Coconut Rice Bowls with Salmon and Herby Tahini Sauce

Where to begin.... maybe by inventing a new word for delicious?  This is honestly one of the best things I've eaten in a while, and saying that it's delicious just doesn't seem to do it justice.  The thesaurus offers delectable and exquisite as worthy alternates.  But if you search the thesaurus for synonyms for delicious, at the top of the list is coconut rice.  It is the epitome of rice deliciousness, and if you haven't yet made some for yourself, I plead with you to do so.  We've made it ever so easy with our Instant Pot recipe.  So very good and really what sets this rice bowl apart from all others.

So that scrumptious coconut rice will form the fluffy base for our rice bowl, and then on top we're going to place some perfectly-cooked salmon (we've got you covered there), next to which we'll nestle in some tender-crisp asparagus (thick stalks, please), and some sliced avocado (YES! 😁). 

Then, people, we're going to earn 1,000 bonus points by drizzling the whole thing with our awesomely tasty Herb-y Tahini Sauce...

Then, if you like, you can sprinkle on a few sliced radishes, some flaky sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper, 

resulting in a beautiful bowl of... dare I say it?  Delicious.  Here's the recipe...

Coconut Rice Bowl with Salmon and Herb-y Tahini Sauce

Yes, there are a few moving parts to this scrumptious rice bowl, but nothing difficult or daunting.  The coconut rice is a breeze, especially if you have an Instant Pot.  Nothing could be simpler than our pan-roasted salmon, and the tahini sauce is a cinch.  Once you've got your components together and assembled, this is a meal you won't soon forget.  

Click here for a printable recipe

Serves 2

2 6-ounce salmon filets (skin on) (see recipe below)
6 stalks of thick asparagus, cooked tender crisp
1/2 avocado, sliced thin
herb-y tahini sauce (see recipe below)
coconut rice (see recipe below)
For serving:  Sliced radishes, flaky sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

For the Coconut Rice:
1 cup (230g) Jasmine rice
½ cup (125ml) full fat canned coconut milk
¾ cup (188ml) unsalted chicken stock (homemade if you have it)
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Rinse your rice and let drain.  (Refer to the blog post for detailed instructions on this).

Add the coconut milk, chicken broth and salt to the Instant Pot and stir well.  Add the drained rice. Close the lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes + 10 minutes Natural Release. The floating valve may drop at around 6 - 7 minutes, but don't open the lid until the full 10 minutes. Open the lid carefully. 

Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

Stovetop:  Rinse the rice as instructed and drain.  Combine the rice, 3/4 cup coconut milk, 3/4 cup chicken stock and the salt in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes and then fluff with a fork to serve.

For the Salmon:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Pat salmon dry with paper towel. Salt and Pepper both sides of the fish.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy ovenproof skillet (I use nonstick) over high heat; skillet should be large enough to hold salmon without crowding. Add salmon skin side up, and sear quickly about 2 minutes, until it can be lifted easily with a spatula without sticking. Turn, and sear about 2 minutes skin side down. Thickest part should still be raw in center.

3. Brush top of salmon with remaining olive oil and place in oven about 20 minutes. Let rest briefly before serving.

For the Herb Tahini Sauce:
2 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
3/4 cup packed Italian parsley
1/2 cup packed cilantro
5 to 8 tablespoons water
1/2 cup tahini paste
2 green onions, roughly chopped
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice
Salt to taste

1. Place the garlic, parsley and cilantro into a small food processor, and pulse a few times until it's minced pretty finely.  

2 Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.  The sauce should be a little thinner than mayonnaise (it will thicken after refrigeration); if it is too thick to pour, gradually stir in more lemon juice or water, depending on how tart you would like the sauce. Taste, and add more salt or lemon juice if desired. 

3. The sauce thickens when refrigerated. Just before serving, if necessary, stir in more water by teaspoons to bring the sauce back to the consistency you like or briefly microwave to warm and thin it out.