Dill Salmon Rice Bowl

Dill Salmon Rice Bowl

We were out of town for Spring Break and came back to a yard that was almost unrecognizable. What constituted grass were a mass of flowering green weeds and the much neglected herb garden totally lush like a professional had been nurturing it. Trust me I have no green thumb so the herb garden was a pleasant surprise. Beautiful dill in my garden? Who knew? I thought hmmm I have to make something with this gorgeous dill just to show everyone that not all green thumbers can grow dill so here it goes…

Salmon rice bowl are common in the Vietnamese culinary world. The simplicity and the ease of preparing them are always what keeps it on the list of ‘go to’ dinners in our house. I know that Vietnamese do not use dill but it goes perfect in this dish. The Asian community in general loves pickled vegetables so I used a simple Asian pickling recipe for the cucumber and added fresh dill. It’s delicious! We also love sticky rice. It’s the lightly sweetness and the stickiness that has us hooked. You have to improvise while preparing it when you do not have a bamboo steamer basket to use like us. This recipe is on the table in 30 minutes.

Salmon

1.5 lbs of skinless salmon filet cut into 4 pieces

¼ cup of mirin

Salt & pepper to taste

Cedar plank that has soaked in water for 30 minutes

Light a charcoal grill. Place the salmon pieces in a Pyrex baking dish. Pour the mirin over each piece. Sprinkle each piece with salt & pepper. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. When coals are an ash color, move them to one side of the grill. Place the salmon pieces on the soaked cedar plank. Place the plank on the side of the grill that has no coals. Cover with the lid and grill the salmon for about 15 minutes or until flakes easily with a fork.

Sticky Rice

2 cups of sweet rice (I like the Eagle Brand from Thailand)

Coffee filter

Pam Spray

Water

Place the rice in a bowl and cover the rice with at least 2-3 inches of water. Soak overnight or for at least 3 hours. In a medium saucepan add 1 inch of water. Set a metal steamer basket in it. Make a slit in the center of a coffee filter and place over the ringed post in the center of the basket. Lightly spray the filter with Pam spray. Mound the drained, soaked sweet rice in the center of the basket. Cover with a lid. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce to low and steam for 20 minutes. Take it off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Using a spoon sprayed with Pam spray to dish out the rice. Remember it’s called sticky for a reason!

Dill Cucumbers

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cubed

¼ cup of rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons of sugar

½ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of black pepper

1 Tablespoon of dill, finely chopped

Whisk the rice vinegar, sugar, salt & pepper together until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the cucumber and dill. Toss well and marinate for 20 minutes.

To assemble:

Divide the rice among four bowls, top each with a piece of salmon. Pour the cucumber mixture (including the marinate) over the salmon and serve.

Serves 4