Transform Leftover Rice Into a Salmon Dish You’ll Never Forget

Ochazuke, hot dashi or green tea poured over leftover rice, is a popular quick-fix dish in Japan, often eaten as a midnight snack or as a hangover cure.  Here, we’ve used matcha tea to counter the richness of salmon, and topped the bowls with variety of piquant condiments.

Green Tea Rice Bowl

Yield: 2 servings
Total Time: 15 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 6-ounce filets of salmon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon matcha powder
2 cups cooked brown rice

Toppings
Green onions, thinly sliced
Shiso leaves
Wasabi paste
Umeboshi
Bonito flakes
Toasted nori seaweed, shredded
Sesame seeds

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add in oil. Season salmon filets with salt and place in skillet. Cook 3 minutes on one side before turning over. Add in honey to skillet and baste salmon.

Cook through. Remove from pan, break up salmon pieces with a fork, flaking onto a plate.

Bring 2 cups water to a boil and then let cool slightly. Sift matcha powder into a bowl. Pour almost boiling water into matcha powder, whisking all the while.

Divide rice and flaked fish between two servings bowls. Top with green onions, shiso leaves, wasabi, umeboshi, bonito flakes, seaweed, and sesame seeds as desired. Pour brewed matcha tea over bowls to serve.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont