Sushi Salad

Sushi salad is so flavorful and easy to make and customize and so flavorful. Perfect for entertaining sushi lovers or a fun weeknight dinner. This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free and can easily be made plant based.

Sushi salad is a great way to cure any sushi cravings. It’s a cross between deconstructed sushi rolls, a sushi burrito, and poke bowls. No matter what you call it, they all consist of a few of the same ingredients.

Many components can be made ahead of time for an even quicker meal. You can also use sushi-grade raw fish. It all depends on personal preference and availability.

Ingredients

• Salmon – either a large fillet of salmon to bake (included in the recipe card) or sushi-grade salmon.
• Marinade – coconut aminos, rice vinegar, honey, and a pinch of salt.
• Sushi rice – the base for the salad, I love using white rice like traditional sushi, but you can use brown rice if you’d prefer. You can find this in the Asian section at most grocery stores or at your local Asian market.
• Veggies – I went with shredded carrots and sliced Persian cucumbers for crunch and a pop of color.
• Avocado – an integral sushi ingredient added for creaminess.
• Toasted nori sheets – I love using seaweed snacks for ease.
• Toasted sesame seeds (optional) – either black sesame seeds for a pop of color or white.
• Crushed-up plantain chips – these add a crunchy, tempura-like topping and are naturally gluten-free.
• Spicy mayo – to drizzle on top.
• Coconut aminos or tamari/soy sauce – for serving.

How To Make Sushi Salad

Step 1. Cook the sushi rice according to the package directions. Have an instant pot? Make half a batch of instant pot sushi rice.

Step 2. Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, rice vinegar, honey, and salt. Put the salmon fillet in a baking dish and pour the marinade over the top. Set aside while the oven comes to temp.

Step 3. Cook the salmon for 12-15 minutes. While the salmon cooks, slice the veggies and avocado and make the Japanese spicy mayo.

Step 4. Flake the salmon and discard the skin.

Step 5. Assemble your platter (or shallow large bowl) starting with rice, followed by the vegetables, then the flaked salmon, sliced avocado, a drizzle of spicy mayo, toasted sesame seeds (if using), and a sprinkle of crushed plantains. Serve with nori strips, more spicy mayo, and coconut aminos or tamari/soy sauce.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.

How can you make this sushi salad using what you already have? Here are some ideas…

• No salmon? – you could also use seared ahi tuna, sautéed shrimp, or imitation crabmeat.
• No carrots or cucumbers? – use any vegetable you like, you could also add massaged kale to the rice to add more greens and make it more salad-like.
• No plantain chips? – use crispy onions, wonton strips, or toasted breadcrumbs.
• Make it vegan – use tofu or shelled edamame beans instead of salmon.
• No mayo? – this dish would also be so good with carrot ginger miso dressing.
• Add-ins – sliced green onions, toasted sesame oil, etc.

Variations

• Quinoa sushi salad – use quinoa instead of rice.

Helpful Tip

Everything can be prepped ahead of time: the spicy mayo, salmon, and rice. If you cook the rice ahead of time and it looks a little dried out, you can nuke it in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds to revive it.

More Dinner Recipes

• Cilantro Lime Pasta With Shrimp
• Thai Coconut Lime Chicken
• 10-Minute Pizza Wraps
• Taco Salad Bowls