There will be spicy mayo.
A few weeks ago, I became obsessed with the idea of putting spicy tuna sushi rolls on the blog. This dish would be light, fresh, and colorful, full of crisp clean textures with a kicking spicy mayo dressing. Ultimate summer food. There was just one a problem:
I hate eating raw fish.
I know, I know: everyone eats sushi! When I lived in Seattle, I even saw 3rd graders pull it out of their lunch boxes—raw fish and all. Call me crazy, it’s just not for me.
I needed to find a way to create a spicy tuna dish . . . without the raw tuna. And that’s how Spicy Salmon Wraps were born.
Spicy Salmon Lettuce Wraps hold all the best parts of a spicy tuna roll: the sticky rice, the crisp cucumber, the creamy avocado, and of course, that luscious spicy mayo! At the same time, they minimize the fuss and prep time: you don’t need to buy sushi-grade tuna, you don’t need a sushi mat and you don’t need to spend a lot of time creating perfect rolls, only to gobble them up a few minutes later. And since the recipe replaces the raw tuna with baked salmon, it’s instantly more affordable and more appealing to a broader variety of palates.
In addition to being delicious and simple to make, these wraps are also easy to batch ahead. The rice, salmon, and spicy mayo can be prepped hours ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Whenever you’re hungry, you can fix yourself a wrap without turning on the oven or touching a pot. And in summertime when the temperature is hitting 90 degrees daily, that is absolutely key!
Whether you’re desperate to change up your packed lunches or simply searching for fresh summer food inspiration, Spicy Salmon Lettuce Wraps have you covered. So grab a head of lettuce and some avocado, and start wrapping!
Enjoy!
Spicy Salmon Wraps
Serves 4 (3 per person)
For the rice:
1 cup sushi rice
¼ cup rice vinegar
4 tsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the spicy mayo:
½ cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp. sriracha
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1/8 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the salmon:
12 oz salmon fillet, skin-on, at room temperature
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
To assemble:
1 cucumber
1 avocado
1 head romaine lettuce
Green onions, sliced thinly (opt.)
Toasted sesame seeds (opt.)
Method
For the rice:
Pour rice into a large mixing bowl and cover with cold tap water. Swirl the rice in the water to rinse, pour the water off, and refresh with new water. Repeat three or four times, or until the water runs clear. Drain well.
Add rice to a medium-sized pot, and add 1 cup cold water and a two-finger pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together rice vinegar, sugar, and kosher salt in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, then stir to check if sugar and salt are dissolved. If they are not, continue to microwave at 15-second intervals until they are.
After the rice has sat for 10 minutes, scoop it onto a large sheet pan with a rubber spatula and flatten it out gently. While it’s still warm, pour over the rice vinegar mixture and toss lightly to combine. Set aside to cool.
For the spicy mayo:
Stir together mayonnaise, sriracha, rice vinegar, and salt together in a bowl. Taste and add additional sriracha, vinegar, or salt to adjust for heat, acid, and seasoning, as you like. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
For the salmon:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil (alternatively, you could use an oven-proof skillet as well). Brush the top and sides of the salmon with oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and place skin-side down on the baking sheet or pan.
Bake for 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon (about 5-6 minutes per ½ inch of fillet thickness), or until the salmon flakes. Remove from the oven and let cool. When cold, flake into large chunks.
To assemble:
Peel and cut the cucumber into long thin batons by chopping the cucumber into 2-inch-long pieces, then slicing those pieces into ¼-inch-thick planks, then slicing those planks into ¼-inch-wide batons. Slice the avocado thinly and tear off whole lettuce leaves.
To make a wrap, drizzle a few tablespoons of spicy mayo down the spine of the lettuce leaf, then lay down 2-3 spoonfuls of rice.
Top with avocado, flaked salmon, and cucumber, and drizzle with spicy mayo. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions, and enjoy!
Note: this makes a terrific office lunch, if you bring all the individual components (rice, salmon, prepped vegetables) in separate containers and assemble when you’re ready to eat!
Originally posted July 14, 2020.
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