Spicy Salmon Lettuce Cups
Spicy Salmon Lettuce Cups- Taking inspiration from the viral hack, roasted salmon is mixed in a spicy dressing, scooped onto rice, then stuffed in bibb lettuce.
March 15, 2022 by Nicole Collins
Guys,
You know I fight technology. I’ve fought technology my whole adult life.
Which is ironic considering I worked in the heart of the technology industry back when the very first iPhone launched.
But, that’s not the point.
The point is that I’m always behind on the trends. I completely missed the MySpace craze. I held out far and long before joining Facebook or Instagram. And, I’ve never even bothered with Twitter or Snapchat.
The next big thing is TikTok. And, I’m already behind the 8-ball on that one too. But, I think I’m ready to take the leap and create an account.
Would you guys be into seeing The Yummy Muffin, TikTok style?
Thankfully, there seems to be a lot of crossover between Instagram and TikTok, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on too much. I still get to see a lot of the viral trends making their rounds on the internet. And, that’s actually what inspired today’s recipe.
Today, we’re making Spicy Salmon Lettuce Cups!
There’s been a viral trend floating around on the internet involving reheated salmon, kewpie mayo, sriracha, rice, and seaweed snacks; and those are the flavors we’re calling upon today. But instead of making this a dish that’s heavy on the rice like the original, we’re going to tone that down and stuff everything in big ol’ leaves of crisp lettuce.
And let me tell you, it’s just as epic as the original if you ask me. So, let’s get to it!
Let’s start with the salmon. We’re going to keep things super simple by seasoning the salmon with some salt and pepper then roasting it in the oven until it’s cooked through. Easy breezy. But from there, we want to let the salmon cool down before we start working with it. We are going to stuff our creamy salmon into lettuce, so we don’t want it to be so hot that it wilts the lettuce cup.
Once our salmon has had a chance to cool, we’re going to break it up a little and add it to a bowl with lots of goodies to turn this into a salmon salad type texture. To the salmon, we’re going to add some kewpie mayo, sriracha, soy sauce, and furikake seasoning. Now these may seem like exotic ingredients, but they’re actually pretty readily available in the international section of most grocery stores.
Kewpie mayonnaise is a Japanese mayo that’s made using only eggs yolks as opposed to the whole egg like regular mayo. As a result, it’s a little thicker, a little tangier, and a tad sweeter thanks to the type of vinegar used in the emulsion. Regular mayo can certainly be substituted in a pinch, but get the kewpie if you can. Sriracha is a spicy chili sauce that’s loaded with flavor. When you’re deciding how much to add to the salmon mix, add the heat level that you’re comfortable with. Taste as you go, but remember you can always add more but you can’t take away. Furikake seasoning is a seasoning blend that usually consists of seaweed, sugar, sesame seeds, and salt. It’s what give the salmon a sushi like vibe without having to deal with technical skills required for sushi.
After we have our salmon mixed with all the goodies, that’s basically all the work we have to do. We’ll cook up some jasmine rice and let that cool a bit too. Then, it all gets layered into some jumbo lettuce leaves. I like using bibb lettuce for this, because the leaves are nice and big, not too tough, but sturdy enough to hold everything we’re filling it with. You could also use Boston lettuce or even romaine lettuce if you can find some extra large leaves. At the end of the day, we’re looking to maximize the surface area so we can stuff these to the brim with delicious salmon.
To finish it off, we can top our cups with some extra sriracha, extra furikake, and black sesame seeds for additional color and flavor. Or, you can forget all of that and dig right in. It’s totally up to you!
There’s definitely merit to these trending foodie hacks that we encounter on the internet. And, I’m loving trying them all. Make sure you’re following along in Instagram to see my upcoming review of another big trend.
I hope you guys enjoy this one. And, let’s eat!
Spicy Salmon Lettuce Cups
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
For the Rice:
¾ cup water
½ cup jasmine rice
1/8 tsp salt
For the Salmon Cups:
1 lb salmon filet
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 ½ tsp kewpie mayonnaise
1 ½- 2 tbsp sriracha
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp furikake, plus more for garnish
8 bibb lettuce leaves
black sesame seeds, for garnish
Directions:
Make the rice: Add water to a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in 1/8 tsp salt and rice. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 mins. Remove from heat, and allow the rice to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, broil the salmon: Preheat oven to broil, and arrange top rack to 6 inches from the heating element. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place salmon filet on prepared baking sheet, and season with ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Broil for 14-16 mins until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 145 degrees. If the salmon has the skin on, separate the flesh from the skin, and add salmon to a bowl. Use a fork to break the salmon into chunks. Allow the salmon to cool slightly.
To the mixing bowl with the salmon, add kewpie mayo, sriracha, soy sauce, and furikake. Mix well until salmon breaks down, and the mixture is fully combined.
To serve, arrange lettuce leaves on a serving tray. Divide rice evenly between each lettuce cups. Top with salmon mix, evenly divided between the cups. Garnish with black sesame seeds and additional furikake, if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe notes:
*It doesn't matter if your salmon has the skin on or off. If the skin is on, we'll still broil it the same way. Then, we'll run a spoon between the flesh and the skin after the salmon is cooked, and break the meat right off.
*When adding the sriracha, start with 1 ½ tbsp, taste it, and decide it you want the mix to be spicier. If so, add more. If not, stop there.
*Furikake seasoning is a mix of shredded seaweed, sesame seeds, salt, and sugar. It's what makes the salmon taste like you're eating sushi. I typically buy mine online here.
*Kewpie mayo is a Japanese mayonnaise. Unlike regular mayo which is made with the whole egg, kewpie uses only the egg yolk. It's a little thicker and slightly sweeter. It really is delicious, but regular mayo could be substituted in a pinch.
*I prefer my salmon and rice to be at least room temp before adding them to the lettuce cups. But, you can make both in advance, chill in the fridge, and serve the cups with cold rice and salmon. To me, the colder the better. Either way, we don't want to wilt our lettuce by filling them with piping hot rice and salmon.
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