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.
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.
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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!
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.
- 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.
- Spread the furikake seasoning evenly over the layer of sushi rice.
- Spread the salmon mixture evenly over top of the rice.
- 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
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.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
Spicy Salmon Sushi Bake
This spicy salmon sushi bake is a deconstructed sushi roll that's baked in a casserole. It's a delicious way to enjoy all the sushi flavors without the mess and fuss of making rolls.
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Servings: 6
Calories: 347kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Sushi Rice
- 1 cup sushi rice
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Salmon Mixture
- ½ cup furikake seasoning
- 8 oz salmon fillets 2 portions
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce gluten free if needed or use tamari
- ¼ cup cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup mayonnaise Kewpie or regular mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon sriracha sauce or sambal oelek
Toppings
- 1 avocado sliced or cubed
- ½ cucumber sliced or cubed
- 2 green onions sliced
- nori seaweed sheets
- more kewpie mayo
- unagi sauce
Instructions
Sushi Rice
- Using a fine meshed sieve, rinse the sushi rice thoroughly under cold water.
- Cook the rinsed rice according to the package instructions (usually 20 minutes).
- When the rice is cooked, sprinkle the rice vinegar, sugar and salt over it and use a rice paddle or spatula to gently combine.
Salmon Mixture
- 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.
- 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.
- Press the sushi rice evenly into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with furitake.
- Spread the salmon mixture evenly over top of the rice.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until heated through and bubbling slightly.
- Top with a drizzle of mayo, green onion slices, avocado and cucumber.
- Serve with squares of nori sheets
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 1123mg | Potassium: 467mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 276IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2mg
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Jenny
The spicy salmon sushi bake came out really great! I had no idea about the possibility of making something like it and was pleasantly surprised. Your recipe is easy and fuss-free; Thanks so much; I will definitely make it again.
Colleen
Hi Jenny, I'm glad the recipe came out great for you. Thanks for your feedback!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
I love sushi but dread the rolling process. This is just brilliant. Such a wonderful way to eat the sushi without the hard part.
Katie Crenshaw
I made this as an appetizer for a party. It turned out delicious. Everyone loved it.
Colleen
Great to hear Katie! I'm glad the sushi bake was a hit!
Dee
I made this for my family and they loved it! Even my mom, who despises salmon, said it was amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Colleen
I'm so happy to hear that your family loved the sushi bake, Dee, especially your mom!
Amy Liu Dong
I made this dish, and I love how easy and delicious it is.
I really enjoy it!
Colleen
That's great Amy! Thanks for letting us know that you loved the sushi bake!
Mindy S
What a delicious way to make sushi! Very tasty and much easier than rolling them.
Jamie
Oh my, is this the trend now! Sushi bake Salmon! This looks absolutely delicious and very yummy! Plus its spicy flavor will be an instant love and favorite!
Colleen
Hi Jamie, I would love to hear how it goes for you!
Sharon
All the flavors that you love in sushi are made all in one dish? I'm in!
Cathleen
I love this sushi bake so much!! I am way too intimidated to make actual sushi, so this was the perfect stepping stone. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
sophie
I was blown away by my first attempt at this delicious recipe - it's so simple and the whole fam gave it rave reviews. Definitely something to add to the regular rotation!
Colleen
Hi Sophie! I'm so happy that you and your family loved the sushi bake! Thanks for commenting, your feedback is appreciated.
Carrie Robinson
I am going to make this soon for my fiance. He isn't really allowed to have raw fish anymore since his transplant, and he misses sushi terribly. This is a good substitute! 🙂
Colleen
Hi Carrie, A sushi bake is a perfect way to get a sushi fix. I hope your fiance loves it!
Joanne
Have you ever tried to make this without the cream cheese and mayo? It sounds like a great way to get my kid to eat more fish, but I'd love to skip the creamy and gooey part.
Colleen
Hi Joanne! I haven't tried making a sushi bake without the cream cheese, but if I do, I will make the salmon filling with unagi or teriyaki sauce. I would love to hear how it goes for you if you try it!
Artney
Sushi Rolls with salmon and cream cheese are one of my top 3 favorites! This bake is absolutely brilliant to have the best of both worlds.
Colleen
So glad you loved it, Artney!
Janessa
This is such a delicious and easy meal!
Mahy
I love this sushi bake! It's made a lot easier than the one that I have, and looks incredible!
Colleen
I'm glad you love it, Mahy!