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Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Salmon

This dinner is truly a sheet pan dinner, with the exception of cooking the brown rice. 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 colorful meal, and healthy without sacrificing flavor.
Course main
Cuisine American
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Author Debby - www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

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

If your salmon has the skin on, and your knife is too dull to cut through the salmon skin, try a serrated knife. It is important to keep the skin on during cooking; once the salmon is cooked, the skin will be easy to remove. NOTE: I cooked skinless salmon without any problems.
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant (about 1 minute), and then remove the skillet from the heat so the seeds won't scorch.
Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen