Salmon Rice Bowl with Yum Yum Sauce

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Let me tell you about the first time I made Yum Yum Sauce at home. I was genuinely sceptical — how could something made from a handful of simple cupboard ingredients possibly taste as good as the stuff I’d been obsessing over at Japanese steakhouses for years? Turns out, it absolutely can. And the moment I drizzled that creamy, blush-pink, slightly sweet and tangy sauce over a bowl of perfectly seared salmon and fluffy jasmine rice, something clicked. This was it. This was the Salmon Rice Bowl with Yum Yum Sauce recipe I didn’t know I’d been looking for. 

How to make Salmon Rice Bowl with Yum Yum Sauce

A Salmon Rice Bowl with Yum Yum Sauce is a seriously addictive, Japanese-American-inspired bowl that combines seasoned salmon over a bed of fluffy rice, finished with that iconic creamy, tangy, slightly sweet sauce that you probably know from Japanese steakhouses and hibachi restaurants. 

What You’ll Need)

This Salmon Rice Bowl has a few moving parts but none of them are complicated. Break it down into three components — the salmon, the rice, and the Yum Yum Sauce — and suddenly it all feels very manageable and straightforward.

For the Salmon:

• 2 salmon fillets, skin on — skin-on fillets give you that gorgeous crispy skin that adds an incredible texture contrast to the soft rice and creamy sauce. Look for fillets of similar thickness so they cook evenly. Fresh is always ideal but good quality frozen salmon, fully thawed and patted dry, works absolutely perfectly.
• 1 tbsp soy sauce — adds a deep, savoury umami base to the seasoning that ties the salmon into the Japanese-inspired flavours of the whole bowl.
• 1 tbsp sesame oil — nutty, aromatic, and very distinctly Asian in character. It flavours the salmon beautifully and helps it caramelise in the pan.
• 1 tsp garlic powder — gentle, savoury background depth without overpowering the natural flavour of the fish.
• 1 tsp smoked paprika — adds warmth, colour, and a subtle smokiness that makes the salmon look and taste incredible.
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp honey — just a touch of sweetness that helps the salmon caramelise beautifully in the pan and creates those slightly sticky, golden edges that are absolutely irresistible.
• 1 tbsp olive oil or neutral oil — for cooking. Use something with a decent smoke point.
• Juice of ½ lemon or lime — squeezed over the cooked salmon just before serving to cut through the richness and brighten all the flavours.

For the Rice:

• 1½ cups jasmine rice or sushi rice — jasmine rice is light, fragrant, and perfectly fluffy. Sushi rice gives you a slightly stickier, more authentic Japanese bowl experience. Both are excellent — pick based on your preference.
• 2¼ cups water — the standard ratio for perfectly cooked jasmine rice. Always rinse your rice first until the water runs clear.
• 1 tsp salt — season the cooking water so your rice has flavour from the inside out rather than tasting bland underneath all those toppings.
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar — optional but lovely, especially if you’re using sushi rice. Stir it through the cooked rice while still warm for a subtle tang that ties everything together beautifully.
• 1 tsp sesame oil — also optional, stirred through the cooked rice for a gentle nutty aroma that echoes the flavours of the salmon and dressing.

For the Yum Yum Sauce:

• ½ cup mayonnaise — the creamy, rich base of the sauce. Use a good quality full-fat mayonnaise for the best result. Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise is absolutely outstanding here if you can find it — it’s richer, slightly sweeter, and more umami-forward than regular mayo.
• 2 tbsp tomato paste or ketchup — this is what gives the sauce its iconic blush-pink colour and a gentle sweetness. Tomato paste gives a deeper, more savoury flavour while ketchup is slightly sweeter and more readily available.
• 1 tbsp melted butter — adds a richness and depth that takes the sauce from good to absolutely incredible. Don’t skip this.
• 1 tsp garlic powder — savoury background flavour that runs through the whole sauce.
• 1 tsp smoked paprika — adds warmth, colour, and that subtle smokiness that makes the sauce taste complex and layered.
• 1 tsp sugar — just enough sweetness to balance the tanginess and round out all the flavours.
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar — the tangy element that stops the sauce from being too rich and heavy. It lifts everything and keeps the sauce bright.
• 2–3 tbsp warm water — added gradually to thin the sauce to a perfectly pourable, drizzleable consistency.
• Optional: dash of sriracha — for a gentle background heat that adds another dimension to the sauce without making it spicy per se.
• Optional: dash of Worcestershire sauce — a tiny splash adds an unexpected savoury depth that makes the sauce taste more complex and restaurant-quality.

For the Bowl Toppings:

• 1 large avocado, sliced — creamy, rich, and essential. It balances the bold flavours of the sauce and salmon with its gentle butteriness.
• 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced or diced — cool, fresh, and crunchy—a lovely contrast to the warm salmon and rice.
• ½ cup edamame beans, shelled — protein-packed, slightly sweet, and a beautiful pop of bright green in the bowl.
• 1 medium carrot, julienned or grated — adds sweetness, crunch, and a vibrant orange colour that makes the bowl look absolutely stunning.
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced — mild, fresh onion flavour that weaves through every bite.
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted — nutty, crunchy, and the perfect finishing touch that makes the bowl look properly put-together.
• Small handful of fresh coriander — bright and herby. Adds a fresh lift to an already vibrant bowl.
• Pickled ginger — optional but highly recommended. The sharp, clean tang of pickled ginger cuts through the richness of the sauce and salmon in the most refreshing way.
• Nori strips — cut a sheet of toasted nori into thin strips and lay them over the bowl. They add a deeply savoury, oceanic flavour that ties in beautifully with everything else.
• Sriracha drizzle — for anyone who likes a little extra heat alongside the Yum Yum Sauce. Drizzle it in a zigzag pattern over the finished bowl for maximum visual impact.

Step by Step

1. I always start with the sauce because it genuinely gets better as it sits — even just 10–15 minutes allows all those flavours to meld and deepen. Add your mayonnaise, tomato paste, melted butter, garlic powder, smoked paprika, sugar, and rice wine vinegar into a bowl and whisk until completely smooth and well combined. Add warm water one tablespoon at a time, whisking as you go, until the sauce reaches a consistency that’s thick enough to coat a spoon but loose enough to drizzle beautifully. Taste it — adjust the sweetness, tanginess, or seasoning to your liking. Cover and set aside, or pop it in the fridge if you’re making it well ahead.
2. Rinse your jasmine or sushi rice under cold running water, swirling it around with your hand until the water runs completely clear. This removes excess starch and gives you fluffy, separate grains rather than a clumpy, gluey mess. Add the rinsed rice to a saucepan with your measured water and salt. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce to the lowest heat setting, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 12 minutes without lifting the lid — not even once. After 12 minutes, remove from the heat and let it steam, still covered, for a further 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork, stir through the rice wine vinegar and sesame oil if using, and keep covered until ready to serve.
3. While the rice cooks, mix your soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, black pepper, and honey together in a small bowl. Pat your salmon fillets completely dry with kitchen paper — this is crucial for getting a good sear — then coat the flesh side generously with the marinade. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes. The honey in the marinade will help the salmon caramelise beautifully in the pan.
4. While the salmon marinates, prep everything else. Slice your cucumber, julienne or grate your carrot, slice your spring onions, dice your avocado, thaw your edamame, and cut your nori into thin strips. Lay everything out ready to go — this is what makes the assembly so quick and satisfying.
5. Heat your olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Place the salmon fillets skin-side down and press gently with a spatula for the first 30 seconds to prevent the skin from curling. Cook skin-side down for 4–5 minutes without moving — you want that skin deeply golden and crispy. Flip and cook for a further 2–3 minutes on the flesh side until just cooked through with a very slight translucency in the centre. Squeeze your lemon or lime juice over the top, remove from the heat, and let it rest for 2 minutes before serving.
6. Spoon a generous portion of rice into each bowl as the base — be generous here, the rice is the foundation of everything. Arrange your cucumber, carrot, edamame, and avocado around the bowl in sections, thinking about colour contrast as you go. Lay your nori strips across the bowl. Place your salmon fillet on top — either whole with that gorgeous crispy skin facing up, or flaked into large, generous chunks across the rice.
7. This is the moment the whole bowl comes alive. Drizzle your Yum Yum Sauce generously — and I mean generously — over everything. Add a drizzle of sriracha if you’re using it. Scatter your toasted sesame seeds, sliced spring onions, fresh coriander, and pickled ginger over the top. Serve immediately while the salmon and rice are still warm.

Tips

• Make more Yum Yum Sauce than you think you need. Seriously. Double the batch. You will want it on everything — drizzled over eggs in the morning, used as a dipping sauce for vegetables, spooned over literally any protein you cook for the rest of the week. It keeps in the fridge in a sealed jar for up to a week and only gets better with time.
• Use Kewpie mayonnaise if you can find it. Japanese Kewpie mayo is made with egg yolks only rather than whole eggs, which gives it a richer, creamier, more deeply flavoured base than regular mayonnaise. It makes the Yum Yum Sauce noticeably better and is worth seeking out at Asian supermarkets or online. Once you try it you’ll use it for everything.
• Rinse your rice, always. Unrinsed rice releases too much starch during cooking and turns gluey and clumpy. Rinsing until the water runs clear takes less than a minute and makes a genuinely significant difference to the texture of your finished rice.
• Never lift the lid while the rice cooks. The steam trapped inside the pot is what cooks the rice perfectly and evenly. Every time you lift the lid, you release that steam and disrupt the cooking process. Set a timer and walk away.
• Dry your salmon completely before searing. Any moisture on the surface of the salmon will cause it to steam rather than sear in the pan. Pat it thoroughly with kitchen paper until the surface feels completely dry to the touch. This single step is the difference between a beautifully golden, crispy-skinned salmon fillet and a pale, sad, steamed one.
• Don’t skip the honey in the marinade. That tiny teaspoon of honey is what gives the salmon those incredible, slightly sticky, caramelised edges in the pan. It interacts with the heat to create a gorgeous glaze that makes the salmon look and taste restaurant-quality.
• Rest the salmon before serving. Even just 2 minutes of resting after cooking makes the salmon juicier and more flavourful. The residual heat continues the cooking gently and the juices redistribute back through the flesh rather than running out onto the board the moment you flake it.

Ingredients Substitutes

The beauty of this Salmon Rice Bowl is how naturally flexible it is. Swap the protein, change the grain, tweak the sauce — it still comes together into something genuinely delicious every single time. 

Salmon Substitutes

• Trout — The closest swap in terms of flavour, texture, and cooking behaviour. Rainbow trout is slightly more delicate and less rich than salmon but responds beautifully to the same soy sesame marinade and cooks in exactly the same way. A brilliant option when salmon is expensive or just not looking great at the fishmonger that day.
• Tuna steaks — Meaty, substantial, and absolutely stunning seared quickly over high heat. Use the same marinade, get your pan really hot, and sear for just 60–90 seconds per side so the outside is golden and caramelised but the centre stays beautifully pink and tender—a completely different but equally impressive energy in the Salmon Rice Bowl.
• Cod or haddock — Milder and flakier than salmon with a more delicate flavour that lets the Yum Yum Sauce really take centre stage. Bake it in the oven at 200°C for 12–15 minutes rather than pan-searing — white fish is more fragile and breaks apart easily in a hot pan. Season with the same spice mix for consistency.
• Mackerel — Stronger, oilier, and very affordable. The bold flavour of mackerel stands up brilliantly to the richness of the Yum Yum Sauce. Smoked mackerel is an outstanding no-cook option — flake it straight over the assembled bowl and drizzle the sauce generously over the top.
• Smoked salmon — The ultimate effortless swap. No cooking required whatsoever — just lay generous slices of good quality cold smoked salmon over the warm rice and toppings, drizzle the Yum Yum Sauce over everything, and serve. Elegant, easy, and genuinely delicious.
• Prawns or shrimp — Toss them in the same soy sesame marinade and cook in a hot pan for 2–3 minutes until pink, curled, and just cooked through. They bring a lighter, sweeter quality to the Salmon Rice Bowl and look absolutely gorgeous scattered over the rice. Great for feeding a crowd since they cook incredibly quickly.
• Scallops — If you want this bowl to feel truly restaurant-worthy and special, a few perfectly seared scallops on top is an extraordinary swap. Pat them completely dry, season with just salt and pepper, and sear in a very hot pan with a little butter for 90 seconds per side without touching them in between. Golden, sweet, and deeply luxurious.
• Chicken thighs or breast — Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work particularly well here — they’re juicier and more flavourful than breast and respond beautifully to the soy sesame marinade. Slice thinly and cook through completely. A very family-friendly option that everyone tends to love.
• Crispy tofu — Press your tofu really well to remove as much moisture as possible, cube it, toss it in the soy sesame marinade, and pan-fry until deeply golden and crispy on all sides. It absorbs the marinade beautifully and makes this bowl completely plant-based without sacrificing satisfaction or flavour.
• Tempeh — Nuttier and firmer than tofu with a more complex, earthy flavour. Slice it thinly, marinate in the same soy sesame mixture for at least 20 minutes, then pan-fry until golden and slightly caramelised. A genuinely brilliant plant-based protein that holds its own in a bold, saucy bowl like this.
• Roasted chickpeas — Toss tinned chickpeas in the marinade and roast at 200°C for 25–30 minutes until crispy and golden. They add protein, crunch, and a wonderful warmth and make the Salmon Rice Bowl feel complete and nourishing even without any fish.
• Tinned salmon — Completely unglamorous but genuinely useful on those days when fresh fish isn’t happening. Drain it well, flake it into a bowl, season with a little lemon juice, soy sauce, and black pepper, and pile it over the rice. The Yum Yum Sauce does a lot of the heavy lifting here and the result is still very satisfying.

Jasmine Rice Substitutes

• Sushi rice — The most authentic swap for a Japanese-inspired bowl. Slightly stickier and more glutinous than jasmine rice which makes it easier to eat with chopsticks and gives the Salmon Rice Bowl a more intentional, restaurant-style feel. Season it with rice wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and salt while still warm for the full sushi rice experience.
• Brown rice — Nuttier, chewier, and more nutritious than white rice. Takes longer to cook — usually 35–40 minutes — but adds a wonderful wholesome, earthy quality to the Salmon Rice Bowl and keeps you full for significantly longer. Well worth the extra time if you have it.
• Cauliflower rice — Blitz raw cauliflower florets in a food processor until they resemble rice grains, then sauté in a pan with a little sesame oil and seasoning for 3–4 minutes. A brilliant low-carb option that absorbs the Yum Yum Sauce beautifully and adds a subtle vegetable freshness to the base of the bowl.
• Quinoa — Protein-packed, slightly nutty, and very good at soaking up sauces and dressings. Cook it in vegetable or chicken stock instead of plain water for extra flavour—a great option if you want something more nutritionally substantial than white rice.
• Farro — Chewy, nutty, and slightly sweet with a wonderful hearty texture. An ancient grain that makes the Salmon Rice Bowl feel more substantial and interesting. Cook it like pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until tender.
• Couscous — Ready in literally 5 minutes — pour boiling water or stock over it, cover, and fluff with a fork. Light, fluffy, and very good at absorbing the Yum Yum Sauce. Not as nutritionally dense as quinoa or brown rice but endlessly convenient on busy weeknights.
• Soba noodles — Cook according to packet instructions, rinse under cold water, and toss in a little sesame oil. They completely transform the bowl into something that feels more like a Japanese noodle dish than a rice bowl — equally delicious and a really fun variation to try.
• Ramen noodles — Wavy, chewy, and deeply satisfying. Cook them, rinse, and pile them into the bowl as the base instead of rice. The Yum Yum Sauce over ramen noodles with crispy salmon on top is genuinely one of the best things you can eat on a Friday night.
• Sweet potato — Cubed and roasted until tender and caramelised, sweet potato makes a completely grain-free base that’s naturally sweet and very filling. It pairs surprisingly well with the Yum Yum Sauce and adds a warm, comforting quality to the whole Salmon Rice Bowl.
• Skip the base entirely — If you’re eating light or want a pure protein and vegetable bowl, skip the grain base altogether and double up on the greens and vegetables instead. The salmon and Yum Yum Sauce are bold enough to carry the Salmon Rice Bowl on their own.

Yum Yum Sauce Substitutes

• Sriracha mayo — Mix mayonnaise with sriracha to taste and a squeeze of lime. Creamy, spicy, and incredibly quick to throw together. It doesn’t have the same complexity as a proper Yum Yum Sauce but it’s deeply satisfying and takes about 30 seconds to make.
• Spicy miso mayo — White miso paste mixed into mayonnaise with a little sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and sriracha. Deeply savoury, slightly funky, and absolutely gorgeous over salmon and rice. A more Japanese-flavoured alternative to the Yum Yum Sauce that ties in beautifully with the other elements of the Salmon Rice Bowl.
• Tahini sauce — Tahini blended with lemon juice, garlic, water, salt, and a little honey until smooth and pourable. Nutty, creamy, and completely different in character from the Yum Yum Sauce, but genuinely wonderful over salmon. Takes the Salmon Rice Bowl in a more Middle Eastern direction which is an interesting and delicious variation.
• Ponzu sauce — A Japanese citrus-based soy sauce that’s light, bright, and very clean in flavour. Drizzle it directly over the salmon and bowl instead of the Yum Yum Sauce for something much lighter and more acidic—a brilliant option if you want all the flavour without any of the richness.
• Teriyaki sauce — Shop-bought or homemade, a good teriyaki sauce drizzled over the salmon and rice is a crowd-pleasing, universally loved alternative. Sticky, sweet, savoury, and very familiar. Use it as a glaze on the salmon during cooking for maximum impact.
• Ginger soy dressing — Soy sauce, fresh grated ginger, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and a little honey whisked together. Light, zingy, and very fresh. A much less rich option than the Yum Yum Sauce that still ties all the Japanese-inspired flavours of the Salmon Rice Bowl together beautifully.
• Coconut aminos with sesame — For a soy-free, slightly sweeter sauce alternative, coconut aminos mixed with sesame oil, ginger, and a little lime juice is a lovely light dressing that works really well over the whole Salmon Rice Bowl.

Final Thoughts

This Salmon Rice Bowl with Yum Yum Sauce is the kind of recipe that earns a permanent place in your regular rotation — not because it’s trendy or because you saw it everywhere online, but because it’s genuinely, deeply, satisfyingly delicious every single time you make it. 

More Sauce Recipes:

• Roasted Veggie Bowl Sauce Recipe
• Veggie Bowl Sauce Recipe