Weeknight Sushi Bowls

Last Thursday, I posted the above photo on instagram stories and it almost blew up my phone. Not the actual photo, but the messages people sent in reaction. The one that sums it up the best is perhaps this: Sushi on a weeknight? I can't decide if I really love you or really hate you right now.

I'm writing to make sure you know that in this case -- actually in all cases -- love wins. These sushi bowls might've been the easiest meal I've made all year, and certainly among the most delicious. That's because they were sort of cheater sushi bowls and required none of the precision and preparation that you probably think of when you think of sushi dinners. When I make poke, there is a method to seasoning the rice, and there are fancy ingredients to hunt down, like shiso; and when we make sushi rolls, well, there are actual rolls to roll, and so that usually happens on Saturday nights.

I didn't mess around with any of that this time, especially since we were planning to binge-watch a few episodes of the thriller Fauda, and dinner could not have gone fast enough. Earlier in the day, in between appointments, I found myself in the same neighborhood as my favorite Asian market (indeed, having access to one is the hardest part of the recipe), where I tossed some sushi-grade salmon and pickled ginger into my basket. I had everything else at home, including the ponzu and the seasoned rice vinegar, which I placed on the kitchen table, as if they were bottles of ketchup and mustard, alongside bowls of rice and a pile of green toppings that I prepared while the rice cooked. Done.

Salmon Sushi Bowls

2 cups brown sushi rice 3/4 pound sushi grade salmon, cut into bite-size cubes as shown 2 avocados, sliced (we used one because not everyone at the table likes them in sushi bowls; also here's a good video tutorial for pretty slices) 1 bunch scallions (white and light green parts), chopped 2 Japanese cucumbers, sliced 1 cup shelled edamame beans Ponzu sauce (citrus-spiked soy sauce) Furikake (dried seaweed/fish/sesame seasoning) Seasoned rice wine vinegar Pickled ginger (optional)

Prepare sushi rice according to package directions. While it cooks, prepare the remainder of your ingredients and lay out on a platter as shown. Spoon rice into bowls and have diners customize their bowls as desired, finishing with a drizzle of ponzu, a splash of vinegar, and furikake.

P.S. The peanut sauce shown in the photo is the sauce from this recipe. As you know, sometimes I like to drizzle it on steamed spinach with sesame seeds. (Any leftover sauce gets tossed with noodles the next night.)