Gochujang Broiled Salmon Bowl

How did I never post this???

Hi! Welcome to the recipe lockbox: A coveted corner of the internet where all of my unpublished or book-exclusive recipes have been compiled into one single post. Want to watch me make them first? The video is linked below. Scroll down for the actual written recipe and enjoy the treasure trove!

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Gochujang Broiled Salmon Bowl

In a testament to how long I have been sitting on this recipe, I had to navigate back to July 2022 to find the original image in my photo library. The video has been out for ages. But for an unknown reason, the written recipe was dormant, a dusty old evidence box in a musty records room.

What an injustice I inflicted upon my own work! I make this very gochujang salmon for dinner most Monday nights (Coz and I call it “usual salmon bowl Monday”), and that’s been the cadence since I first developed it. In fact, it started as an improv slap-together recipe, but after making it three or four times for the fam, I realized … this is a recipe recipe. That was the signal to get my weights and measures in order, which is what you’ll get, below. But know that if you are missing one of the marinade ingredients (or are just a little short of the total amount), proceed. I made it 19 different ways before I codified this version.

The marinade is spicy and a little sweet, with a little vinegar and just a smidge of garlic; if you have 10 minutes to marinate the salmon, that’s great. If you have four hours, that’s also great. My favorite part though—the salmon broils to medium-rare perfection in eight minutes. Eight. I have made this dozens and dozens of times. Eight minutes. My typical approach is to get the rice rinsed and into the rice cooker first; that’s about a one-hour cook time. Then I make the marinade and get it onto the salmon. Then I prep the pickles and any other toppings and set up a little condiment tray for the table. When the rice is a few minutes from being done, the salmon slides into the toaster oven. If you want to make your marinade on Sunday night or Monday morning and chill the salmon while it soaks that up, you can go straight into the rice and topping prep.

Quickles quickling.

Counter-intuitively, I want you to position the salmon flesh side up. The marinade will caramelize and blister and form delicious blackened bits. If you broil it skin-side up, the fat in the skin will render and cause the marinade to burn. You’ll end up pulling that bubbled and charred skin off, denying yourself the flavor payoff. My kids actually like the texture of the skin from on the underside of the fillet .It’s not my ideal consistency (wet fish ribbon?), so I usually peel it off and give it to them. To each their own!

Any Asian market will carry the toppings—furikake, nori, kimchi, chili crisp, etc. I don’t always have all of them in the house—something crunchy and something spicy will cover the bases. There are other Spin Its in the recipe!

Like the salmon fish currently migrating from the ocean to their spawning grounds, let this recipe run free. I wish all those salmon fillets many happy travels on the way to your bowls!

xoxo,

CLM

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Gochujang Broiled Salmon Bowl Formatted

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Gochujang Broiled Salmon Bowl

Figuring out what type of salmon to buy can be overwhelming: farmed vs. organic. Frozen vs. fresh. Wild sounds great, but which one? Coho, Alaskan, Scottish, King, Alaskan, Steelhead… My advice, and the rule I follow when I shop, is to ask the person working the fish counter. I think a fattier type works best in this preparation, but tell them you don’t want something too buttery because it needs to stand up to the spicy-sweet-charred marinade. If you haven’t purchased gochujang before, it has become pretty easy to find in mainstream markets. You can definitely find it at an Asian market or order it online. A little goes a long way, it lasts forever, and you’ll find plenty of other places to use it.

4 servings

Ingredients

4 salmon fillets or sablefish (black cod), 6 to 8 ounces each, skin optional

2 tablespoons gochujang

2 tablespoons mirin

1 tablespoon miso

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon plus ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar, divided

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 garlic clove, finely grated

1 ½ cups short grain white rice

Kosher salt, to taste

3 medium carrots, any color

½ red onion

2 teaspoons sugar, divided

Furikake (such as nori komi furikake) and/or toasted sesame seeds, toasted nori sheets, kimchi, chili crisp, and/or fried shallots (store bought), for serving, optional

Place the salmon fillets in a baking dish or other container that holds them snugly (this could even be a zip-top bag).

In a small bowl, combine the gochujang, mirin, miso, oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon vinegar, soy sauce, and grated garlic. Whisk until smooth. Scrape the marinade over the salmon and turn to coat on all sides. Let salmon marinate at room temperature while you prep the other components of the meal, or cover and refrigerate up to overnight.

In the meantime, make the rice: Set a medium pot (the one you’re going to cook the rice in) in your sink and dump the rice into the pot. Run cold water over the rice until it’s submerged by a couple of inches. Use your fingertips to comb through the rice and swish it around until the water is cloudy. Drain the rice in a colander and return it to the now-empty pot. Repeat until the water is mostly clear, usually 4 or 5 changes of water. This removes any rice dust (a by-product of processing and packing) from the surface of the rice, and prevents the rice from becoming gummy when cooked.

Pour 2 scant cups water over the rice and place the pot over medium-high heat (do not stir). As soon as the water reaches a simmer, reduce the heat to very, very low and cover the pot. Set a timer for 18 minutes.

Now, make the quick pickles aka quickles: Peel and cut the carrots into thin strips; transfer to a medium bowl. Thinly slice the onions and place in a separate bowl. Add ⅛ cup rice vinegar to each, then season each with 1 teaspoon sugar. Season with salt and toss with a fork to combine. Set the quickles aside. (These can also be prepped 1 or 2 days in advance; cover and chill.)

Heat broiler with rack in highest position (I use my toaster oven). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then arrange salmon on top, skin side down. Scrape marinade over fillets, dividing evenly, and spread to coat. Broil salmon until marinade is bubbling and charred in spots and fish is cooked medium-rare, 7 to 8 minutes. If you prefer your fish cooked all the way through, add 2 minutes cooking time.

Fluff rice with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Assemble bowls with rice, salmon, carrot and onion pickles, a drizzle of sesame oil, and any (or all!) of the suggested topper whoppers.

From the Market

Salmon

Carrots

Red Onion

Spin It

• Sable or black cod can replace salmon

• Daikon, watermelon radish, or cucumbers can substitute for the carrots

• Any color onion will work, or try shallots

• Avocado is a nice addition as a topper if you have a ripe one on hand

At Home

Gochujang

Mirin

Miso

Oyster sauce

Toasted sesame oil

Rice vinegar

Soy sauce

Garlic

Short grain white rice

Salt

Sugar

Toppings

Spin It

• Use sriracha instead of gochujang, but cut the amount in half

• A dash of fish sauce can stand in for the oyster sauce (not exactly the same, but will round out the flavor)

• Use white distilled vinegar or black vinegar instead of rice vinegar

• Aminos or tamari can replace soy sauce

• Jasmine or basmati rice are great, or use short grain brown rice (cooking time for brown rice is closer to an hour)

• The toppings are interchangeable!