boil, whisk vinegar, sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon ginger in medium bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add cucumber and stir until coated. Set aside, stirring occasionally.
- Add rice and 1 teaspoon salt to boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer until rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Drain rice well and return it to saucepan. Cover and set aside.
Roast vegetables:
- While rice is cooking, toss carrots with 1 tablespoon oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Spread in even layer on half of rimmed baking sheet. Toss mushrooms with 2 tablespoons water, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and spread in even layer on other half of sheet. Roast until vegetables are just beginning to soften and brown, about 10 minutes.
Prepare salmon:
- While vegetables are cooking, cut salmon in half. Halve each piece crosswise to create 4 equal pieces. Make 2 shallow slashes about 1 inch apart along skin side of each piece, being careful not to cut into flesh. NOTE: My salmon already had the skin removed, so I skipped this step without any problems.Brush flesh side of each piece with ½ teaspoon hoisin.
- Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees and remove sheet. Push vegetables to either side to clear space in middle of sheet. Carefully place salmon, skin side down, in clearing. Return sheet to oven and roast until vegetables are tender and browned and centers of fillets are still translucent when checked with tip of paring knife and register 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 10 to 12 minutes.
Season the cooked rice:
- Measure out ¼ cup cucumber liquid and add to scallion mixture. Whisk in remaining 2 teaspoons hoisin. Stir 2 tablespoons dressing into rice.
Plating the dinner:
- Spoon rice into 4 wide bowls. Place 1 piece of salmon on top of rice. Arrange carrots, mushrooms, and cucumbers in piles that cover rice. Drizzle salmon and vegetables with remaining dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallion greens. Serve, passing sriracha separately, if using.
Notes
I love American Test Kitchens too….and I enjoy your site. Thank you❤️
Thank you, Sandy! I have made many recipes from America’s Test Kitchen and they are always delicious!