With just a handful of ingredients—leftover rice, Japanese salted salmon, eggs, and scallions—you can cook up this delicious Salmon Fried Rice recipe. It‘s a quick and easy one-pan meal with tons of flavor that’s ready in about half an hour.
Typically when we have a “Japanese” dinner at home, one of the dishes is usually a baked or grilled fish. My children love all kinds of fish, from Hamachi Kama (yellowtail collar) to Miso Cod. One of their favorite baked fish is Salted Salmon (Shiojake/Shiozake). Sometimes when we have leftovers, I would use them to make Salmon Fried Rice the next day. It is one of the most convenient and satisfying ways to cook a one-pan meal for the family.
Use Salted Salmon for Fried Rice
The prep work for the Japanese Salted Salmon recipe is very simple. All you need is salmon, sake, and salt. You rub salt over the salmon and let it sit in the refrigerator for 2 days.
What if you want to make Salmon Fried Rice now and don’t want to wait for 2 days? Well, you can make a quick version of salted salmon by sprinkling salt on the fresh salmon and baking it before making the fried rice.
Fried Rice Cooking Tips
Since salted salmon is the star of the show for this fried rice, we keep the rest of the ingredients simple with just a light touch of seasonings.
To prevent the fried rice from turning mushy, you want to use day-old rice when cooking. It is also best cooked in a wok with small servings, preferably one to two portions at a time. This is to make sure every grain of the rice is evenly fried yet retains its fluffiness. Heat the wok until it is smoking hot and then swirl in a good amount of oil before adding in the rest of the ingredients. This way the eggs and the rice will not stick to the bottom of the wok.
Minimal prep work, quick to pull together, and deeply satisfying, this salmon fried rice meets all the requirements for a fast weeknight meal that you will enjoy.
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Salmon Fried Rice
Ingredients
For the Salted Salmon
- 1 skin-on salmon fillet (4 oz, 120 g; I use salmon from a Japanese grocery store, so it‘s a thinner cut; leftover salted salmon (shiojake) works well)
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the Fried Rice
- 1 green onion/scallion
- 1 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (typically 150 g per serving; cooled or preferably day-old; frozen cooked rice works well)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (to taste)
- ⅛ tsp white pepper powder (to taste)
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Before You Start: Gather all the ingredients. I recommend cooking only 2 servings at a time, especially if you‘re new to making fried rice. The ingredients need space to move around in the wok, and the wok gets heavy to lift and shake if you cook more than 2 servings. For the cooked rice, please note that ¾ cup (150 g, 1 rice cooker cup) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yields 2¼ US cups (330 g) of cooked white rice. See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
To Make the Salted Salmon
- If you don‘t have the leftover salted salmon, we‘ll make a simplified version today. Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 400ºF (200ºC) and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Quickly rinse 1 skin-on salmon fillet under running water and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt on both sides of the salmon fillet and bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for 15–20 minutes (cooking time may vary based on the fillet‘s thickness).
- Discard the skin and break the salmon into small pieces.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- Chop 1 green onion/scallion into small pieces. Beat 1 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) in a bowl.
- For your cooked rice, make sure it‘s at room temperature or slightly warmer. If you‘re using frozen cooked rice, defrost it in the microwave. Tip: If your cooked rice is still hot, transfer it to a large bowl or baking sheet (for more surface area). Spread it out and set aside for 60 minutes, uncovered, to remove the moisture.
To Cook the Fried Rice
- Heat the wok over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add 2 Tbsp neutral oil. When you see white smoke rising from the wok, add the beaten egg. The egg will not stick to the pan as long as you added enough oil.
- Quickly mix it with a spatula. When it’s 80% cooked, transfer it to a plate.
- Keep the wok on medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil.
- Add the green onions and stir-fry until nicely coated with oil.
- Add 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice and break up any the chunks of rice with the spatula. Toss the rice in the wok so the grains will fry and mix well with the oil.
- When the rice is coated with oil, add the shredded salmon and toss the ingredients again.
- Add the egg back into the wok and break it into small pieces with the spatula.
- When all the ingredients are well mixed, add 1 tsp soy sauce, ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, ⅛ tsp white pepper powder, and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
- Toss the ingredients in the wok again and mix it all together.
To Serve
- Fill a rice bowl with the fried rice and invert it onto a plate. Serve immediately.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
Made this with leftover frozen roasted salmon, leftover rice, and some unused green and sweet onions sitting in the fridge. Super delicious. Will have to make again if I have leftover roasted salmon!
Hi Rachael! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed the dish! Happy Cooking!
Great recipe! My boyfriend and me loved it! Now we don’t have to go out to eat for salmon fried rice! Thanks
Hi Monica! Thank you so much for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you and your boyfriend love Nami’s Salmon Fried Rice recipe!🥰
I cooked this for my family and they love it
This is an easy to follow recipe
Thank you 😊
Hi Jeannie! WOW!🤩 Salmon Fried Rice looks so delicious!👏🏻
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your photo and cooking experience with us!
We are so happy to hear your family enjoyed it too.