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These salmon fried rice bowls hit all the right notes: crispy, savory rice, tender honey soy glazed salmon, and spicy roasted broccoli to round it out. Everything cooks quickly and can be made ahead of time for a satisfying, feel-good meal that’s just as good for a weeknight dinner as it is for meal prep.
Chef tips
- Use day-old rice – If you have to use fresh rice, use 1/4 cup less water when cooking. Then, transfer the rice to a sheet tray and freeze for 10 minutes (if you have the time!). I like to keep some sandwich bags of rice in my freezer and pop one to defrost the night before if I want to make fried rice the next day.
- Break apart rice before frying – This extra step helps prevent clumping and gives you that classic fried rice texture.
- Roast the salmon and broccoli at the same time – Both cook at 400°F for 10 minutes, so it’s easy to pop them into the oven together.
- Don’t overcook the salmon – Pull it out once it’s just opaque in the center. Overcooked salmon will dry out fast. I always use my meat thermometer to check salmon doneness – take it out when the center reaches 130F.
- Adjust spice to taste – Use more or less chili oil and red pepper flakes depending on how spicy you like it.
Ingredient notes
Fried rice
- Cooked Day-Old White Rice (2 cups) – Day-old rice is key for fried rice with the right texture—dry enough so it fries, not steams.
- Neutral Oil (2 tbsp) – Use avocado, canola, or grapeseed oil for high heat cooking.
- Scallions (2 stalks) – Thinly sliced. Adds a quick pop of flavor to the rice.
- Kosher Salt – Essential for seasoning the rice properly.
Honey soy glazed salmon
- Salmon (16 oz) – Cut into 1″ cubes so it can pick up the marinade flavor all over and is easy to eat in a bowl.
- Soy Sauce (2.5 tbsp) – Can swap with tamari if you’re gluten free.
- Honey (1 tbsp) – Balances the saltiness and gives the salmon a slight glaze.
- Chili Oil (1 tbsp) – Adds a gentle heat without overwhelming the dish.
- Garlic (2 cloves) – Mince or food process. Can omit.
- Green Onion (1 stalk) – Chopped and added to the marinade for freshness.
- Rice Wine Vinegar (1 tsp) – A touch of acidity to balance the flavors.
- Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional) – Adds a little nuttiness and texture.
Spicy roasted broccoli
- Broccoli Florets (2 cups, about 1 large head) – Cut into 1” pieces for faster roasting and better caramelization.
- Neutral Oil – Don’t skimp on the oil when roasting! This helps make the broccoli tender while roasting.
- Kosher Salt + Black Pepper – Base seasoning for the broccoli.
- Red Pepper Flakes (pinch) – Optional, but adds a subtle spicy kick.
FAQ
Your fried rice may be clumpy for several different reasons. The most likely cause of clumpy fried rice is because your rice that has too much moisture. It’s usually recommended to use day old rice, which has less moisture since it dries out in a cold environment. Another important note is that even if you’re using day old rice on softer / wet rice, it may still be clumpy. If you intend to make fried rice, take the normal amount of water you use to make rice, and use 2 tablespoons less. If you want to make fried rice the same day with cooked rice, use 20% less water and spread the rice on a sheet tray to let it cool and draw some of the moisture out.
You can use previously frozen rice that has been defrosted. I tried making this with frozen rice straight from the freezer, and end up with clumpy fried rice. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not the best outcome. However, I HAVE made this with rice that was frozen and defrosted, and it turned out really well.
Absolutely. Store the fried rice, salmon, and broccoli separately and reheat gently when ready to eat.
I highly recommend defrosting the salmon before cooking. There may be ways to cook salmon directly from frozen, but I find the texture to be best if it’s completely thawed.
Step by Step Instructions:
For the fried rice:
- Thinly slice the scallions.
- Wet your hands slightly, then begin to break apart the fried rice. You want to use day old rice so that the rice grains don’t clump together. Breaking apart the fried rice before adding to the pan is another trick to ensure the best textured fried rice.
- Heat a large pan on high heat. I like to use a cast iron or a pan that can retain heat.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of neutral oil and the sliced scallions. Begin to let the scallions fry and become aromatic, about 30 seconds.
- Add the rice and a large pinch of kosher salt. Begin to mix together with a spatula or chopsticks. Fry for 3-4 minutes, until all the rice is coated with oil and hot.
- Taste, add additional kosher salt as desired, then the fried rice is ready to serve.
For the salmon:
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Make the salmon marinade by combining the soy sauce, honey, chili oil, rice wine vinegar, sesame seeds, minced garlic, and chopped scallions.
- Dice the salmon into 1” cubes, then toss this with the marinade.
- Add the marinated salmon to a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes at 400 F.
For the spicy broccoli:
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Cut the broccoli florets into 1” sized pieces. Add this to a baking sheet, then drizzle over neutral oil, kosher salt, black pepper, and a pinch of red chili flake.
- Roast at 400F for 10 minutes, or until the broccoli is slightly golden brown and tender.
VIDEO Tutorial here:
Honey Soy Glazed Salmon Fried Rice Bowls
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2–3 servings 1x
Description
These salmon fried rice bowls hit all the right notes: crispy, savory rice, tender honey soy glazed salmon, and spicy roasted broccoli to round it out. Everything cooks quickly for a family friendly, delicious weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
For the Fried Rice:
- 2 cups of cooked day old white rice
- 2 tablespoons of neutral oil
- 2 stalks of scallions
- Kosher salt
For the Honey Soy Roast Salmon
- 16 ounces of salmon, cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 2.5 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 stalk of green onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds (optional)
For the spicy roast broccoli
- 2 cups of broccoli florets
- Neutral oil
- Kosher salt
- Pinch of red pepper flake
- Black pepper
Instructions
For the fried rice:
- Thinly slice the scallions.
- Wet your hands slightly, then begin to break apart the fried rice. You want to use day old rice so that the rice grains don’t clump together. Breaking apart the fried rice before adding to the pan is another trick to ensure the best textured fried rice.
- Heat a large pan on high heat. I like to use a cast iron or a pan that can retain heat.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of neutral oil and the sliced scallions. Begin to let the scallions fry and become aromatic, about 30 seconds.
- Add the rice and a large pinch of kosher salt. Begin to mix together with a spatula or chopsticks. Fry for 3-4 minutes, until all the rice is coated with oil and hot.
- Taste, add additional kosher salt as desired, then the fried rice is ready to serve.
For the salmon:
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Make the salmon marinade by combining the soy sauce, honey, chili oil, rice wine vinegar, sesame seeds, minced garlic, and chopped scallions.
- Dice the salmon into 1” cubes, then toss this with the marinade.
- Add the marinated salmon to a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes at 400 F.
For the spicy broccoli:
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Cut the broccoli florets into 1” sized pieces. Add this to a baking sheet, then drizzle over neutral oil, kosher salt, black pepper, and a pinch of red chili flake.
- Roast at 400F for 10 minutes, or until the broccoli is slightly golden brown and tender.
Notes
I typically cook the salmon and the broccoli on the same pan. As long as you cut the broccoli into relatively smaller 1” pieces, it should take just as long to cook as the salmon.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Quick and easy
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: Asian
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