Salmon rice bento boxes
Creamy salmon over seasoned rice with cucumber, edamame and crisp nori for wrapping, a sushi-style lunch box made from a can and a rice pouch.
- 15 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $5.84 a serving
- 600 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: It’s ready in 15 minutes, start to finish.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 1 package microwave rice pouches
- 10 oz canned salmon, two 5 oz cans, drained
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp sriracha (optional)
- 2 mini cucumbers, sliced
- 2 nori sheets, cut into strips
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp soy sauce
Each serving has about 600 calories, 43 g protein, 52 g carbs and 26 g fat, and costs about $5.84 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No sriracha? Hot sauce works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Put the edamame and water in a bowl, cover with a plate and microwave for 2 minutes, until hot. under cold water to cool.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Timer: 2 min
Heat the rice pouch in the microwave as the package says, in the vinegar, and spread it out to cool.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Flake the salmon into a bowl, picking out any big bones or skin, and in the mayonnaise, soy sauce and sriracha.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Dolly’s tip: The tiny soft bones in canned salmon are edible and full of calcium. Pull out only the big ones.Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
the cucumbers into coins and cut the nori into strips with scissors.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Pack the rice into one side of 2 containers and top it with the salmon.
Fill the other side with the cucumbers and edamame, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Dolly’s tip: Keep the nori in a small bag and wrap bites of rice and salmon in it at lunch. The boxes keep 2 days in the fridge.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop plans your lunches along with the week’s dinners, puts what you need on the same grocery list, and walks you through each step.
