My husband and I both love sushi, but it’s not always in the budget. Our usual order for takeaway rings up at $40+ dollars. It’s a tasty and filling meal, but it’s expensive. That makes it an occasional treat for us because of the price and because I can’t make it. Then I discovered sushi bowls, and suddenly I could make sushi—in a bowl. And as sushi donuts, if I want to get fancy, but bowls are now a regular thing for us. But one thing I have never considered is a sushi bowl without rice. That’s why I decided to make these Shrimp Sushi Bowls with Cauliflower Rice. More veg is always a good thing, right? Let’s find out!
Craving some sushi? Try these budget-friendly, easy and delicious deconstructed shrimp sushi bowls with cauliflower rice!
The Ingredients
My usual pre-shopping check revealed I didn’t have much for these shrimp sushi bowls. Salt and pepper were a given, and I also had sesame seeds and olive oil. The refrigerator had a couple of carrots in the crisper, and I was delighted to find a bottle of Kepwpie Japanese mayonnaise too.
That left me to show for most of the ingredients. Most were easy to find, and my only question was what type of cucumber to use. Tip: I chose a regular cucumber mainly for the price. It was $1 versus $3+ for a seedless cucumber and $5 for a bag of mini cucumbers. Looking back at the post as I write the ingredient photo looks like mini cucumbers.
I found most of the other vegetables fresh except for the edamame and cauliflower rice. I bought both frozen and thawed them before cooking. The edamame also took a trip to a second store to find.
Speaking of frozen, I had to buy frozen shrimp to get them peeled and deveined. I still had to remove the tails, but that’s quick and easy to do. Much quicker and easier than peeling and deveining them myself.
Lastly, I couldn’t find seasoned vinegar at all. No worries, though, because I found a recipe for seasoned vinegar. All it took was regular rice vinegar (which I did find), salt, and sugar.
The Process
This recipe was a flurry of activity from start to finish. Since I had bought frozen shrimp, cauliflower rice, and edamame, I began by thawing them. The edamame took about 90 seconds in the microwave in a covered dish with a little water. I placed the shrimp in a bowl of water and they thawed in about 10-15 minutes (I did the same for the cauliflower and it thawed almost instantly).
I did switch up the order of the instructions so the avocado would not be sliced until the end. No one likes brown avocados! Instead, I made the spicy mayo first, while the edamame and cauliflower thawed.
Next, I cooked up the thawed cauliflower rice while I prepped the rest of the vegetables. When it was done, I decided to mix it with the seasoned rice vinegar in a single bowl before spooning it into the serving bowls. I felt that would mix the vinegar in more evenly.
Next up was the shrimp. They cooked fast at about 60-90 seconds per side. I removed them from the hot skillet when they were done to keep them from overcooking while I assembled the bowls.
I also changed up the order here too. The vegetables went into the bowls over the cauliflower rice then the shrimp last so they would really stick out. I didn’t want to risk them getting covered up with all the fixings. Then I drizzled on some spicy mayo and sprinkled in some sesame seeds onto my shrimp sushi bowls to finish things up.
Timing
This recipe doesn’t list any times for prep, cooking, or total. It went by fast, though! Here’s how my time was spent:
- 15 minutes to prep
- 15 minutes to cook and assemble
- 30 minutes total
By the way, I’m basing the time category of my final review on the cooking time for the cauliflower rice and shrimp since there were no other times listed.
