Meal prep Japanese salmon with wasabi yogurt dressing

Healthy, sushi inspired meal prep.

This simple Japanese style, pan-fried salmon with wasabi yogurt dressing is the ultimate summer meal prep. Crispy salmon sits atop a bed of steamed, seasoned rice, alongside a refreshing cucumber salad with crunchy sesame seeds. When you mix it all together it tastes like sushi. It’s super easy to pull together and is packed with authentic flavours that will have you feeling like you’re dinning out. Make this recipe over the weekend and have lunches (or diners) ready for the week.

This deconstructed sushi meal prep comes together with five simple components.

1.  Salmon with a simple marinade. (Pro Tip: Marinate the salmon in a Luvele glass vacuum container and employ the hand pump to seal. This will open the pores of the salmon and absorb the marinade much quicker).

2.  Wasabi yogurt dressing. This delicious dressing is an old favourite here on our blog. If you are someone always keen to find new ways to increase probiotic foods in your diet, then this dressing is for you. Traditional Japanese cooking may not typically use yogurt as an ingredient however the natural tang of homemade yogurt teams so beautifully with wasabi and ginger. You’ll never want Japanese mayonnaise again. Wasabi yogurt dressing can be made with traditional dairy yogurt or homemade coconut yogurt.

2.  Ginger and coriander cucumber salad, that’s simple, fresh and crisp.

3.  Rice – use Japanese short grain rice or sushi rice. Add sushi seasoning (a blend of rice vinegar, sugar and salt) to get that signature sweet and tangy sushi flavour and sticky texture.

4.  Toasted sesame seeds – an essential crunch.

For extra sushi fixings, add sliced avocado, pickled ginger, crushed nori, soy sauce, or more wasabi.

You can prep all the components in advance and store them in Luvele glass vacuum containers separately in the fridge or portion them out and seal with the hand pump to keep the meals fresh for days.

WATCH HOW HERE

INGREDIENTS

Salmon
3 salmon fillets, skin on or off, diced into chunks
1 tablespoon soy or tamari sauce
3 tablespoons mirin
½ tablespoon sesame oil (for cooking)

Wasabi yogurt dressing
1 cup homemade yogurt (coconut or dairy)
1 -2 teaspoons wasabi paste (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons of finely grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons maple syrup (more to taste)
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ teaspoon of salt  

Cucumber salad
3 medium cucumbers, chopped into small cubes
2 tablespoons of coriander, roughly chopped
2 spring green onions, sliced (use white part and green stalk) finely chopped
1 teaspoon mirin
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon of sesame seeds lightly toasted

Sushi rice
1 ¼ cups short grain Japanese or sushi rice
1 ½ cups water (plus water for rinsing)
2 tablespoons of sushi seasoning* or more to taste

*Sushi seasoning is available from supermarkets.

METHOD

Salmon
1.   For best flavour the salmon really needs to be marinaded for min 3 hours or even overnight. To speed the process, combine the salmon, mirin and soy in a Luvele vacuum seal container, employ the handheld pump and then leave in the fridge to marinade for 1 hour.
2.   When all the other recipe components are complete, cook the salmon: Heat the sesame oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the salmon and cook, tossing to sear all sides for approx. 2 -3 minutes until crispy or to your liking. Smaller pieces will take less time.  

Rice
3.   Measure and place the rice in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover the rice and wash gently, then discard the water. Repeat the washing process 4-5 times until the water is almost clear.
4.   Add the ingredients water. Cook over medium heat with a lid on.
When boiling reduce the heat to low then continue to cook for 15 minutes without opening the lid.
5.   Turn the heat off and leave for at least 10 minutes, still with the lid on.
6.   Add the seasoning vinegar, then mix with a spatula to incorporate. Set aside until required.

Wasabi yogurt dressing
7.   Combine all the ingredients in a glass bowl or small glass vacuum seal container and blend to form a consistent dressing. Keep chilled until required.

Cucumber Salad
8.   Start by roasting the sesame seeds in a pan on your stove top. Set aside in a separate dish.
9.   Combine all the remaining salad ingredients in a bowl or medium sized Luvele glass vacuum seal container. Seal until required.

Assembling bowls
10.  Portion all components, starting with the sushi rice to one end of the container and the cucumber salad at the other. Top the rice with cooked salmon. Spoon the wasabi dressing into the centre and sprinkle everything generously with toasted sesame seeds and extras if you wish.

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