Place 2 cups sushi rice in a fine mesh strainer. Rinse under cold water, swirling with your hand until the water beneath runs clear. Drain well.

In a medium pot with a tight-fitting lid, combine the rinsed rice, 2 ½ cups cold water, and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. As soon as it simmers, reduce the heat to low, cover, and set a timer for 17 minutes.

Once the timer goes off, turn off the burner and let sit, covered to finish steaming, until ready to serve.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup sour cream, ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon dried dill.

Crumble 8 small sheets of roasted seaweed with your hands onto your cutting board. Chop the nori more finely from there; add to the ranch.

Finely chop 1 scallion and add it along with the finely grated zest of 2 lemons, and 2 finely grated garlic cloves. Stir well. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon, and season the ranch with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice 1 English cucumber, transfer to a medium bowl, and toss with salt and a few splashes of rice vinegar. Let sit to pickle while you cook the salmon.

Pat 1 ½ lbs skin on salmon dry (it can be in one large piece or several smaller filets). Season all over with salt. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the salmon, skin side down, and set over medium heat.

Cook undisturbed, until the skin is golden and deeply crisp and the salmon flesh has turned opaque at the bottom inch or so of each filet, 8-12 minutes. Take a peek; if they need a few longer to get really golden and crisp, don’t rush this. Carefully flip each piece over.

Continue to cook on the second side for 1-2 minutes longer (for medium doneness). If you want to cook the salmon further (or if your salmon is particularly thick), continue cooking on the second side 2-3 minutes longer or until desired.

While the salmon finishes cooking in the skillet, trim the ends of the remaining scallions, and then cut them in half crosswise (to shorten them). Transfer the cooked salmon to a plate, then add the scallions to the skillet with a pinch of salt. Set over medium heat and cook, tossing occasionally until blistered and softened, 4-5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and add a splash of unseasoned rice vinegar to the scallions.

Remove the lid from the pot of rice. Add a few tablespoons of butter and ¼ cup of toasted sesame seeds to the pot and use a fork to fluff the rice, incorporating the butter and sesame. Season to taste with salt.

Divide rice among serving bowls. Break the salmon into large flaky chunks, and add to the rice along with some charred scallions, pickled cukes, and a big drizzle of nori ranch. Crumble more nori over each bowl and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.