Salmon Vermicelli Bowls with Garlic Butter

Aug 29, 2023

If you know me personally, you’ll know that I typically crave, create, and eat Asian-inspired meals.

I really think I could eat sushi every day (for breakfast) and never get sick of it.

Because I grew up on a lot of Asian-inspired meals and Chinese food, it’s where my mind goes when I think of combining ingredients together.

Today, I was running low on vegetables in my fridge and was trying to think of what I could make with minimal ingredients.

So, it should be no surprise that something Asian-inspired is what I came up with and decided on a Vietnamese vermicelli bowl.

I knew from all the previous vermicelli bowls I’ve had in Vietnamese restaurants, a tangy, light, sweet fish sauce was a necessary component.

This entire recipe is easy and can be prepped and cooked in less than 30 minutes.

The first thing Cody said to me when I came back upstairs after giving him his plate was, “that was bomb”, so this one’s a win. 🙂

It’s the perfect mix of warm and cold. It’s like a cold and warm salmon noodle salad! 😂

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Salmon Vermicelli Bowl Recipe

Makes 2 bowls and likely no leftovers 😂

Ingredients:

For the bowls:

1 pound salmon (I always use wild-caught and leave the skin on. Personal preference! I like the skin nutrients, as the skin contains a lot of healthy fats. Remove the skin if you prefer.)
Salt & pepper
3 tablespoons butter
2 small shallots
3-4 small cloves garlic
2 mini cucumbers or ½ large regular cucumber
2 medium whole carrots, sliced thin or shredded (I used baby since that’s what I had in my fridge! Whatever you have, works)
1 lime
¼ cup roasted, salted peanuts (optional, I didn’t use these on Cody’s)
1 pack rice noodles (I prefer a pad thai rice noodle)

For the Vietnamese fish dipping sauce:

I mostly followed this recipe here. Her recipe called for a Thai chili and shredded carrots, both of which I omitted, so my version is below.

¼ cup fish sauce (I use Red Boat, always)
¼ cup white sugar (or coconut sugar)
⅓ cup water
2 tablespoons lime juice (I use fresh limes whenever possible)
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic finely chopped (I did use tubed garlic this time, I’ll admit it)
1 ¼ teaspoons chili garlic crunch (I used Trader Joe’s but any kind like Momofuku is great!)

What To Do:

Make your dipping sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Cut your carrots into thin strips and your cucumbers into small slices, and set aside.
Slice your shallots into thin strips and mince your garlic.
Dice salmon into ½ inch cubes and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a pan over medium. Add butter, wait until it melts, then add your shallot and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes until just becoming translucent.
Prep your noodles according to their instructions — mine only took ~ 5 minutes. Watch them carefully so you don’t overcook them.
Add your salmon skin side down, cover, and let it be for ~6-8 minutes, then stir until cooked through.
Assemble your bowls with your noodles, cucumber and carrot, and salmon with the butter sauce.
Top with your fish dipping sauce (a heavy douse!), your roasted peanuts, and a squeeze of a lime wedge.
Enjoyyyy!!!

Notes:

Other, more traditional add-ins would be lettuce and mint. But, I live in the middle of nowhere and can’t just go get those ingredients, so we improvise (and omit) 😊 My recipe was adapted from this one, here!
You could also try adding red bell pepper, romaine, and bean sprouts!