Spicy Salmon Sushi Bake

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If you're a sushi lover, you're sure to become a fan of this spicy salmon sushi bake recipe. It's a crowd pleasing recipe with all the delicious flavors of traditional sushi rolls. Except, there's no rolling involved! You simply layer everything in a casserole dish and bake it in the oven.

Salmon Sushi Bake topped with green onion slices in a glass baking dish. — Spicy Salmon Sushi Bake

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You may have seen a sushi bake on TikTok or other social media. For this trendy dish the ingredients for sushi rolls are deconstructed, with layers of sushi rice, furikake, and spicy salmon.

Just like my sushi bowl recipe, a sushi bake is a great alternative to making individual rolls. The difference is this deconstructed sushi roll is baked. A sushi bake is a delicious, easy-to-make dish that is perfect for sharing with family and friends.

A slice of baked sushi on a square of toasted seaweed.

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Why you'll love this recipe
Ingredient Notes
How to Make Spicy Salmon Sushi Bake
Sushi Bake Toppings
Helpful Tips
Variations
Common Questions
More Japanese Inspired Recipes:
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Why you'll love this recipe

Easy: This sushi bake recipe is so easy to make! Just layer everything in one pan, bake, and enjoy wtih your favorite toppings.
Simple: You don't need any special equipment to make a sushi bake. Just a casserole dish!
Convenient: This easy spicy salmon sushi bake has all the flavors of a spicy salmon roll. So you can satisfy your sushi cravings without going out.
Family Style: This easy sushi bake recipe is perfect for a family dinner or feeding a crowd.
Customizable: It's so easy to taylor this crowd-pleasing recipe to your liking. (See the "variations" section below)

Ingredient Notes

Full instructions and ingredient quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Sushi Rice

Rice: The most common rice for making sushi is a short-grain Japanese rice called koshihikari. It's usually labeled as sushi rice. This rice is soft and sticky and it holds its shape well. Calrose rice is also common for sushi making. You can find either at your local grocery store or an Asian market.
Rice vinegar: This vinegar is a key ingredient in making vinegared rice, which is used in sushi. It adds a tangy flavor to the rice and helps to keep it moist. There are two kinds of rice vinegar: regular rice vinegar and seasoned rice vinegar, which has added sugar and salt. You can use either one for this sushi casserole. However, you'll need to omit the sugar and salt.

Spicy Salmon

Furikake seasoning: This Japanese condiment is a mixture of dried seaweed, sesame seeds, sugar, salt and sometimes bonito and other seasonings. You can buy furikake at Asian grocery markets or online. However, it's also easy to make. See "helpful tips" below.
Salmon: Boneless, skinless salmon fillets are perfect. This is also a great recipe for using up leftover salmon. You can use canned salmon, but fesh is best!
Cream cheese: Cream cheese gives creamy texture to the sushi bake.
Kewpie mayonnaise: This Japanese mayo contains just egg yolks and not whole eggs. It's creamier and richer than traditional mayo and is used in making the spicy mayo for this recipe. You can buy it in the Asian section of your grocery store or Asian market. However, you can also use regular mayonnaise.
Soy sauce: Soy sauce adds saltiness and umami flavor to the sushi bake. If you are gluten free, use tamari sauce, gluten-free soy sauce, or coconut aminos.
Hot sauce: shriracha or sambal are perfect, but you can use any hot sauce to make the spicy mayo.
Nori sheets: These seaweed sheets are used in making traditional sushi rolls. Squares of nori are perfect for scooping up the salmon mixture after baking. Jut like a little taco!

The ingredients for making a salmon sushi bake. — Sushi bake ingredients

How to Make Spicy Salmon Sushi Bake

Using a fine meshed sieve, rinse the sushi rice thoroughly under cold water.
Cook the rinsed rice according to the package directions (usually 20 minutes).
Sprinkle the cooked rice with rice vinegar, sugar and salt and gently combine with a a rice paddle or spatula.
Press the rice evenly over the bottom of the baking dish.

Season the salmon fillets by rubbing them with soy sauce.
Cook the fillets in an air fryer for 10 minutes at 400° or in the oven at 400° for 15-20 minutes depending on thickness. (Do this while the rice is cooking).
Break the cooked salmon into small pieces with a fork.

Pieces of cooked salmon in a glass bowl with a fork. — Break up the cooked salmon with a fork

In a large bowl, combine the salmon, cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sriracha sauce.
Preheat oven to 425° Line a 9x9" baking dish with parchment paper, or use cooking spray.

The salmon, mayonnaise, cream cheese and hot sauce being mix together in a glass bowl. — Combine the salmon ingredients

Spread the furikake seasoning evenly over the layer of sushi rice.
Spread the salmon mixture evenly over top of the rice.

Furikake seasoning, and then salmon mixture being layered on top of the sushi rice in casserole dish. — Layer the furikake, then the salmon mixture

Bake for 15 minutes, until heated through and bubbling slightly.
Top with more furikake, a drizzle of spicy mayo, green onion slices, avocado and cucumber.
Serve with squares of nori sheets

Sushi Bake Toppings

All or any of these toppings are perfect. Add these after baking.

Sesame seeds
Green onions
Unagi sauce: This sweet and savory sauce is also called eel sauce. (But it doesn't contain eel!)
Fish roe: Also called tobiko, it's used in many sushi rolls.
Avocado slices
Pickled ginger
Teriyaki sauce

Helpful Tips

Rinse: Before cooking the rice, use a fine mesh strainer to rinse it several times in cold water. This step removes the excess starch so you'll have sticky rice, but not mushy rice.
Make ahead: Cook the rice the day before making this recipe, or use leftover rice.
Rice layer: Use water to wet your hands when pressing the rice into the baking pan to prevent the grains from sticking to your hands.
Rice Cooker: Make this dish even easier by using a rice cooker for cooking the rice.
Furikake: To make your own furikake seasoning: In a skillet over low heat, toast ¼ cup each sesame seeds and crushed nori until fragrant. Add two teaspoons of sugar and one teaspoon of salt.
Storage: If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.

Variations

Smoked salmon: Use smoked salmon instead of fresh.
Tuna: Use tuna instead of salmon.
Crab Meat: Make a deconstructed California roll by replacing the salmon with crab or imitation crab meat.
Shrimp: Add different types of fish or seafood to the salmon mixture, such as crab meat, or shrimp.
Vegetables: You can add slivers of pre cooked yam or carrot.
Wasabi: Use wasabi instead of shriracha sauce for the spicy mayo.
Brown Rice: Use brown rice instead of white rice for a healthier option

Two nori sheets topped with slice of sushi bake. — Enjoy with all your favorite toppings!

Common Questions

What are the origins of the sushi bake?

Even though sushi is a Japanese food, sushi bake was made popular by a celebrity nail artist in the Phillipeans named Mimi Qui Reyes. Athough, it is thought that it may have actually originated in Hawaii.

Should sushi bake be eaten hot or cold?

You can eat this salmon sushi bake recipe either hot or cold; it's delicious either way.

How do you eat baked sushi?

There are a couple of ways to eat this spicy salmon sushi bake. First, you can cut it into squares and serve in that way. Or you can just set the dish in the center of the table and everyone can scoop the sushi with a spoon onto nori squares or seaweed snacks. The second way is perfect for a potluck!

Is salmon sushi bake gluten free?

This recipe is gluten free if you use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce. And if you are buying rice seasoning like furikake, be sure to check the package label, because some of them do contain gluten.

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