It’s very specific, but I’ve been craving crispy rice pretty much all summer. And because I hadn’t had any, I figured it was time to make it myself.
Funny story about this recipe (maybe not that funny, but still deserves a mention): I was specifically craving spicy tuna crispy rice. And then I bought salmon for this recipe. And even though I knew that I was cooking salmon, I continued to call this spicy tuna until someone helped me notice on Instagram. Call it mom brain?
In any case, this spicy salmon crispy rice is delicious. And it’s not tuna, but I might even like it more that way.
I was a little intimidated to make this at home, but then honestly, was surprised by how easy it actually was! Of course, it’s not the same as getting it from a real Japanese restaurant. And I won’t lie, those are, of course, much better.
But, this is a really fun thing to make it home. And, given how surprisingly easy and delicious it is, it’s a great option.
I love having this as an appetizer or even a side dish. If you want to have it as part of a meal, I recommend serving something else with it too to make the meal a little bit more filling. I served with it a simple cucumber salad – just thinly sliced cucumber, olive oil, rice vinegar, salt, pepper and sesame seeds – and it was a perfectly balanced and satisfying lunch.
Brown rice
I used brown rice here because I always have it in the house! If you happen to have – or buy – sushi rice though, it will of course work much better. And white rice is an option too.
Salmon
When I can, I usually look for wild Alaskan salmon for sustainability purposes. But, find what you can and prefer – salmon can get expensive, and there’s no need to break the bank. I like that this one is cooked pretty plain as is – I cooked double and served the extra to my 9 month old!
Avocado
Make sure your avocado is ripe enough to mash. To help speed up ripening, you can place avocado in a brown paper bag, or place it near other ripened fruit, like ripe bananas. If you’re making this recipe a little ahead of time, you may want to squeeze a little lime juice over the mashed avocado to prevent it from browning.
Notes
- Oil: Swap olive oil for avocado oil if you have it.
- Mayo: If you’re not into regular mayo, a vegan mayo option will totally work here too.
- Sriracha: I drizzled this on top because I’m not a huge spice person. For more spice though, definitely try mixing the sriracha in with the salmon mixture. And add more to your liking!
- Storage: If you want to make these ahead of time, I recommend leaving them unassembled. Make the crispy rice and salmon salad and store those separately. Then, when you’re ready to eat, mash your avocado and assemble the crispy rice. You can re-crisp rice in the air fryer for a few minutes.
- Air fryer: If you don’t have an air fryer, try cooking the rice on the stovetop with oil to get the surface nice and crisp. Then finish cooking in the oven on broil until hardened.
Ingredients
- 6 oz. salmon fillet
- 3/4 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/2 avocado
- Sriracha
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Place salmon on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 minutes or until an internal temperature of 145 F is reached.
- While salmon is cooking, mix brown rice with olive oil and rice vinegar. Using your hands, tightly pack rice together and form into 5-6 rectangular blocks.
- Place rice blocks in an air fryer and air fryer on 390 F for 12 minutes, until blocks are firm and crispy.
- Let salmon cool, then use a fork to flake the salmon into small pieces. Add to a bowl and mix with mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mash avocado.
- Assemble crispy rice: top each rice block with mashed avocado and salmon mixture. Drizzle with sriracha.
