Shiso and Cucumber Rice Bowls

From the garden

• 12 fresh shiso leaves, stacked, rolled, and sliced into thin ribbons — green or red both work
• 2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced

From the pantry

• 1¼ lb salmon fillets
• 1½ cups rice — short-grain if you have it
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated — about 1 inch
• 2 tbsp soy sauce — for drizzling
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil — for searing
• salt

1. Cook the rice. While it cooks, toss the cucumber slices with a teaspoon of salt in a colander and let them sit 10 minutes, then squeeze gently and dress with 1 tablespoon of the rice vinegar and the sesame oil.
2. When the rice is done, fold in the remaining rice vinegar, the sugar, and a pinch of salt with a cutting motion — gently, so the grains stay whole — and let it sit covered.
3. Pat the salmon dry and season with salt. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high and sear skin-side down 4 minutes until the skin crisps, then flip and cook 2–3 minutes more, until it flakes easily (145°F). Break into large pieces.
4. Build the bowls: seasoned rice, salmon, and a pile of cucumbers, with a little grated ginger on the fish.
5. Scatter the shiso ribbons generously over everything off the heat — its perfume fades fast when cooked — and finish with a drizzle of soy sauce.