This One Pot Salmon Rice is made in the Rice Cooker only takes 15 minutes to prepare something healthy and delicious. Inspired by Japanese flavors, the rice is mixed with salmon and mushroom for a hearty meal. All you have to do is add all the ingredients in the rice cooker and wait for the magic to happen!
🔍 Quick Look:
- What is it? Salmon, shimeji mushrooms are cooked along with short grain rice, ginger, and garlic. All these ingredients are thrown in a rice cooker which results in a super soft salmon on a bed of fragrant rice! If you love mushroom rice, you’ll also enjoy my One Pot Mushroom Rice.
- Why you’ll love this recipe: Quick prep time and easy to throw all the ingredients in the rice cooker. All you have to do is press the button and let the rice cooker do all the work.
- 🕒 Total Cook Time: 1 hour and 15 min of prep time
- 🔥 Cook Method: Rice cooker only (no stove); if you don’t have a rice cooker, check out the stovetop instructions in the recipe below.
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: savory and fragrant from the ginger and garlic!
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, no cooking skills required.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
To make this salmon and mushroom rice in your rice cooker, all you need to do is add all the ingredients in the rice cooker and mix everything together. This rice is inspired by a Japanese onigiri recipe that has mushrooms and salmon inside. I love eating the rice with some crispy seaweed to go with the soft texture of the rice. Add fresh green onions or even shiso leaves for the perfect contrast of fresh and warm cooked rice. The best part about the recipe is that you can walk away from the rice cooker and finish some chores or put on your favorite tv show while your dinner is cooking 😉 If you love more one pot dishes, check out my Easy One Pot Beef and Rice, Cabbage Rice with Mushroom and One Pot Creamy Garlic Salmon.
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Key Ingredients
Here’s a look at what you need to make this One Pot Salmon Rice. The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.
- Short grain rice (Japanese sushi rice is great for this!) – Using short grain rice is perfect because it has a nice sticky and chewy consistency.
- Shimeji mushroom – small mushrooms have a nice texture (tender) and not soggy or chewy. Use your favorite mushrooms or the ones you have on hand and slice them thinly.
- Ginger and garlic – the aromatics add lots of flavor to your rice and takes out the fishy taste of the salmon. When cooked, they will melt right in the rice, so mince them finely.
- Soy sauce and dark soy sauce – low sodium soy sauce is recommended to season the rice and the dark soy sauce is used to color the rice.
- Oyster sauce – adds sweetness and umami flavor to the salmon and rice. You can use regular or vegan!
- Salmon – make sure there’s no bones in your salmon and use a fattier cut if possible. This makes the salmon extra soft when cooked in rice cooker.
- Green onion or shiso leaves, thinly sliced
- Freshly squeezed lemon and fish roe (optional) are used as garnishes to provide extra flavor and texture to the one pot salmon rice!
Substitutions and Variations
- Mushrooms: shiitake, cremini or oyster mushrooms all work. Slice the bigger ones so they cook evenly.
- Use your favorite type of boneless fish if you don’t have salmon. I like salmon for the soft texture and mild flavor. Using other types of fish might give you a fishier and dryer flavor. Or try my soy sauce chicken in the rice cooker for a chicken night.
- Add in shallots or more herbs to make the rice taste extra aromatic and fresh! Feel free to chop up some cilantro, dill or even chives.
- Want to add in some more veggies? Add in spinach when the rice is done cooking. Close the lid so the residual steam can soften the spinach just like this Bibimbap in the Rice Cooker.
How to Make One Pot Salmon Rice
Step 1: Soak 1 cup short grain rice with water.
Step 2: While rice is soaking, you can prep the other ingredients. Chop mushrooms and mince your ginger and garlic.
Step 3: Wash your rice with running water until the water is clear (takes 4-6 times). Strain the rice and make sure it has as little water as possible.
Step 4: Next, add all the ingredients to the rice: water, mushrooms, ginger, minced garlic, minced shallot, dark soy sauce (for color), soy sauce, and oyster sauce (use vegan or regular).
Step 5: Mix everything together, then add your salmon on top. Place in the rice cooker. If you don’t have a rice cooker, see how to make this rice on the stovetop with instructions below. Press the button and wait!
Step 6: Once the rice is ready, mix everything together. Garnish with sliced green onions, fresh lemon (optional) and fish roe (optional).
