Salmon Lettuce Wraps

These Salmon Lettuce Wraps are the perfect lunch or light dinner to make in the spring and summer! Lettuce boats instead of tortillas topped with fluffy rice, tangy cucumber salad, edamame beans, and roasted salmon drizzled with delicious sweet and spicy bang bang sauce.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients
• Variations and Substitutions
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Serving Suggestions
• Storing
• FAQs
• More Salmon Recipes
• 📖 Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

Light and healthy - These "wraps" are made with lettuce instead of tortilla wraps which makes them much lighter, healthier, and gluten-free friendly. These lettuce boats make a great lunch or dinner during the spring and summer when the weather gets warmer and you crave lighter dishes.

Easy to make ahead - You can make most components of these mini wraps 1-2 days ahead which makes preparing them for a quick lunch really easy.

Packed with flavor - The spicy umami salmon pairs well with simple tangy cucumber salad, fluffy rice, and sweet and spicy bang bang sauce. Edamame beans add texture and protein.

Simple - Although these wraps have several different components, they're still easy to make and don't require any complicated ingredients. The recipe is straightforward and it can be ready in less than 45 minutes. Or if you prepare it ahead, it can take as little as few minutes to get dinner on the table!

Ingredients

• Bang Bang Sauce - This sauce takes 5 minutes to make and it's so simple! It's savory, sweet, and a little spicy. It's a mayo-based sauce with sweet red chili sauce, sriracha, honey, and rice vinegar. You can also make it with Greek yogurt!
• Edamame - You can find frozen edamame in the frozen aisle section of most grocery stores.
• Rice - You can use any rice you prefer here. I like white basmati rice because it's quick and easy to cook but brown or even black rice also works great.
• Cucumber salad - This easy cucumber salad is made with sliced cucumbers, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds. It's very similar to this Cucumber Mango Salad, just without the mango. If you have mango, it would be delicious in these wraps too!
• Salmon - Any salmon you prefer works here. Keep in mind that wild salmon cooks quicker than pink salmon and the cooking time may also vary based on the size of the cut of the fish.
• Chili miso paste - I use this Abokichi Japanese chili miso paste (mild version) to add a flavor, a little spice, and umami flavor. If you're able to get it, I highly recommend it! It can be used on many different dishes and it's delicious on salmon.
• Lettuce - You want to choose lettuce that can keep the shape of little boats or cups. Butter lettuce or romaine lettuce are great options.

Variations and Substitutions

• No mayo - If you don't like mayonnaise, you can use Greek yogurt instead to make the bang bang sauce. You can also use vegan mayo and maple syrup instead of honey for a vegan version.
• No miso chili paste - If you can't get your hands on the miso chili paste, you can season the salmon simply with cajun spice, sea salt, and pepper. Cajun spice and Asian flavors may sound like a strange combo but I promise you it works!
• Tofu - If you don't have salmon or want to make these wraps vegan-friendly, you can use tofu instead of salmon. Crispy tofu would work really great here tossed with some of the chili miso paste.
• Quinoa - The wraps can be made with quinoa instead of rice if you prefer. Or you can use different type of rice like wild rice or brown rice. The cooking time will vary.

Step-by-Step Instructions

These wraps have a few components that can be made ahead. You can prepare the bang bang sauce, edamame beans, cucumber salad, and rice the night before. Then you only need to cook your salmon and put everything together. Super easy!

Bang Bang Sauce

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a jar and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Edamame

1. Cook edamame from frozen in boiling water for 3-5 minutes or according to package instructions.

Cucumber Salad

1. Mix everything in a bowl and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Rice

1. Rinse your rice thoroughly and drain.
2. Add water and sea salt, bring to a boil, and cook according to package instructions (12-15 mins for basmati).
3. Cover for 5 minutes.
4. Fluff with a fork until ready to use allowing it to cool slightly.

Roasted Salmon

1. Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Wash and dry your salmon and lay them on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Brush with cooking oil on both sides to make sure it doesn’t stick.
4. Brush with the chili miso paste (if using) or season with spices (see notes).
5. Roast the salmon for 12-15 minutes or until it flakes. Be careful not to dry it out. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the salmon.
6. Flake the salmon into bite-sized pieces.

Lettuce wraps

1. Wash and dry the lettuce making sure not to break the leaves to have little boats or cups.
2. Add rice, edamame, cucumber salad, and salmon to each cup and drizzle with bang bang sauce. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

While you can make most of this recipe ahead of time, it's best to put it all together right before serving so the lettuce doesn't wilt down and the rice doesn't get too soggy with the sauces.

The wraps can be served with both hot salmon right from the oven or cold from the fridge but for rice, it's best to use rice that's slightly cooled down so the heat doesn't wilt the lettuce down. I recommend serving the lettuce wraps with a good sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and you can add extra bang bang sauce on the side for dipping!

Storing

Most of the components of these salmon wraps can be made ahead so it's a great dish to meal prep for 2-3 days ahead.

• The bang bang sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
• Cooked edamame and rice will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
• The cucumber salad will have the best flavor and texture 1-3 days after you make it. It may be stored longer but the cucumber softens too much and releases water the longer it sits in the rice vinegar dressing.
• The cooked salmon can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days. I highly recommend storing everything separately and putting it together when you're ready to eat.

FAQs

More Salmon Recipes

Are you looking for other salmon recipes to try! Check out the five below! The teriyaki salmon bowl is my all time favorite. I also included two smoked salmon recipes that don't require any cooking and can be served for lunch just like these wraps! Head over to Fish & Seafood to see all the latest salmon recipes.

• Teriyaki Salmon Bowl
• Salmon Pesto Pasta
• Creme Fraiche Salmon Pasta
• Smoked Salmon Wrap
• Smoked Salmon Dip

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