Salmon Poke Bowl

This is a really fun family dish. Its bright colors and big flavors are designed to please palates. Poke bowls are traditionally made with raw fish, but here we cook the salmon in a tasty miso marinade. Apart from the poke bowl, this glazed salmon also makes a quick and easy weeknight meal, served with any veggie sides.

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes

glazed salmon.png

Ingredients

1¼ cups short-grain sticky brown rice, rinsed
2½ cups water
2 tablespoons miso
2 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (expeller-pressed)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons brown rice vinegar
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound salmon fillet
1 cup medium diced mango (about 1 fresh mango, or use frozen and thawed cubes)
1 avocado, seed removed, and medium diced
1 cup drained Pickled Shitake and Ginger (see recipe below, or substitute with simple sauteed shitake mushrooms)
¼ cup liquid from Pickled Shitake and Ginger
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions

Procedure

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. In a small pot, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes, undisturbed. When done, take off heat and let sit with lid on.

  3. While rice cooks, prepare salmon. In a small bowl, combine miso, tamari, sesame oil, olive oil, honey, ginger, vinegar and pepper flakes. Mix well until uniform.

  4. Line a casserole dish or baking pan with parchment paper. Place salmon in pan, and pour the sauce over salmon. Coat it well on both sides and then place the salmon skin side down in baking dish.

  5. Bake for 15-20 minutes (depending on thickness), or until salmon flakes with easily with a fork at the thickest part. Remove from oven, and slice into 1-inch thick strips.

  6. Portion the rice into 4 bowls (about 1 cup each). Arrange portions of salmon, mango, avocado and pickled shitake and ginger each in their own sections around the bowl. (Good step for kids to help with!)

  7. Distribute the pickling liquid over the bowls, sprinkle with scallions and serve.

Sweet Pickled Shitake and Ginger

Pickled shitake.png

Ingredients

2 cups dried shiitake mushrooms caps (about 12 large caps)
¼ cup tamari
¼ cup brown rice vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1, 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices

Procedure

  1. Put the mushrooms in a small pot, and cover with boiling water. Let them soak for about 30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms, reserving one cup of the soaking liquid.

  2. Slice the rehydrated mushrooms.

  3. Return mushrooms and reserved soaking liquid to the pot, and add tamari, brown rice vinegar, maple syrup and ginger. Simmer for 15 minutes.

  4. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Store in an air-tight container (along with the liquid). Eat immediately or keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Once you’ve eaten the mushrooms, use the pickling liquid to season other foods, such as to marinate fish, in salad dressings or to stir fry veggies.

This is a super tasty way to prepare shitake mushrooms that kids will love. Shitake are one of the very few foods that are naturally high in Vitamin D (which we otherwise have to make from the sun). They are also known for their anti-cancer properties. Adding them to your family’s diet brings a lot of benefits.

Serves: 8

Prep Time (passive): 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes