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This easy Sushi Bake recipe is a delicious way to get all the flavors of sushi without having to roll up any seaweed. It’s a popular potluck dish and can be enjoyed by anyone as a family dinner, or as a party appetizer.
What is a Sushi Bake?
Sushi bake is a casserole dish that combines sushi ingredients into one large, layered dish. It could also be called a sushi casserole. Think deconstructed California roll in casserole form. It’s assembled in a baking dish, topped with a sauce, and then baked until it becomes hot, bubbly, and slightly golden. It has amazing flavor!
The term “sushi” is used because it incorporates similar ingredients found in sushi, like rice and seafood, and “bake” is added to describe the cooking method used. A sushi bake offers a convenient way to enjoy the flavors of sushi without the process of rolling and making a complicated presentation.
Ingredients in Sushi Bake
- Sushi Rice – You should be able to find sushi rice at any Asian market, and at some grocery stores. Calrose rice also works. A short grain rice works best. Long grain white rice won’t be sticky enough.
- Seasoned Rice Vinegar, Salt, and Sugar – Sushi literally translates to “sour flavor” and this combination of seasonings it what gives sushi rice its signature flavor.
- Imitation Crab Meat – Yes, you can use real crab meat, but imitation crab is a lot more budget friendly. Most imitation crab meat is made with pollock and white fish.
- Sriracha – You can adjust the amount of sriracha to your spice preference.
- Wasabi – Wasabi is Japanese horseradish. Again, you can adjust the amount to your spice preference. This stuff is really spicy!
- Cream Cheese – The cream cheese helps to balance out the spice and add a creaminess to the mixture.
- Green Onions – You can use the white and green part of the green onion for this recipe.
- Kewpie Mayonnaise – This is a special kind of Japanese mayo. Regular mayonnaise won’t work. Kewpie mayo has a sweet and savory taste that is so perfect for this sushi bake. You can find it at most Asian grocery stores or you can also order it online.
- Furikake Seasoning – Furikake Seasoning is a Japanese condiment. It is made of dried fish, toasted sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and monosodium glutamate.
- Roasted Seaweed Sheet or Nori Sheets – I love to buy the little packages of roasted seaweed for serving, but you can also use nori sheets. The nori sheets just don’t have the crunch that the roasted seaweed does.
Sushi Bake Variations
This is a great, basic sushi bake recipe, but you can change it up! Basically, if it can go in a sushi roll, it can go in your sushi bake.
- Try salmon, shrimp, or tuna instead of crab.
- Make it fancy and use lobster or scallops!
- You can also top your sushi bake with avocado slices or sliced cucumber.
- Make a miso salmon sushi bake by using salmon and adding a couple tablespoons of miso paste.
- Combine the kewpie mayo and sriracha to make a spicy mayo sauce.
- Use eel sauce or unagi sauce.
- Sprinkle some fish roe like tobiko or masago.
- You can also drizzle some sesame oil on top, then sprinkle on some Panko breadcrumbs before baking in the oven for a little added crunch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sushi bake is a popular dish that takes inspiration from traditional Japanese sushi but is prepared and presented differently. The exact ingredients and proportions can vary depending on the recipe and personal preferences.
The best storage option for leftover sushi bake is in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will be good for a few days. Reheating is easy in the microwave.
I really encourage you to check out your local Asian supermarket, but if you absolutely can’t find it, then you can make a substitute. Mix together regular mayonnaise with a little splash of rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar. It won’t be exactly the same, but it will do in a pinch.
Yes! If you are cooking for a bigger group, then you can double this recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan instead.
Recipe Tip
Don’t forget to wash your rice! Before cooking, place the rice into a colander or fine-mesh sieve and rinse it with cold water until the water runs clear. Rinsing the starch off of the rice will ensure that your rice has a sticky, but not gummy, texture.
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sushi rice Calrose rice works as well
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 pound imitation crab meat
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1/2 teaspoon wasabi
- 1 1/2 ounces cream cheese
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1/2 cup kewpie mayo
- furikake seasoning to taste
- seaweed snacks for serving
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions or in a rice cooker or saucepan. While rice is cooking, finely shred the imitation crab and add that to a bowl with sriracha, wasabi, green onion, cream cheese, and kewpie mayo. Stir to combine.
- Add rice vinegar, salt, and sugar to the cooked rice. Stir to combine.
- Press the rice into the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish. Sprinkle with furikake seasoning.
- For the next layer, spread the crab mixture on top of the rice and sprinkle with more furikake. Drizzle with extra sriracha and kewpie mayo if desired.
- Broil for 10 minutes.
- Serve with seaweed snacks and soy sauce. Place a scoop of the sushi bake on a seaweed sheet. Bring two opposite sides of the sheet together and eat it like a little taco.
are the nutrition facts for one serving or the entire dish?
It is for one serving – this dish makes 4 large servings.
This is the recipe I use as a base. I love cream cheese so I add a lot more then on recipe. I also don’t like too much spice so I skip the sriracha and wasabi. I love the way the rice tastes after being seasoned, might use it for other things just cause I find it so good, love that it’s slightly sweet but also very flavorful. Cooking one as I write this and decide to add cucumber in the imitation crab mix just to see how it tastes.
Tasty but i think theres a bit too much rice and the cream cheese didnt mix too well with the crab mixture. I would microwave the cream cheese so its easier to mix. for the rice add 2 cups instead of 3, id also save 2 or 3 crab legs, cut them into strips then place on top of rice and crab mixture. add snowfox sushi sauce and cut pickled jalapeños on top of the sushi bake and broil for 11 or 12 minutes.
I could eat this entire dish in one sitting. SO GOOD!
So good… We made for holiday party.
Big hit with the kids.
This was so delicious! OMG! I never devoured something so quickly. I did at eel sauce on top for even more sweetness. I will definitely be making this again and thank you so much for this recipe!
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding eel sauce, yum!
Does it really call for one tablespoon of salt? Or is that an error? Possible one teaspoon?
Thank you so much for catching that! It is one teaspoon!
So easy and really good! The whole family enjoyed it.
Made this sushi for my husband while the kids were over at grannies, and it was a great meal, he loved it, thanks!
Made this for my husband and I since we are big sushi fans and we loved it! Loved that it was a spin on your typical sushi roll!