Sushi Bake is the viral deconstructed sushi casserole made with seasoned sushi rice and a creamy salmon and crab topping that is baked until golden. Scoop it onto crispy seaweed snacks for an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer or dinner with no sushi rolling needed. All the great flavors of your favorite sushi rolls packed into an easy to make casserole!
Sushi Bake Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
This Salmon Crab Sushi Bake is the viral deconstructed sushi casserole everyone is obsessed with! A layer of seasoned sushi rice and furikake is topped with an irresistibly rich and creamy salmon and crab mixture. It is baked until warm and golden brown and served with crispy seaweed snacks (roasted nori). Spoonful's of the sushi bake are scooped into roasted nori for the ultimate homemade sushi dinner! For a fun handheld version try our Sushi Bake Cups recipe made in a muffin tin!
The viral sushi bake has all the flavors of your favorite sushi rolls with none of the rolling! It's creamy, savory, a little spicy and so fun to eat. Serve it as a party appetizer for game days or as an easy dinner. Set out all the toppings and let everyone build their own bites! It's the perfect at home sushi dinner you will be making on repeat in 30 minutes!
What is Sushi Bake
A sushi bake is a layered sushi dish that went viral on social media. Seasoned sushi rice is pressed into a baking dish and sprinkled with furikake, then topped with a creamy mixture of salmon, crab, Kewpie mayo, cream cheese and Sriracha. It's baked until warm with a slightly crispy top. As if that wasn't good enough, it's finished off with drizzles of spicy mayo, eel sauce, kewpie mayo and garnished with sesame seeds and green onions. To eat it, you scoop a spoonful onto a sheet of roasted seaweed and enjoy it like a hand roll!
What to Serve with
- Wonton Soup
- Instant Pot Fried Rice
- Crab Rangoons
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Hot and Sour Soup
- Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- Salmon - seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper and cooked in the air fryer or oven, then flaked.
- Crab Meat - real cooked crab or imitation crab works great. Most restaurants use imitation crab for their sushi rolls so don't be afraid to use that too!
- Cream Cheese - softened cream cheese makes the topping extra creamy, just like a Philadelphia sushi roll.
- Kewpie Mayonnaise - Japanese mayo is extra rich and creamy. Regular mayo works in a pinch.
- Sriracha - optional, for a spicy kick.
- Furikake - a Japanese seasoning blend of seaweed, sesame seeds and salt. You can use crushed nori instead.
- Sushi Rice - short grain sushi rice is sticky and holds together for the sushi bake. You can also use jasmine rice if you cannot find sushi rice.
- Rice Vinegar, Sugar and Salt - season the rice for that classic sushi rice flavor.
- Garnish - optional: green onions, avocado, cucumber, sesame seeds, Kewpie mayo, eel sauce and Sriracha.
- Nori Sheets - roasted seaweed snack sheets are perfect for scooping up the sushi bake like a hand roll for serving.
How to Make Sushi Bake
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of page
- Prepare the rice stove top or in a rice cooker according to package directions. Once the rice has finished cooking transfer to a bowl and fluff the rice with a fork.
- In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar and salt until the sugar is fully dissolved. Pour the mixture over the rice and gently stir until evenly combined. Set the bowl aside and let the rice cool to room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- While the rice is cooling, prepare the topping. Pat dry the salmon with a paper towel. Brush with the oil and then season with the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Place salmon in air fryer and cook at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, or bake it in the oven on a lined baking sheet, at 375°F for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F degrees and spray a 9-inch square baking dish or a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Tip: For a thicker sushi bake to be served as a meal you can use a 9"x9" square baking tray, or for a thinner bake to be served as an appetizer you can use a larger tray 9"x13" baking dish.
Prepare the Sushi Bake
- In a large bowl, shred the imitation crab and flake the cooked salmon. Then add mayonnaise, softened cream cheese, and sriracha. Mix until evenly combined and set aside.
- To the prepared baking dish add your rice. Press down to create an even flat layer. Sprinkle with the furikake seasoning or crumbled seaweed sheets.
- Add the salmon and crab mixture on top of the rice. Spread out, pressing down gently to form an even flat layer.
- Place in preheated oven and bake 10-15 minutes until fully heated and the top starts to lightly brown in spots and is slightly crispy.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 5 minutes.
