The Viral Salmon Rice Bowl (Ice Cube Trick!)

By Chef Chloe

Updated 2 Hours Ago

If you’ve ever had leftover salmon and dry, day-old rice sitting in your fridge, you are 5 minutes away from the greatest lunch hack of the decade. This recipe completely took over TikTok for its ingenuity and absolute deliciousness.

The genius of this bowl lies in the “Ice Cube Trick.” By placing a single ice cube on top of day-old rice and covering it with parchment paper in the microwave, you create a makeshift steamer. The ice cube doesn’t melt, but it generates enough steam to rehydrate the rice, making it soft and fluffy again. Mash that together with the salmon, sriracha, and Kewpie mayo, and you’ve got a deconstructed spicy salmon roll.

Why this recipe literally broke the internet:

The Magic Ice Cube: It sounds crazy, but the ice cube trick works flawlessly to revive stale, hard rice without making it soggy.
Deconstructed Sushi: Eating this bowl using crispy roasted seaweed sheets like tiny tacos gives you all the flavor of a spicy salmon roll with zero rolling required.
Zero Waste: It is the absolute perfect way to transform boring leftovers into a meal you’ll actually crave.

The Recipe

Prep time: 2 mins | Cook time: 3 mins | Servings: 1 Bowl

Ingredients

1 leftover cooked Salmon fillet
1 cup leftover cooked White Rice (cold from fridge)
1 Ice Cube
The Sauces
1 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tbsp Sriracha (adjust to heat preference)
1 tbsp Kewpie Mayo (regular mayo works too)
The Toppings
1/2 Avocado, sliced
Pinch of toasted sesame seeds
1 pack Roasted Seaweed Snacks (for eating!)

Instructions

Mash the Salmon

Place your leftover salmon fillet onto a microwave-safe plate or wide bowl. Using a fork, aggressively flake and mash the salmon into small pieces.

The Ice Cube Trick

Dump your cold, leftover white rice directly on top of the mashed salmon. Press one single ice cube directly into the center of the rice.

Microwave Steam

Cover the entire plate tightly with a piece of parchment paper. Microwave on high for 2 to 2.5 minutes. The ice cube will not melt, but the steam it generates will make your rice soft, fluffy, and hot again!

Remove Ice & Sauce it Up

Carefully remove the parchment paper (watch out for the steam). Throw away the leftover ice cube. Immediately drizzle the soy sauce, sriracha, and Kewpie mayo all over the hot rice and salmon.

Mix & Eat

Use your fork to mix everything together until it’s a beautiful, creamy, spicy mess. Top with sliced avocado and sesame seeds. To eat, grab a crispy seaweed sheet and pinch a bite of the salmon rice mixture into it like a tiny taco. Enjoy!