If you love a salad that is packed with flavor, texture, and all of the fixings, then you’re going to fall in-love with my Crispy Rice Salmon Cucumber Salad with Creamy Asian Dressing. This twist on the viral cucumber salad pairs the crunch cucumbers with tender, flaky salmon, avocado, edamame, and perfectly crispy rice that is absolutely crave-worthy. Top it off with the easy creamy Asian dressing, and you’ve got a perfect crunchy salad that’s perfect for meal prep!
Friends, my crispy rice salads have taken the internet by STORM recently, and I’m not mad about it. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that if there’s one recipe that you need to run to your kitchen and make ASAP, it’s this one. If you’re someone like me who loves when a salad is full of flavor, texture, and all of the fun things, then you are absolutely going to love this recipe.
Think of it like my unique twist on the viral cucumber salads. Thanks to Logan on TikTok, cucumber salads have been having their moment – and I, personally, am a fan of them. From my classic No Mayo Creamy Cucumber Salad to my Easy Thai-Inspired Cucumber Salad that’s way better than takeout, cucumber salads are crunchy, delicious, and the perfect way to get in your extra veggies. And, with the addition of the crispy rice, it truly takes the CRUNCH to the next level. The key is to take day-old rice and mix it up with soy sauce, sesame oil, and my favorite chili crunch, for a toasty, spicy rice topping that pairs perfectly with the crunchy cucumbers.
And, let’s not forget about the salmon. If you loved Emily Mariko’s salmon rice bowl recipe that went viral a few years ago, then you will love the addition of the shredded salmon to this recipe. Not only does it taste delicious (especially when coated in the creamy soy dressing), but it also packs this salad with protein, keeping you feeling fuller, longer! If you’re someone who works in an office and is looking for a great recipe to take on-the-go, this is one that I would save and keep in my weekly rotation!
What You Need to Make This Crispy, Crunchy Salad Recipe
- 🍚 Rice: Of course, it wouldn’t be a crispy rice salad without the rice! Pick your favorite rice and use it in this recipe – I use jasmine rice! But, any type of rice will work well.
- Soy Sauce: If you want to keep this recipe gluten-free, you can opt to use a gluten-free soy sauce, like Coconut Aminos or Tamari!
- 🌶️ Chili Crisp: The crispy rice gets a kick thanks to the chili crunch – you can buy it pre-made from Trader Joe’s, or make your own with my easy recipe!
- Sesame Oil: A little bit of sesame oil helps the rice crisp up nicely and adds a delicious, toasty flavor.
- 🐟 Salmon: You’ll need an 8 ounce salmon filet in order to make this recipe. You can use fresh or frozen salmon – both work just as well!
- Seasonings: To season the salmon, you’ll need a combination of sea salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder. Simple and easy!
- 🥒 Persian Cucumbers: Petite, Persian cucumbers are perfect for this salad. They are small and crunchy, which means that they won’t get soggy in this salad. If you don’t have Persian cucumbers, you can also opt to use an English cucumber instead.
- 🫛 Edamame: Edamame is packed with protein and adds a delicious texture to this salad! I like using frozen, pre-shelled edamame to make this salad even simpler.
- Green Onion: Fresh green onions add a delicious flavor to this recipe. I like to use only the greens of the green onions, since the whites tend to be spicier in flavor.
- 🥑 Avocados: Avocados are fully of healthy fats and add a delicious creamy element to this salad!
- Olive Oil: Olive oil is full of healthy fats and makes for the perfect base for this dressing.
- Rice Vinegar: A touch of rice vinegar adds the perfect balance of flavor to the dressing.
- 🍯 Honey: Honey adds a delicious sweetness to this dressing.
- Ground Ginger: A pinch of ground ginger adds the perfect touch to this dressing – don’t skip it!
How to Make This Asian-Inspired Crispy Rice Salad
To make this salad, start by preparing the crispy rice. Preheat your oven to 400 F. Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. Cook the rice according to your preferred method and allow it to cool fully. Then, add it to the baking sheet.
Toss the cooled rice with the soy sauce, chili crisp, and sesame oil. Then, transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the rice for 30-40 minutes, or until it’s nice and crispy. Toss it halfway through, to ensure that it cooks evenly.
While the rice is in the oven, prepare the salmon. Season the salmon filets with the sea salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder, and transfer them to a baking sheet. Transfer the tray into the oven with the crispy rice, and allow the salmon to bake for 13-14 minutes, or until it reaches your desired level of doneness. Once the salmon is done, remove it from the oven. Use a fork to shred it into pieces, then set it aside.
Then, remove the crispy rice from the oven and set it aside, too. Next, prepare the salad. Wash and chop the Persian cucumbers, edamame, green onions, and avocado and add them to a large bowl. Then, add in the shredded salmon and the crispy rice to the bowl with the salad.
