One-Pot Ginger Salmon and Rice

Name: One-Pot Ginger Salmon and Rice
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups sushi rice (short-grain white rice, rinsed well; About 5 grams toasted nori seaweed, crushed into small pieces (2 sheets or one 0.17-ounce snack pack); 1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more for serving; Salt; 1 pound skinless salmon, cut into 1-inch cubes; 1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, finely grated (about 1 tablespoon); 1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges; 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick; Any combination of fresh herbs (such as cilantro, parsley, shiso), sliced scallions, crushed nori and toasted sesame seeds (all optional), for serving

By Ali Slagle

Published April 8, 2023

One-Pot Ginger Salmon and Rice — Joel Goldberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Total Time: 50 minutes
Rating: 4(829)
Comments: Read comments

This one-pot meal follows in the tradition of takikomi gohan, or Japanese mixed rice: Short-grain rice cooks with meat, seafood or vegetables and seasonings like dashi, hijiki, mushrooms and soy sauce. This recipe’s umami is driven by toasted nori (or gim); the sheets used for sushi or kimbap and the little, boxed seasoned snacks both work. When cooked with the rice, the seaweed loses its crunch, but its nutty, briny flavor infuses each grain. Seaweed goes well with salmon, which is lively with lemon and ginger, and silky from a quick steam on top of the rice. And while you could add any vegetable that steams in 10 minutes, crisp-tender asparagus works especially well.

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Ingredients

Yield:3 to 4 servings

1½cups sushi rice (short-grain white rice, rinsed well
About 5 grams toasted nori seaweed, crushed into small pieces (2 sheets or one 0.17-ounce snack pack)
1tablespoon soy sauce, plus more for serving
Salt
1pound skinless salmon, cut into 1-inch cubes
1(1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, finely grated (about 1 tablespoon)
1lemon, zested and cut into wedges
1bunch asparagus, trimmed and sliced ½ inch thick
Any combination of fresh herbs (such as cilantro, parsley, shiso), sliced scallions, crushed nori and toasted sesame seeds (all optional), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a medium pot, combine 2½ cups water with the rice, nori, soy sauce and a pinch of salt. Cover and bring mixture to a boil over medium-high. Once mixture comes to a boil, stir, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until the rice is tender, 18 to 20 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the salmon, ginger and lemon zest. Season with salt.
Step 3
Gently fold the asparagus into the rice. If you notice the rice is dry or sticking to the pot, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water. Add the salmon mixture on top of the rice, cover, and cook on low until the salmon is just cooked through and the asparagus is crisp-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off heat, and let rest, covered, 10 minutes. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and more soy sauce, plus herbs, scallions, nori and/or sesame seeds as desired.

Ratings

4 out of 5

829 user ratings

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Comments

Niko2 years ago

Comes out really dry as instructed, and was not a fan of the soggy nori. Added another tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp rice vinegar and a little sesame oil for flavor, and cooked everything in a rice cooker (placed salmon and asparagus on top of rice, and grated the ginger/lemon zest on top of those). Instead of cooking the nori with the rice, crumbled it over the dish when serving, along with some furikake. The flavor profile is the same as the original recipe, but so much juicier.

Katryn2 years ago

This recipe is flawed. The rice is already cooked after 18 minutes when you add the salmon and asparagus. So the rice ends up being very mushy and there isn’t enough liquid to soften the asparagus. Pretty much a disaster.

Jen2 years ago

After reading the notes, I soaked the sushi rice and rinsed thoroughly in advance and decided to do this in a deep-sided 12" skillet vs. a pot to increase surface area for the salmon. I added the asparagus and salmon at minute 12 (instead of 18-20 as written) and, while I had to crank the heat a little at that point to get the steam going again, I did the remainder of the recipe as written and everything turned out cooked as intended! The rice wasn't mushy and the salmon was beautifully tender.

JK Bonz1 month ago

Recipe is a great starting point. Marinated sockeye in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar sesame oil. 13x9 electric skillet: 2 cups rice, 3 cups water; cooked rice 8 min, added asparagus topped with sockeye filets and 4oz can saki. Cooked 7 more mins; skin and chunked filets. Added chunked salmon and marinade topped with fresh spinach and another can of saki on warm for 10 mins. DELISH. Rice was a bit carmelized and crispy on the bottom, well cooked, asparagus perfect. A huge hit.

JV3 months ago

This is one-pot botulism. Following directions leads to a raw, uncooked mess after 30 minutes of trying to resurrect step 3. Move along for your own health.

travel girl6 months ago

This did not work in one pot using the instant pot. But the rice and fish cooked really well together. Reduce the water to 1.5c with the rice and soy sauce then place the fish on top. Set for pressure cook on high for 3 min followed by 10 min natural release. Cook the asparagus separately. Top with furikake, scallions and/or herbs to serve.

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