Honey Garlic Salmon Rice Bowls

If you’re sick of the same old salmon and rice routine, then you are going to be obsessed with these sticky honey garlic salmon rice bowls!

Seriously, we are talking salmon cubes smothered in a sticky, sweet sauce, creamy coconut rice, and—let’s not forget—a fresh, crunchy cucumber avocado salsa. We are making a dinner that feels fancy but comes together so fast.

Why You’ll Love This

The Timing is Magic: We start the coconut rice first, and by the time it’s fluffy and perfect, your salmon and toppings are done. You’ll literally have dinner on the table in 30 minutes.
The Flavor Bomb: The salmon gets pan-seared until crisp, then glazed in a honey-garlic-tamari sauce that reduces down to a gorgeous, gooey consistency.
That Coconut Rice: We aren’t just using water here. We swap in full-fat coconut milk to make the base light, fluffy, and just a little bit tropical.

If you love this, also try:

• Easy One Pan Salmon Recipe with Asparagus
• Restaurant-Quality Pistachio Salmon & Sweet Potato Mash

What You’ll Need

Special Equipment

• Large non-stick skillet or cast-iron pan
• Medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
• Whisk
• Tongs

The Coconut Rice

• 2 cups long-grain white rice or basmati rice
• 1¼ cups water
• 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk
• 1 tsp kosher salt

The Cucumber Avocado Salad

• 2 avocados, diced
• 1 English cucumber, diced (leave the skin on for crunch!)
• ¼ cup red or white onion, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

The Salmon & Sticky Sauce

• 4 fillets salmon (approx. 4 oz each), cut into 1-inch cubes (total 1 lb)
• ⅓ cup tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tbsp sriracha (adjust for heat)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• Oil for searing: olive oil or avocado oil

Let’s Get Cooking!

1. Start the Rice

We’re making the salad and rice first because the salmon cooks super fast.

Place rice in a large bowl and cover with water. Swirl, drain, and repeat a few times until the water runs mostly clear. This removes excess starch so your rice is fluffy, not gummy.

In a saucepan, combine rinsed rice, 1¼ cups water, the can of coconut milk, and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil. Stir once, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered.

2. Make the Salad

While the rice cooks, combine diced avocado, cucumber, sliced onion, lime juice, and cilantro in a bowl. Stir gently and set aside to marinate. Healthy cooking does not have to be boring!

3. Whisk the Sauce

In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, honey, sesame oil, grated ginger, sriracha, and pinch salt. Set this aside.

4. Sear the Salmon

Heat 1–2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add salmon cubes (skin-side down if using skin-on). Sear for 2–3 minutes until crisp. Flip gently.

5. Glaze It

Add minced garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour the sauce mixture over the salmon. Let the salmon finish cooking in the sauce for 1–2 minutes (internal temp 135°F/57°C for medium-rare). Remove the salmon from the pan.

6. Thicken the Sauce

Turn heat to medium-low and simmer the remaining sauce in the pan for 3–4 minutes until it thickens into a sticky glaze. Remove from heat.

7. Assemble

Fluff the rice with a fork. Bowl up the coconut rice, top with the crisp salmon, drizzle generously with the thickened sticky sauce, and add a scoop of the cucumber salad. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Loved the sticky salmon glaze? You’ll go crazy for this: Spicy, Honey, Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta (Ready in 30 Minutes!)

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FAQs

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Sticky Honey Garlic Salmon Bowls with Coconut Rice

Recipe by Sana ReiCourse: DinnerCuisine: Asian FusionDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

650

kcal

Total time

30

minutes

 Pan-seared salmon cubes glazed in a sticky honey-garlic sauce, served over fluffy coconut rice with a fresh cucumber avocado salad. A flavor-packed dinner ready in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• Equipment Needed:

• Large skillet

• Saucepan with lid

• Whisk, tongs

• Ingredients
• Coconut Rice:

• 2 cups basmati or long-grain white rice

• 1¼ cups water

• 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• Cucumber Avocado Salad:

• 2 avocados, diced

• 1 English cucumber, diced

• ¼ cup onion, thinly sliced

• 2 tbsp lime juice

• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

• Salmon & Sticky Sauce:

• 1 lb salmon fillets (4 fillets), cut into 1-inch cubes

• ⅓ cup tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)

• 3 tbsp honey

• 2 tbsp sesame oil

• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

• 1 tbsp sriracha (adjust to taste)

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 1–2 tbsp avocado or olive oil (for searing)

Directions

• Rinse Rice: Place rice in bowl, cover with water. Swirl, drain, repeat until water runs clear (removes starch for fluffiness).
• Cook Coconut Rice: In saucepan, combine rinsed rice, 1¼ cups water, coconut milk, 1 tsp salt. Boil. Stir once, reduce to low, cover, simmer 20 min. Keep covered off heat.
• Make Salad: Combine avocado, cucumber, onion, lime juice, cilantro. Stir gently, set aside.
• Whisk Sauce: Whisk tamari, honey, sesame oil, ginger, sriracha, pinch salt. Set aside.
• Sear Salmon: Heat 1–2 tbsp oil in skillet over medium-high. Add salmon cubes (skin-side down if skin-on). Sear 2–3 min until crisp. Flip.
• Glaze: Add garlic, cook 1 min. Pour in sauce. Cook salmon in sauce 1–2 min (internal temp 135°F/57°C for medium-rare). Remove salmon.
• Thicken Sauce: Medium-low heat, simmer sauce 3–4 min until sticky glaze. Remove from heat.
• Assemble: Fluff rice. Bowl rice + salmon + glaze + salad. Garnish with sesame seeds, green onions.

Notes

• Salmon Safety: Cook to 135°F (57°C) internal for medium-rare, or 145°F (63°C) for well-done
• Rice Tip: Rinsing prevents gumminess; coconut milk adds richness.
• Storage: Fridge 3 days (store salad separate). Reheat gently.
• Gluten-Free: Use tamari (as written).