Salmon Sushi Bake
This salmon sushi bake is a delicious twist on traditional sushi! Made with flaky salmon, sushi rice, and flavorful toppings, it’s perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal.
Easy Sushi Bake Recipe
If you ask me my favorite food…9 times out of 10 I’m gonna say sushi. (The rest of the time I’ll probably say chocolate!)
I think I could east sushi every day!
However, sushi is not known for being easy to make. Even when you’re pretty practiced at it, making sushi rolls can take a fair amount of prep time and patience.
That’s why I was sooooo excited when my husband made this dish for the first time!
This salmon sushi bake is essentially a deconstructed sushi roll. It has all the yummy ingredients of traditional sushi rolls, layered in a casserole dish and baked. Then you can top it with your favorite sauces, seasonings, and veggies.
Not only is this sushi bake so much much easier than making rolls, but the fact that it is baked and served warm takes things to the next level.
Take the delicious flavors of sushi, add the comfort of a good casserole, and you have this amazing Salmon Sushi Bake! It’s a great new take on fusion cuisine your whole family will love! My kids love it too, so we will usually make a non-spicy version for them.
Related: For another easy recipe, try our Spicy Crab Roll recipe!
Ingredients
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Sushi Rice Ingredients
- 2 cups sushi rice (plus water, as directed on package)
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon salt
Sushi Bake Toppings
- 6 oz salmon, cooked
- 6 oz imitation crab meat
- Nori sheets
- Sliced avocado
- Chopped scallions or green onion
- Spicy mayo
- Unagi sauce or sweet soy sauce
- Furikake rice seasoning
- Sesame seeds
- Salt
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Instructions
First, you’ll be making the sushi rice. Depending on your rice cooker, this will probably take about 20 minutes. Then you will layer the casserole and bake for 10 minutes.
To Make the Sushi Rice
- Wash the sushi rice in cold water at least 5 times; or rinse until the water runs clear.
- Cook the sushi rice according to package instructions, either on the stovetop or in a rice cooker (my preferred method).
- Heat the vinegar, salt, and sugar mixture in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve completely.
- When the rice is done cooking, transfer it to a large mixing bowl and allow it to cool enough to handle. Pour the vinegar mixture into the rice and stir until all the liquid is absorbed. The rice should be sticky, but not wet.
To Make the Salmon Bake
To Prep: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spread the cooked rice in the bottom of the baking dish, pressing down gently to form an even layer.
- Place nori sheets on top of the rice.
- Shred the imitation crab and cut it into smaller chunks. Shred the cooked and cooled salmon and add to the bowl with the shredded crab.ย Add half of the spicy mayo to the bowl with the crab and salmon, mixing until everything is lightly coated in sauce.
- Spread the shredded salmon mixture on top of the nori sheets and press down gently until even. Drizzle with remaining spicy mayo and sweet soy sauce. Sprinkle with furikake and sesame seeds. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Prep Tips
- Salmon – You’ll be using pre-cooked salmon for this recipe. Be sure to check out our foolproof method to cook perfect salmon here, before you get started!
- Seaweed – If you prefer less seaweed in the dish, you can skip the layer of seaweed sheets. Instead, try cutting the nori (seaweed) into thin strips and sprinkling on top before baking.
- Garnish – After removing the casserole from the oven, we love to top with avocado slices and chopped green onions. Feel free to add your favorite sushi toppings too! For example, you could slice fresh cucumbers to put on top. I also love crunchy garlic oil on top and fish roe (fish eggs), such as masago or tobiko (flying fish roe).
- Make it Spicy – Since we used spicy mayo, there is a little kick to the dish. However, if you like it really spicy, you can add a drizzle of sriracha sauce and/or use a spicy furikake seasoning blend. On the other hand, if you want something that is not spicy, you can omit the spicy mayo altogether. This is what we do when we make the sushi bake for the kids.
- Substitutions – If you are looking for a different type of seafood to use other than salmon or imitation crab, cooked shrimp is a great option. We use sweet soy sauce in this dish, but eel sauce (unagi sauce) is another common sauce to use for the drizzle.
- Mayonnaise – When making your spicy mayonnaise, you can absolutely use regular mayo. However, if you see kewpie mayonnaise at the grocery store, this is what is traditionally used. Kewpie mayo is a Japanese mayonnaise that is made with egg yolks only and is extra rich and creamy. It also often contains added flavorings to give it an umami quality.
- How to Serve – We use a spatula to cut into squares and serve on a plate or even in a bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Use Plain White Rice Instead Of Sushi Rice?
Sushi rice is a lightly seasoned rice made with rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. It is not only flavorful, but it is also stickier than regular rice, which allows sushi rolls to keep their shape.
In a pinch, you could substitute with regular white rice, or even brown rice (for more fiber). If doing so, I recommend choosing a short grain rice, as this will have a texture that is more like sushi rice.
Is This a Gluten Free Recipe?
There are a couple ingredients that we used for this recipe that may contain wheat (gluten), such as sweet soy sauce or eel sauce. Imitation crab also usually contains starches or wheat based ingredients.
To make this a gluten-free recipe, you would want to omit the imitation crab and use coconut aminos instead of any soy-based sauces. Coconut aminos have a flavor that is almost exactly like soy sauce, but do not contain wheat.
Salmon Sushi Bake Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Easy Salmon Sushi Bake
Equipment
- 9x13 inch casserole dish
Ingredients
For the Sushi Rice
Instructions
To Make the Sushi Rice
- Wash the sushi rice in cold water at least 5 times, or until the water runs clear.
- Cook the sushi rice according to package directions, either on the stovetop or in a rice cooker (my preferred method).
- Heat the vinegar, salt, and sugar mixture in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve completely.
- When the rice is done cooking, transfer it to a large mixing bowl and allow it to cool enough to handle. Pour the vinegar mixture into the rice and stir until all the liquid is absorbed. The rice should be sticky, but not wet.
To Make the Salmon Bake
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spread the cooked sushi rice in the bottom of the casserole dish, pressing down gently to form an even layer.
- Place nori sheets on top of the rice.
- Shred the imitation crab and cut it into smaller chunks. Shred the cooked and cooled salmon and add to the bowl with the shredded crab.ย Add half of the spicy mayo to the bowl with the crab and salmon, mixing until everything is lightly coated in sauce.
- Spread the shredded salmon and crab mixture on top of the nori sheets and press down gently until even.ย Sprinkle with furikake, sesame seeds and drizzle with the sweet soy sauce and remaining spicy mayo. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and sliced avocado.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin our Spicy Salmon Sushi Bake on Pinterest:
You might also like these sushi recipes:
- Homemade Cosmic Brownies - January 15, 2025
- Heart Shaped Cookie Cake - January 10, 2025
- Mini Heart-Shaped Pizzas - January 9, 2025
This recipe is a winner! 5 out of 5 rating. Can’t wait to make it at home. Thanks for sharing your delicious creations! I love trying new dishes, and this one is definitely next on my list. Your photos are mouthwatering!