- Garnish the sushi bake as desired. Drizzle with Sriracha, Kewpie mayonnaise, eel sauce, sesame seeds, furikake, crushed seaweed sheets, or diced avocado.
- To serve, scoop a spoonful of sushi bake and wrap it in a seaweed sheet snack. Enjoy
Tip: you can use a serrated knife to slice the sushi bake into pieces and then use a spatula to scoop it out to serve on plates.
Tips for the Best Sushi Bake
- Rinse the Rice - rinsing the rice removes the excess starch so it cooks up fluffy and sticky, not gummy.
- Season the Rice - don't skip the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. It gives the rice that authentic sushi flavor. If you cannot find rice vinegar you can swap for white wine vinegar. Don't use regular white vinegar!
- Flavor Variations - for a fun twist you can make a different flavor combination. You can use any combination of salmon, crab, shrimp, scallops, or tuna! If you prefer to not use seafood you can use finely diced cooked chicken!
FAQ
Reheat leftovers in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, covered with foil, until warmed through, or microwave individual portions for 1-2 minutes. Add fresh toppings after reheating.
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Because it contains seafood and cooked rice, we recommend eating it within 3 days.
You can freeze leftovers in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Please note the rice will and the creamy topping will change texture slightly when reheated from frozen.
Yes! Assemble the sushi bake, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bake when ready, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time. Add the toppings just before serving.
Swap the salmon and crab for baked tofu, mushrooms or a plant-based crab alternative mixed with the creamy topping.
Use real crab meat (imitation crab usually contains wheat), check that your furikake and seaweed snacks are gluten free, and skip the eel sauce or use a gluten free version, since it is made with soy sauce.
Use a dairy-free cream cheese or skip the cream cheese and add a little extra Kewpie mayo.
More Easy Sushi Recipes
Enjoy!
- Sab
Sushi Bake
Ingredients
- 10 sheets nori (or crispy seaweed sheets, for serving)
Sushi Rice
- 2 cups sushi rice (short grain rice, or jasmine rice PLUS water measurement per package directions)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon sugar
Sushi Bake Topping
- 10 oz salmon fillet (skin removed)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, paprika (each)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups cooked crab meat (sub imitation crab meat, 1 package, 227 grams)
- ⅓ cup Kewpie mayonnaise
- ½ cup cream cheese (at room temperature, 4 ounces, ½ brick)
- 2 tablespoon Sriracha (optional)
- ¼ cup Furikake (Japanese rice seasoning, or 4 crushed Nori seaweed sheets)
Garnish
- Green onion (sliced)
- Avocado (sliced)
- Cucumber (diced)
- Sesame seeds
- Kewpie mayonnaise
- Eel Sauce (unagi sauce)
- Sriracha sauce
- Furikake seasoning (sub 3-4 sheets seaweed paper, crumbled)
Instructions
- Prepare the rice stove top or in a rice cooker according to package directions. Once the rice has finished cooking transfer to a bowl and fluff the rice with a fork.
- In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar and salt until the sugar is fully dissolved. Pour the mixture over the rice and gently stir until evenly combined. Set the bowl aside and let the rice cool to room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- While the rice is cooling, prepare the topping. Pat dry the salmon with a paper towel. Brush with the oil and then season with the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Place salmon in air fryer and cook at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, or bake it in the oven on a lined baking sheet, at 375°F for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F degrees and spray a 9-inch square baking dish or a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, shred the imitation crab and flake the cooked salmon. Then add mayonnaise, softened cream cheese, and sriracha. Mix until evenly combined and set aside.
- To the prepared baking dish add your rice. Press down to create an even flat layer. Sprinkle with the furikake seasoning or crumbled seaweed sheets.
- Add the salmon and crab mixture on top of the rice. Spread out, pressing down gently to form an even flat layer.
- Place in preheated oven and bake 10-15 minutes until fully heated and the top starts to lightly brown in spots and is slightly crispy.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 5 minutes.
- Garnish the sushi bake as desired. Drizzle with Sriracha, Kewpie mayonnaise, eel sauce, sesame seeds, furikake, crushed seaweed sheets, or diced avocado.
- To serve, scoop a spoonful of sushi bake and wrap it in a seaweed sheet snack. Enjoy
Nutrition
Tony says
So delicious and great recipe!