Refreshing Lemongrass Salmon Vermicelli Bowl

This Lemongrass Salmon Vermicelli Bowl is a unique twist on a classic Vietnamese vermicelli bowl recipe. Salmon is marinated in a sweet and umami lemongrass marinade, seared to perfection, and then served with vermicelli, fresh herbs, and a yummy Vietnamese dipping sauce. The best part about this refreshing dish is it comes together in under an hour, making it the perfect weeknight meal.

Personally, I love making traditional Vietnamese recipes, but I also love experimenting with Vietnamese ingredients to create new dishes. This lemongrass salmon vermicelli bowl is a result of that experimentation. I’ve cooked salmon hundreds of times in the past few years and have learned that you can pretty much treat it like a piece of meat, so I thought it would be cool to use the marinade I use for Bun Thit Nuong with salmon! The salmon turned out perfectly! I also love how quickly this comes together. In just under an hour, I have a yummy, refreshing weeknight dinner.

What are vermicelli bowls?

Vermicelli noodle bowls are a whole category of Vietnamese cuisine called bún or noodles. Each noodle bowl is named for the protein that it is made with. For example, Bun Ga Nuong is noodles with grilled chicken and Bun Cha Gio is noodles with Vietnamese egg rolls. There are also other variations with beef, shrimp, and tofu, but you can pretty much make them with any protein. I’ve even made one with fried chicken.

Everyone has their own version of this dish, and the variation typically comes in the vegetables and toppings as well as the protein. Vegetables that can be included are bean sprouts, cilantro, and Thai basil. In terms of toppings, I like to use mo hanh or scallion oil to add extra flavor, and sometimes, I use fried shallots instead of crushed peanuts. This specific variation of vermicelli bowls includes salmon marinated with lemongrass, fish sauce, and oyster sauce served with a variety of vegetables, vermicelli, and crushed peanuts.

How I developed my lemongrass salmon vermicelli bowl recipe

As mentioned, I used my lemongrass marinade to marinate my salmon. I tested this 3 times and mostly tested this marinade for marinating time. I marinated the salmon for 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and an hour. Personally, I liked the flavor of the salmon at an hour, but I felt like it tasted just as good after 45 minutes which is the time I included in the recipe. But in general, a good rule of thumb is the longer it marinates, the better.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

Lemongrass Salmon

• Salmon – I used salmon fillets for this recipe without the skin. It’s the easiest to cut, and I don’t personally like using the skin in this recipe. However, you can use any cut of salmon you want (with skin, with bone etc).
• Lemongrass – Adds a slight lemon-y taste to the salmon and helps balance out the rich and savory flavors. If you don’t have lemongrass, I would use a tablespoon of lime juice and the zest of 1 lime. The flavor won’t be the same as lemongrass, but it’s a good enough substitute. Check out my guide on how to use lemongrass for tips on how to cut this ingredient!
• Shallots and garlic – Adds extra flavor the salmon! Shallots can be substituted with sweet yellow onion. I would use about 3 tbsp of onion.
• Fish sauce – Adds umami flavor to the salmon.
• Soy sauce – Adds umami flavor to the salmon. I used low sodium soy sauce for this recipe. Substitute with tamari to make this dish gluten free. If you want more color on your salmon, use dark thick soy sauce.
• Oyster sauce – Adds umami flavor to the salmon. A good substitute for oyster sauce is vegan oyster sauce. I’ve tested this with vegan oyster sauce, and it works just as well as regular oyster sauce. To make this dish gluten free, substitute with a tablespoon of tamari. Some oyster sauces are gluten free, so check the label to be 100% sure.
• Vegetable Oil – Helps give the salmon its brown color. Substitute with grapeseed oil or olive oil.
• Honey – Adds sweetness to help balance out the savory flavors from the fish sauce and soy sauce. If you don’t have honey, substitute with another tablespoon of brown sugar.
• Light brown sugar – Adds sweetness to help balance out the savory flavors from the fish sauce and soy sauce. Light brown sugar can be substituted with dark brown sugar. Note that dark brown sugar is sweeter, so that will make the dish sweeter. If you want to make this dish processed sugar free, use another tablespoon of honey.

