Luscious smoked salmon meets crispy rice, bright watermelon radishes, tangy mandarins, and a velvety sesame sauce in this simple tinned fish recipe. This quick and delicious recipe comes together in just 20 minutes thanks to the smoked salmon, which is already cooked before canning and ready to eat.
What tin of salmon works best for this recipe?
I made this recipe around the Wildfish Cannery Smoked White King Salmon Belly. In my opinion, it’s the best smoked salmon money can buy and it just so happens to be shelf stable. White king salmon represents just 5% of the total king salmon population, prized for its unique color (although it is otherwise identical to its red-colored relatives). The salmon belly is marbled and breaks up into big, buttery flakes for pops of smoky, salty flavor throughout the dish.
Don’t have salmon? Don’t worry! Try this recipe with mackerel or your tinned fish of choice. Still have leftover rice? Check out my recipe for Sardine Jumeokbap (Rice Balls).
How to make crispy rice
Crispy rice is surprisingly simple to make: just heat up some oil in a pan and press the rice in an even layer. Cook for 5-7 until golden and crispy. The key to getting the best result is letting the rice cook undisturbed on each side. If you’re tempted to peek, only lift up the corner of a small piece, otherwise you risk uneven crisping.
I find this technique works particularly well with day-old rice kept in the fridge overnight. You can even press the rice into a tray, chill overnight, and cut it into rectangles before crisping them up for appetizer size portions of crispy rice. Top each bite of crispy rice with some smoked salmon, sesame sauce, a slice of radish, mandarin, and garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds.
For extra flavor, I like to drizzle the rice with the oil from the tin of salmon. The oil that would otherwise go to waste transforms the rice with smoky, savory flavor throughout.
Tinned Smoked Salmon Crispy Rice Salad with Sesame Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 6 oz tin smoked salmon I used Wildfish Cannery White King Belly
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 2 Tbsp sesame paste
- 2 Tbsp orange juice
- 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- kosher salt
- 1 watermelon radish thinly sliced
- 1 mandrain orange peeled
- cilantro leaves
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add 2 cups cooked rice and drizzle over oil from tin of smoked salmon. Press the rice in an even layer for maximum surface area. Cook undisturbed until rice begins to brown at edges, 5-7 minutes. Flip and cook for 2-3 more minutes until crispy on both sides.
- Make the sauce by whisking together 2 Tbsp sesame paste, 2 Tbsp orange juice, 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar, and season with kosher salt to taste.
- Add half of the crispy rice to eat plate. Top with large flakes of the tinned smoked salmon, watermelon radish, and mandarin orange. Drizzle the sauce over each plate and garnish with cilantro leaves and sesame seeds.
