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I am going through a little phase right now.
Basically all I want to make is bowl food.
You know what bowl food is right?
Noodle bowls, rice bowls, burrito bowls, soup bowls.
I am a little bowl obsessed, but geez, bowl foods are fabulous. Ah huh, fabulous.
Also, how do you guys feels about soba noodles?
This was my first soba noodle experience and to be honest, I am not sure how I feel about them. I mean, the noodles with the dressing, the salmon and roasted veggies were so good, but I had a hard time with the color.
Look at them.
They are not that golden white color I am used too. No, they are more like a mix between brown, black and gray. And I was a little freaked. So freaked that I totally thought I bought the wrong kind of soba noodle so I ran to the store to buy another. Well that was obviously a huge waste of time. All soba noodles are buckwheat (I do believe some come half buckwheat half flour and next time I will try to find those) and they are all generally the same color no matter what brand you buy.
So I just said to myself either get over the color or reach for my standard angel hair pasta that I use ALL. THE. TIME.
Going against basically everything in my body and brain, I actually went for something different for once. I stuck with the buckwheat. My mom is going to be so proud. Although she really, really loves angel hair, so this might be the one time where she wished I would have gone with the usual.
Oh well, oh well. The buckwheat was actually really awesome. Totally different, but still awesome.
I can’t say that normal noodles would not be delicious with this because they would, and if the soba noodles are not your thing or you cannot find them just use some angel hair or spaghetti, but I like them with these flavors. Plus, they are loaded with fiber, which is really good for us.
Which is just awesome.
The one thing I have to mention about the noodle is just be sure to not over cook them. I am pretty sure that I let mine go a minute too long and they were a little bit mushy, so just pay attention them.
Apparently, I am easily distracted. Err, that has been apparent for a while and if you were around me for like five minutes you would know that.
These bowls come together super quick and are the perfect healthy weeknight meal.
Although, I feel that I should mention, I also had to make steak to go a long with these bowls. No one but my dad and I will even come close to fish in my family. Wait, that is not true my brother Brendan loves fish, but he left a few days with his kitten, Pandagucci.
Have I told you guys about Pandagucci?
Let me just give you a little info. Pandagucci is maybe the world’s cutest little kitten out there. See, Brendan is a weird one. In the snowboarding world he is known as the “Nicest Bad Guy You Will Ever Meet”. He looks a little tough around the edges, but he is a total softy and truly the nicest guy you will ever meet. This was especially proven over Christmas when he just showed up with his new kitten in tow. He took really good care of him too and of course, the cute little kitten was extremely popular. So much so that grown adults were fighting a five-year old to hold him. Pretty funny sight! Originally the cat’s name was Todd, but the family decided that Todd was just not a good name for the kitten. Somehow everyone decided on Pandagucci. No idea how, but it works, and that would be the story of Panagucchi.
Seriously, check out how cute he is. I miss him.
Anyway, my point was supposed to be (see – easily distracted) that if you are not a salmon eater you can make this meal with steak too, but the hoisin caramelized salmon is better.
So do the salmon.
Hoisin Caramelized Salmon and Sesame Soba Noodle Bowls.
Ingredients
Salmon
- 1 pound skin on salmon, cut into four filets (preferably wild caught)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4-6 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Noodles + Veg
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 bunch broccoli, chopped into small florets
- 8-16 brussels sprouts, halved if big
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- A pinch of salt and pepper
- 6 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 lime, zest grated and juiced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 6 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 ounce package soba noodles, 12, or swap with angel hair or spaghetti
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Add the broccoli and brussels sprouts to a baking sheet. Toss the broccoli and brussels with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the grated or minced garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the mixture well to make sure the veggies are completely coated. Roast for 15 minutes and then give them a good toss and roast another 10 minutes or until the veggies are soft and crisp. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
- Meanwhile combine the sesame oil, tahini, honey, lime zest and lime juice, ginger, soy sauce, crushed red pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Now grab the salmon and sprinkle it with a good dose of black pepper. Rub each filet with a tablespoon of just plain hoisin sauce. Add more if the hoisin is not fully coating the salmon.
- Preheat the broiler to 450 degrees.
- Heat a little a drizzle of olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat (do not go above medium heat). When the oil is hot, add the salmon, skin side down in the pan, and cook for about 3-5 minutes, cook 3 minutes if you like your salmon a little underdone.
