I will just be outright with it, this meal is truly just a means to consume the spicy peanut sauce. It helps that the rest of the meal is simple to prepare, healthy and tasty, but it’s REALLY just all. about. that. sauce.
I call these spring roll bowls because you can also take all of the components of this bowl and roll it up in a fresh rice paper for some refreshing spring rolls, but that takes dedicated time and effort. So it’s just as tasty to consume them bowl style. As always, feel free to amp up the spiciness of the sauce to your liking.
Serves: 4
Difficulty level: Easy
Total time: 40 minutes
You’ll need:
1 - 1.5 lbs Salmon
8 ounces white (or brown) rice vermicelli (or any style rice noodle)
1 ripe avocado
3 or 4 carrots, cut into discs or matchsticks
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Red or Yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 small to medium mango, chopped (or you can use frozen mango, just defrost it by resting at room temp for 1 - 2 hours)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Juice of 1 lime
2 -4 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
1 - 2 scallions, chopped
For the peanut sauce:
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1- 2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Hoison sauce
1/2 - 1 tablespoon sriracha or chili garlic sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
Water to thin
Let’s do it!
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper.
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In a small bowl, mix the lime juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, shallots and garlic.
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Place the salmon in the lined baking pan and surround it with the carrots and bell peppers. Evenly distribute the lime juice/soy/shallot mixture you just made over the salmon and vegetables. Season the entire pan with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper.
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Bake the salmon and veggies for 25 - 30 minutes or until salmon flakes when pried with a fork.
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While the salmon is baking, prepare your rice noodles according to packaging then drain and set aside. Slice or dice the avocado and set aside.
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To prepare the peanut sauce, whisk all ingredients together, adding as much water as you need to get to your desired consistency. I like the consistency to be that of BBQ sauce, but you can make it thicker or thinner to your desire.
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To put the bowls together, start with a bed of rice noodles, then top with veggies and a portion of salmon. Finish with the avocado, mango, scallions and fresh basil. Drizzle with peanut sauce and serve!
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Note, you can chill the salmon/veggie mixture once it is cooked to serve the meal as a cold noodle bowl for particularly hot summer nights.