Sesame Salmon Bites with Rice

📝 Ingredients

• 300 g skinless salmon fillet (2 fillets, about 150 g each)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 garlic clove + 10 g fresh ginger
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 130 g sushi rice + 170 ml water
• 4 tbsp rice vinegar (2 for the rice, 2 for the vegetables)
• 1 tbsp caster sugar (2 tsp for the rice, 1 tsp for the vegetables)
• 2 carrots (about 100 g each)
• ½ cucumber (about 150 g)
• 1 spring onion
• Salt

🍴 Utensils

• Air fryer
• Saucepan with lid
• Small saucepan
• Colander
• Grater
• Mixing bowl

📖 Steps

1. Rinse the sushi rice in a sieve under cold water, rubbing it between your hands, until the water runs almost clear. Put it in a saucepan with 170 ml water, bring to the boil, cover and cook for 12 min over a very low heat, then leave to stand off the heat for 10 min without lifting the lid.
2. Make the marinade in a large bowl by mixing the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil and the finely grated garlic and ginger. Cut the salmon into 3 cm cubes, coat them in the marinade and leave to rest in the fridge for 15 min.
3. Meanwhile, peel and grate the carrots, then cut the cucumber into thin half-moons. Mix them in a bowl with 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sugar and a pinch of salt, then leave to marinate in the fridge: the vegetables become crunchy and tangy.
4. Mix 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp sugar and ½ tsp salt until dissolved. Pour over the still-warm cooked rice and fold it in by lifting the rice with a spatula, without crushing it. Cover with a damp tea towel so it doesn't dry out.
5. Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C for 3 min. Drain the salmon cubes, keeping the marinade. Tip the sesame seeds onto a plate and roll each cube in them on all sides, pressing lightly so the seeds stick.
6. Line the basket with perforated baking paper and arrange the cubes 1 cm apart. Cook for 7 min at 200 °C, until the sesame is golden and the salmon is just cooked through. In the oven: 10 min at 220 °C on a tray lined with baking paper.
7. While they cook, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan and boil it for 1 to 2 min over a medium heat until syrupy: as it has been in contact with raw fish, it must be boiled before serving.
8. Divide the vinegared rice between two bowls, then add the drained vegetables and the salmon bites. Spoon the soy-honey glaze over the salmon and scatter with sliced spring onion. Serve straight away, while the sesame is still crisp.