Firecracker Salmon Bowl for Meal Prep
Firecracker Salmon with teriyaki veggies and brown rice is meal prep lunch perfection. So flavorful with marinated salmon and finished with a lightened-up bang bang sauce, you will forget that this is a healthy salmon recipe to help you reach your goals.
What is firecracker salmon?
Firecracker salmon has luscious chunks of healthy salmon, marinated in a sweet-tangy-spicy-DELICIOUS sauce, and cooked easily in the air fryer or oven. This recipe is all about the sauce honestly, packed with deep, salty-sweet flavor that complements salmon so well.
Don’t like salmon? Use shrimp or chicken instead! Just adjust your cooking time as appropriate.
How to make firecracker salmon
I love making this recipe specifically for meal prep because it is SO easy. The steps to make it are as follows:
- Whisk together the ingredients for the marinade and let the salmon soak for at least 30 minutes.
- Air fry the salmon. Alternatively, bake in the oven.
- While the salmon is cooking, prepare the rice and veggies.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the bang bang sauce.
In step #3, I say to prep the veggies and rice. For the rice, you can use my tried-and-true method for Perfect Brown Rice. Alternatively, you can cut a corner and use 2 packages of microwave brown rice. For these rice packets, simply microwave each for 90 seconds and distribute to your food containers.
For the veggies, I am ALL about steam-in-bag microwavable vegetables. I use two 12-ounce bags of stir fry vegetable mix, and I microwave them for only 2 minutes 40 seconds each. The directions say to microwave for 3-5 minutes, but since I am going to reheat them, I do not want to end up with soft, soggy, mushy veggies. Undercooking them from the outset prevents that.
Also for the veggies, I use sugar-free teriyaki sauce. Just a little bit goes a long way for flavor without calories or sugar.
Tips
Have the guy at the seafood counter remove the skin off the salmon. They have super sharp knives and can do this very quickly for you without mutilating your fish.
Undercook the veggies by 20-30 seconds to ensure you don’t end up with mushy veggies when you reheat later.
Want to make this carb? Substitute the rice with cauliflower rice.
To make this recipe completely gluten-free, be sure to use GF soy sauce or coconut aminos.
This recipe yields 4 servings. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Want more ideas to meal prep lunches for the week, check out all my meal prep lunch recipes for more ideas. I super love my turkey zucchini meatballs!
Firecracker Salmon Bowl for Meal Prep
Equipment
Ingredients
For the firecracker marinade
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
- 2 tsp avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos for gluten-free option
- 2 tsp gochujang
- 1 tsp Swerve brown sugar substitute or brown sugar or honey
- 1-2 tsp Sriracha
For the bang bang sauce
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Sriracha
- 1 tsp gochujang
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Remaining Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh salmon skin removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- kosher salt and fresh cracker pepper to season
- 2 packages brown basmati rice "ready rice"
- 2 12 oz bags fresh veggies stir-fry mix
- 3 Tbsp sugar-free teriyaki sauce
- 2 Tbsp fresh snipped chives
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the marinade.
- Add the salmon and toss to coat. Marinate at 30 minutes to an hour.
- Set the air fryer or oven to cook at 390-400℉. Once heated, add the salmon and cook 5-10 minutes until flaky and cooked through. Set aside.
- While salmon is cooking, prepare the rice and veggies according to package directions. I recommend cooking the veggies less then recommend (by 20-30 seconds if microwaving) to prevent overcooking.
- Toss veggies with teriyaki sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the bang bang sauce.
- To assemble lunches, distribute in meal prep containers: rice, veggies, salmon, bang bang sauce drizzle. Top with chives.