Vermicelli bowl

The ingredients below are the ones I use in my vermicelli bowl, but you can use whatever vegetables you want.

• Vermicelli noodles – Vermicelli are thin, rice noodles used in all Vietnamese noodle bowls. Learn how to properly boil these noodles using my step-by-step guide. Personally, I wouldn’t substitute this ingredient with anything because I don’t think there’s a great substitute for it. If you had to substitute with something, I would use thin rice noodles.
• Lettuce – You can use any type of lettuce for the vermicelli bowl. Romaine, green leaf, and red leaf lettuce are a few examples.
• Pickled carrots and daikon – These are optional but they add a nice balance to the rich flavors. Get the recipe for my pickled carrots and daikon here.
• Cucumbers – Another refreshing vegetable to add to your vermicelli bowl! Personally, my favorite cucumbers are Persian cucumbers but use whatever you have available.
• Mint – One of the traditional ingredients in a vermicelli bowl. I usually use green mint but sometimes, I use perilla leaves.
• Peanuts (optional) – Crushed peanuts are served in every vermicelli noodle bowl. If you don’t like peanuts, leave it out. A good substitute for crushed peanuts is fried shallots.
• Vietnamese dipping sauce – This is the “dressing” for this noodle bowl. Get the recipe for my Vietnamese dipping sauce here!

How to make lemongrass salmon vermicelli bowl

First, make the marinade. Combine 2 stalks of lemongrass, 1 shallot, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp of fish sauce, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of oyster sauce, 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, 1 tbsp of honey, and 1 tbsp of light brown sugar. Mix well. Add 1.5 lb of salmon to the bowl and coat with the marinade. Marinate for 45 minutes.

While the salmon is marinating, prep the rest of your ingredients. Boil 16 oz of vermicelli noodles. Cut lettuce into small pieces. Thinly slice cucumbers. Crush and toast the peanuts. Set everything aside. Once the salmon is done marinating, heat a pan over medium high heat. Sear the salmon on all sides until cooked through (~1 minute per side).

Now it’s time to assemble your bowl! Add a few pieces of lettuce, pickled daikon, pickled carrots, cucumbers, and mint to a bowl. Top with vermicelli noodles and a few pieces of lemongrass salmon. Finally, finish it off with a sprinkle of crushed peanuts and a drizzle of Vietnamese dipping sauce.

Tips on how to make the perfect vermicelli bowl

Let the pan heat up for about a minute for a nice sear

You definitely do not need a grill to get “grill marks”. Let the pan heat up for ~1 minute before adding the salmon to the pan. This will create a nice sear on the outside.

Marinate the salmon for longer for the best flavor

The salmon should be marinated for at least 30 minutes, but the longer it marinates, the better. You can marinate it up to 24 hours, so you can make it ahead of time as well.

How do you store this vermicelli bowl recipe?

Store all the components for this Vietnamese noodle bowl separately in an airtight container in the fridge. The salmon and noodles will keep up to 3 days in the fridge. The vegetables will keep up to a week, depending on how well you store them. When you are ready to eat, put everything together and serve.

Reheating this lemongrass salmon vermicelli bowl

I would first microwave the vermicelli noodles for ~1 minute and then let it sit for 5 minutes. When you store vermicelli noodles in the fridge, all the moisture from the fridge makes the noodles stick together. Microwaving the noodles helps them come apart, and it also helps evaporate some of that excess liquid. You need to let them cool down because the noodles tend to soak up more dressing when they’re warm, so you tend to overdress the dish when the noodles are warm. The noodles are best served at room temperature. Once the noodles are cool, heat up the salmon in a separate bowl and then put everything together in a bowl and serve with Vietnamese dipping sauce.

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