- Carefully flip each salmon filet and cook for another 2-3 minutes. If the filets are thick (mine were not) flip to the side and cook each of the sides for another 2 minutes and then carefully flip the salmon so the skin is facing down (meaning the skin should be touching the bottom of the pan).
- If some of the hoisin mixture has fallen off the salmon rub a little more on the fillets and then sprinkle the top of each salmon filet with a sprinkle of sugar. Transfer the pan from the stovetop into the oven. Let the salmon broil for 5 minutes (10 if you like your salmon a little more done or if you have thick filets), checking often to make sure it’s not burning. Just do not overcook the salmon, if anything undercooking is always better. Remove the salmon from the oven and loosely cover with foil.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the soba noodles according to package directions, but be careful not to overcook. They cook in less than 3 minutes, so do not forget about them! Drain the noodles.
- Toss the warm noodles with half the dressing, roasted veggies, green onions and half of the cilantro. Toss well and add more dressing if desired. I used about 3/4 of the dressing. Divide the noodles among four bowls. Gently peel the skin away from the salmon (it should come right off) and chop into chunks. Top each bowl with chunks of salmon. Garnish with fresh cilantro and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
And now, I believe it is noodle time. Yes!
I just finished making this recipe and let me tell you, it was awesome! I’ve recently discovered soba noodles and this best recipe I’ve found.
p.s.- you can make a snack size version of it without the vegetables and it’s just as great.
So happy you enjoyed this meal!! Thanks Jasmine!
Yum. Did I say yum? Because I meant YUM!! Just made this for our dinner and holy cow was it good! We love bowl food, too! I will definitely be making this one again!
YA!! So happy you love this meal! Thanks for making it!
I’ve made this twice in the past couple of weeks, and it is sooo good! Love the sauce, and it’s such a quick and easy way to cook salmon.
YAY! So happy you love this! Thanks!
If you rinsed your noodles with cold water (in the colander) it would stop the cooking process and make them not as gummy.
I am totally good with lots of bowl food, especially this one. It looks fantastic!!
Thanks Deborah!!
You can never go wrong with a noodle bowl! This one looks delish.
Thanks Kristi!
I love soba noodles, what a killer bowl!
Thank you, Laura! I was a little skeptical of the noodles, but they turned out great!
I’m with you on the soba noodles- not my fave. That pan of roasted broccoli and cauliflower is an entirely different story. Give me a fork and I’m good to go!
Haha! I know, they still freak me out a little!
Thanks Kelley!
I fully support your bowl food trend! When it comes to bowls of pasta, bowls of cereal, bowls of soup or bowls of ice cream, I’m always all for it! And I also fully support that amazing medley of broc and brussels sprouts going into these awesome bowls.
On second thought, can you maybe ditch the bowl food trend and graduate to “trough food trend.”?
Bowl food is honestly the best and now that I think about it my post tomorrow is bowl food!!
Tieghan, this dish looks outrageously delicious. I could eat bowl food all day every day, especially if it’s full of soba noodles. I bet brussels and salmon are incredible together. I’ve also found that it is easy to overcook soba noodles—the trick is to boil a lot of water (more than I would usually boil for an equivalent amount of regular pasta), drain as soon as the noodles are tender, and rinse under cool water.
Yeah, I totally let them go to long and did not rinse. They were a little mushy, so I am exited to try making them again!
Thanks so much, Kate!
I loveeee soba noodles, something about the nutty taste just makes me swoon 🙂 Also seriously loving the rest of the ingredient list here. Sesame Salmon Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Gahhh
Thanks Nicole! The soba noodles scared me, but they turned out great!
I must agree! And wow, this is one delicious bowl! We just bought some lovely bowls for udon soup, but I think they’ll do well for these soba noodles too! Thank you for sharing!
THANKS!! Hope you guys loves these noodles!
That is one glorious noodle bowl. I love the combination of broccoli and sprouts.
Thanks Shaina! The broccoli and brussels are probably my favorite part!
So beautiful. Love all the colors and flavors going on.
Thank you so much, Breda! I was nervous about the noodles, but they turned out pretty good!
Bowl meals are so much fun! Your noodle bowls look delicious! I am glad you went with the soba noodles 😉
Thank you so much, Paula!!