Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Salmon

What a refreshing, flavorful and healthy meal! Short grain brown rice with its chewy, nutty texture, flavored with fresh ginger, green onion, hoisin sauce and pickling liquid serves as the perfect bed to roasted carrots, shiitake mushrooms, pickled cucumber and tender salmon. The finished dish is drizzled with dressing and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. The bowl components hold up well in the refrigerator, so leftovers can be enjoyed for a few days. Makes 4 bowls.

Recipe

1/4 c. vegetable oil, divided
3 green onions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin on bias
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger, divided
1/3 c. distilled white vinegar
1 T. sugar
1-3/4 tsp. Kosher salt, divided, plus salt for cooking rice
1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, seeded and sliced on bias 1/4-inch thick
1-3/4 c. short grain brown rice
1 lb. carrots, peeled, sliced on bias 1/2-inch thick
1 lb. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps larger than 2-inches halved, otherwise leave whole
1 lb. skin-on salmon fillet, 1-1/2 inches thick, sliced crosswise into 4 equal pieces
4 tsp. hoisin sauce, divided
1 T. sesame seeds, toasted

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat to 500-degrees.

Heat 2 T. oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add white part of green onions and 1-1/2 tsp. grated ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. This oil will end up in a vinaigrette dressing described below.

For the rice: Bring 6 c. water to a boil in the now empty saucepan. Add rice and 1 tsp. salt to the boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the rice well and return to the saucepan. Cover and set aside.

For the cucumber: Whisk vinegar, sugar, 3/4 tsp. salt and remaining 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger in a medium bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cucumber and stir until coated. Set aside, stirring occasionally.

For the carrots and mushrooms: While the rice is cooking, toss carrots with 1 T. oil and 1/2 tsp. salt. Spread in an even layer on half of a rimmed baking sheet. Toss the mushrooms with 2 T. water, remaining 1 T. oil, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and spread in an even layer on the other half of the sheet pan. Roast in a 500-degree oven on lowest rack until vegetables are just beginning to soften and brown, about 10 minutes.

For the salmon: While the vegetables are cooking, make 2 shallow slashes about 1-inch apart along the skin side of each piece of the salmon, being careful not to cut into the flesh. This helps to render out fat. Brush flesh side of the salmon with 1/2 tsp. hoisin sauce for each piece (2 tsp. total).

After the 10 minutes are up for the vegetables, reduce oven temperature to 275-degrees and remove baking sheet. Push vegetables to either side to clear space in the middle of the sheet for the salmon, placed skin side down. Return sheet to oven and roast for 12 minutes until salmon tests 125-degrees in the center.

For the dressing: Measure out 1/4 c. of cucumber liquid and add to the green onion mixture prepared at the beginning of this recipe. Whisk in remaining 2 tsp. hoisin sauce. Stir 2 T. of this dressing into the rice. Save the rest for topping finished bowls.

To assemble: Spoon rice into 4 wide bowls. Place 1 piece of salmon in center on top of the rice. Mound the carrots, mushrooms and cucumbers over the rice and around the salmon. Drizzle salmon and vegetables with the remaining dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and reserved green onions.