Finally, prepare the dressing by adding all of the dressing ingredients (the olive oil, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, ground ginger, and sea salt) to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the dressing on top of the salad, then toss to fully combine. Once it’s done, serve and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to three days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Since the crispy rice is prepared with chili crisp, it had a little bit of a kick to it, but it’s not overly spicy! If you’re really sensitive to spice, you can omit the chili crisp. Similarly, if you want more of a kick, you can always add more.
For this recipe, I recommend baking the salmon along with the crispy rice. However, you can also prepare the salmon according to my Perfect 8-Minute Broiled Salmon method, if preferred!
Yes! Simply transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to three days. If you want to meal-prep this salad, I recommend storing the salad and dressing separatenyl so that it’ll stay fresher, longer!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.
** Photography by Tanya Pilgrim
Ingredients
For the Crispy Rice:
- 2 Cups Cooked Rice, cooled – I use jasmine rice, but any rice should work well
- 2 Teaspoons Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
2 Tablespoons Chili Crisp – you can buy it at Trader Joe's or make your own!
- ¼ Cup Dried Onion, Minced
- ¼ Cup Dried Garlic, Minced
- 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ Teaspoons Sea Salt
- 1.5 Tablespoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ Teaspoons Chili Powder
- ¾ cup Olive Oil
For the Salmon:
- 8 Ounces Salmon
- ½ Teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
For the Salad:
- 5 Persian Cucumbers, thinly sliced – you can also substitute one large English cucumber
- 1 Cup Edamame, shelled
- 1 Bunch Green Onions, thinly sliced – this is approximately 3/4 cup
- 2 Avocados, chopped
For the Creamy Asian Dressing:
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- ¼ Cup Toasted Sesame Oil
- 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
- 3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Ground Ginger
- ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Instructions
- To make this salad, start by preparing the crispy rice. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
- Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Cook the rice according to your preferred method and allow it to cool fully. Then, add it to the baking sheet.
- Toss the cooled rice with the soy sauce, chili crisp, and sesame oil.
- Then, transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the rice for 30-40 minutes, or until it's nice and crispy. Toss it halfway through, to ensure that it cooks evenly.
- While the rice is in the oven, prepare the salmon. Season the salmon filets with the sea salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder, and transfer them to a baking sheet.
- Transfer the tray into the oven with the crispy rice, and allow the salmon to bake for 13-14 minutes, or until it reaches your desired level of doneness.
- Once the salmon is done, remove it from the oven. Use a fork to shred it into pieces, then set it aside.
- Then, remove the crispy rice from the oven and set it aside, too.
- Next, prepare the salad. Wash and chop the Persian cucumbers, edamame, green onions, and avocado and add them to a large bowl.
- Then, add in the shredded salmon and the crispy rice to the bowl with the salad.
- Finally, prepare the dressing by adding all of the dressing ingredients (the olive oil, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, ground ginger, and sea salt) to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the dressing on top of the salad, then toss to fully combine.
- Once it's done, serve and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to three days.
Rate & review
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What others are saying
This was pretty good but the amount of dressing totally drowned the mixture and there’s a pool of it at the bottom of the bowl. I wasn’t that crazy about the dressing itself – maybe it’s too much sesame oil?
Interested to see how the crispy rice texture changes in the fridge. Eating it fresh it’s pretty chewy and gets stuck in your teeth.
This is a delicious recipe, but if there is any way to change the format so the *chili crisp recipe* is not embedded into *the rest of the recipe*, this multi tasking mama would appreciate it. I just steam rolled down the whole recipe and made an entire batch of chili crisp IN my rice!! I think this is going to be very spicy ….
The crispy rice was such a game changer, thanks for the idea! I used your recipe as my inspiration … we don’t like chili crisp so I mixed soy sauce, sesame oil, a little bit of salt, turmeric, and gochugaru chili flakes into the rice. I’m not a fan of this dressing so I make my own balsamic dressing to go with the salad. Such a healthy dish and we eat it for a few days in a row. Thank you!
Awesome recipe!! My family loved it!! Thank you so much for sharing your lovely talents with us!!
Amazing recipe!! My family loves it!! Thank you for the recipe.
I am so happy to hear that, Vanessa! Thank you so much for making it and for your review!
I make this on repeat!! Lately twice a week, cannot be beat!!!
Yay! So happy that you enjoyed it, Sheila!
I’d recommend removing the ingredient for the homemade chili crisp. It’s incredible confusing as it’s listed under the rice ingredients, and there are people in these comments adding all thee ingredients to their rice.
I’d recommend removing the ingredient for the homemade chili crisp. It’s incredible confusing as it’s listed under the rice ingredients, and there are people in these comments adding all the ingredients to their rice.
Really liked it. The dressing was too oily for us with 1/4 cup of both olive and sesame oil. Next round I’ll try to use half of both.