Stovetop Directions:
I understand that not everyone has a rice cooker, so get your medium sized pot ready. Add the rice, mushrooms, aromatics and sauces according to the recipe directions, lay the salmon on top, and cover with a lid. Heat the pot to medium high and cook for 5-7 minutes covered. The water will start boiling. Make sure to watch over the fire because the water might boil over ◡̈ After 5-7 minutes, turn the heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes covered. Do not open the lid during the entire cooking process. Then turn off the heat and do not open the covered pot. Leave for 20 minutes covered. After the 20 minutes is up, flake the salmon, mix the rice together and garnish.
- Heat pot to medium high and cook for 5-7 minutes covered with a lid. The water will start boiling. Make sure to watch over the fire because the water might boil over ◡̈
- After 5-7 minutes, turn heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes covered. Do not open the lid during the entire cooking process.
- Then turn off the heat and do not open the covered pot. Leave for 20 minutes covered. After the 20-25 minutes is up, mix the rice together and garnish with green onions and fish roe (optional). Hope you enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Rinse your rice before cooking to remove excess starch, which makes for a smoother texture and the rice is not clumpy. Not to mention this helps clean the rice!
- Soaking the rice in water helps soften the rice as short grain rice can be hard in the center if not soaked.
- After washing, drain the water as much as you can. Since this is a one pot meal, it is very important to use the correct ratio of water to rice, to ensure the rice is not too soft or too hard.
- Place the salmon on top of the rice in the rice cooker. Don’t stir it in, so the fish remains moist and tender. Mix and flake it at the end.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Lay the fillet on top of the seasoned rice and water, close the lid and press the button for ‘white rice.’ The salmon steams over the rice and is cooked through by the time the rice is done.
This salmon rice is a complete meal on its own but a simple side makes it feel like a full spread. Try pairing it with Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce for a savory veggie side, Korean Braised Tofu (Dubu Jorim) for something flavorful and protein-rich or No-Water Chinese Chicken Soup for a light, comforting bowl on the side.
You can place it in a tightly closed container and put in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, place in the microwave with an ice cube or damp paper towel and heat for 1-2 minutes.
Zojirushi rice cooker – this is the rice cooker I use and it works great! I bought it at Costco 8 years ago and it’s still reliable to this day. The rice always comes out delicious! I recommend checking Costco if they have this brand or you can buy it on Amazon.
One Pot Salmon Rice in the Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup Short grain rice
- 1 cup water
- 1 package (3.5 oz) Shimeji mushroom
- 1 tablespoon Ginger minced
- 2 Garlic minced
- ½ tablespoon Soy sauce low sodium preferred
- 1 tablespoon Dark soy sauce for color
- 1 tablespoon Oyster sauce
- 1 Salmon fillet ~ ¾ pound
- Green onion or shiso leaves sliced
- Lemon Freshly squeezed
- Fish roe (optional)
Instructions
- Soak 1 cup short grain rice with water.
- While rice is soaking, you can prep the other ingredients. Chop mushrooms and mince your ginger and garlic.
- Wash your rice with running water until the water is clear (takes 4-6 times). Strain the rice and make sure it has as little water as possible.
- Next, add all the ingredients to the rice: water, mushrooms, ginger, minced garlic, minced shallot, dark soy sauce (for color), soy sauce, and oyster sauce (use vegan or regular).
- Mix everything together, then add your salmon on top. Place in the rice cooker. If you don’t have a rice cooker, see how to make this rice on the stovetop with instructions below. Press the button and wait!
- Once the rice is ready, mix everything together. Garnish with sliced green onions, fresh lemon (optional) and fish roe (optional).
Notes
- Heat pot to medium high and cook for 5-7 minutes covered with a lid. The water will start boiling. Make sure to watch over the fire because the water might boil over ◡̈
- After 5-7 minutes, turn heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes covered. Do not open the lid during the entire cooking process.
- Then turn off the heat and do not open the covered pot. Leave for 20 minutes covered. After the 20-25 minutes is up, mix the rice together and garnish with green onions and fish roe (optional). Hope you enjoy!
- Rinse your rice before cooking to remove excess starch, which makes for a smoother texture and the rice is not clumpy. Not to mention this helps clean the rice!
- Soaking the rice in water helps soften the rice as short grain rice can be hard in the center if not soaked.
- After washing, drain the water as much as you can. Since this is a one pot meal, it is very important to use the correct ratio of water to rice, to ensure the rice is not too soft or too hard.
- Place the salmon on top of the rice in the rice cooker. Don’t stir it in, so the fish remains moist and tender. Mix and flake it at the end.
Sam says
I just tried this salmon rice and I super loved it! It turned out so yummy and comforting. The salmon and mushrooms cooked perfectly with the rice, soaking up all that flavor. The best part is how easy it is to make everything in the rice cooker. It’s such a great meal for busy weeknights when you want something homemade without spending too much time in the kitchen. 😊