Furikake Salmon Rice Bowl
Salmon lacquered with soy and honey, flaked hot over warm rice, then buried under toasted sesame and torn nori.
Why it works
Honey and soy brown far faster together than either does alone, so ten minutes in a hot basket builds a sticky glaze without drying the fillet past medium. Flaking the fish while it is hot lets the glaze run down into the rice instead of sitting on top. The rice goes on the hob first and rests covered while the salmon cooks, which is what makes short-grain rice sit in soft clumps rather than separate grains.
Method
- Boil the kettle and heat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F). Put the rinsed rice, fine salt and boiling water in a small pan, bring back to the boil, then clamp on a lid and cook on the lowest heat for 10 minutes. Leave it covered off the heat, and fork the rice vinegar through it just before serving.
- Stir the soy, honey, vinegar, ginger and sesame oil together in a small bowl.
- Sit the salmon skin-down in the basket and brush thickly with half the glaze. Air fry for 10 minutes, brushing on the rest and scattering the frozen edamame around the fillets at 6 minutes. It is done when the surface is dark and tacky and the thickest part flakes under light pressure; a little translucence at the centre is what you want.
- Meanwhile, mix the sesame seeds, torn nori and flaky salt on your board. This is your furikake.
- Divide the warm rice between four bowls. Flake the salmon off its skin over the top in large pieces, add the blistered edamame and spoon any glaze left in the basket over each.
- Add the cucumber, radishes and avocado, then scatter generously with the furikake and spring onions.
For the toddler
Brush one fillet with a little sesame oil instead of the glaze at step 3, since the glaze is soy and honey, and honey is not for a baby under one. Keep the furikake off their plate, as it is mostly flaky salt, and crush any sesame seeds fine. Flake the salmon off its skin and check for bones, cut the radishes and cucumber into soft strips rather than rounds, and squash the edamame.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Trout or thick mackerel fillets both take the glaze well; mackerel needs only 7 minutes.
Three 250 g pouches of microwave rice instead of the pan, forked through with the vinegar while they are still steaming.
A bowl of instant miso soup, and a small dish of pickled ginger or kimchi.
Keep salmon and rice separate and eat cold next day; reheating the rice under flaked fish makes it gluey.