If you love sushi but crave for something easier to make at home, this sushi bake recipe is the perfect dish to try. Packed with bursting flavours and creamy seafood filling, sushi bake delivers the flavours of your favourite sushi rolls without the hassle of rolling individual pieces.
This recipe is perfect for family dinners, gatherings, or a quick weekend meal, customisable with your favourite seasonings and toppings.
What is Sushi Bake?
Sushi bake is a Japanese-inspired baked dish made with layers of seasoned sushi rice, seafood, creamy sauce and sushi toppings. Instead of preparing sushi rolls one by one, the ingredients are layered in a baking dish and baked until warm and lightly golden.
Once ready, scoop the sushi bake onto a sheet of nori seaweed and enjoy it like a hand roll. It is an easy and fuss-free way to enjoy sushi-inspired flavours at home.
Why You’ll Love It
This recipe is super easy to make, requiring zero sushi-rolling skills! It’s perfect for sharing, with the option to serve it straight from the baking dish for family meals and gatherings. It’s also customisable to your liking: seafood, sauces, and toppings can all be swapped around to your taste.
Ingredients
Here’s what we used for our sushi bake, but feel free to swap, add or adjust the ingredients to suit your taste.
Ingredients:
- 15-18 imitation crab
- 2 salmon filets
- 10 tbsp cream cheese
- ⅓ cup sriracha mayo (uses ⅓ cup of mayo and 2 tsp of sriracha, if you prefer something spicier, feel free to add more sriracha)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Olive Oil
Toppings:
- Avocados
- Seaweed nori
- Sesame seeds
- Chopped green onion
How to Make Sushi Bake
(Optional) Preparing Sushi Rice
We skipped this step, but here’s how to make sushi rice:
You may use freshly cooked rice or leftover rice for this step. If you used leftover rice (add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water), place it into the microwave and heat it up until hot. It is recommended to stir every 30 seconds for the most consistent results.
Once the rice is warm, add in rice vinegar, salt, and mirin/sugar. Toss the rice around to ensure that the sugar and salt has dissolved fully before covering with a cloth to retain moisture.
Step 1: Preparing the salmon
Model Number: Tecno Domino Induction Cooker Hob TIH-3000
Season the salmon with salt, paprika, pepper, and olive oil and cook for 7 – 10 minutes.
Alternatively, you may airfry the salmon for 7-12 minutes at 200ºC. Remember to flip it around so it will be fully cooked. (Or you could even oven bake it for 10-15 minutes at 200ºC to wash even lesser pans)
Step 2: Seafood Mix
While our salmon is cooking, you may start on this step. We tore our imitation crab into thinner streaks, before cutting them up into pieces with scissors.
Once your salmon is done cooking, add your salmon into the bowl and cut into smaller pieces. Add cream cheese, paprika mayo and mix it together.
Step 3: Adding in rice
Line your rice as the base in your baking dish and crush some seaweed for a delicious flavour.
Add your seafood mix on top.
Step 4: Baking
Bake the sushi for 10 – 15 minutes at 200ºC for a slightly roasted texture in your rice.
We used our Tecno TBO-860 Oven for this recipe, taking advantage of its 6 simple cooking functions to make the sushi bake with ease.
Step 5: Serve and Enjoy
We added some sliced avocados for its fiber content, making this sushi bake a more balanced and filling meal. Drizzle sriracha mayo to taste, and add some green onions, sesame seeds, and crushed seaweed as toppings.
Scoop a scoop up and add it on a piece of seaweed nori for a delicious low-effort sushi roll equivalent!
Other Recommended Sushi Bake Toppings
We feel that sushi bake is best enjoyed by scooping a small portion onto a crispy piece of crispy seaweed nori. Here are some other toppings you may add to your sushi bake, for a makeshift handroll:
- Avocado
- Cucumber
- Tobiko or Masago
- Edamame
- Chilli Oil
For a richer flavour, you may even add in more sriracha mayo just before serving.
Tips for the Best Sushi Bake
- Don’t overcook the rice
Sushi bake works the best with soft, sticky rice that holds together when scooped.
- Season the rice when it’s warm
Warm rice absorbs the sushi seasoning more evenly, giving the best results for the balanced sweet and tangy flavour.
- Customising the ingredients
You may swap out salmon for scallops, or add in prawns for a different texture. The best sushi bake is the one that suits your taste buds the best, so feel free to add in your favourite seafoods into the mix.
- Serving it warm
The combination of the crispy nori, warm rice, and creamy seafood mix is what makes sushi satisfying.
Sushi Bake Variations to Try
One of the best things about sushi bake is how easy it is to customise it.
These alternatives are fun but still a simple method to try if you would like to change things up.
Tuna Sushi Bake
Swap the salmon and crab for canned tuna, mixed with sriracha sauce and sesame oil. If using tuna from a can, you may even simplify it with just using the sauce given.
Vegetarian Sushi Bake
Skip the seafood mix and layer with cucumbers, edamame, mushrooms, or whatever your favourite veggies are.
Shrimp Sushi Bake
Replace your crabs and salmon with shrimps and scallops for a delicate springy texture in every bite.
If you ever make your own variations of sushi bake, tag us on our social media @tecno_singapore on both Instagram and TikTok!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I prepare my sushi bake ingredients ahead of time?
Yes, you can prepare the rice and seafood mixture ahead of time and assemble the sushi bake when you’re ready. Just store the prepared ingredients properly in the refrigerator and use them within a safe timeframe. Don’t leave the seafood mixture sitting for too long, as it can spoil.
Can you use normal rice?
Japanese short-grain rice is recommended for its soft chewy texture that sticks together, while regular long grain rice may not work well.
It doesn’t mean you can’t use it though – if you decided to use regular long grain rice, add a little bit more water or mix it with a little kewpie mayo to hold the loose grains together,
How long can I keep my cooked sushi bake in the fridge?
If you have any leftovers, we recommend storing them in an air-tight container or covering tightly with plastic wrap in the fridge for around 3 days. If you decided to add avocado, we would suggest removing the avocado to prevent browning, and only adding when you’re ready to serve.
Enjoy a Simple Comfort Meal
Sushi bake is an easy way to enjoy the familiar flavours of sushi without the time and effort required of rolling and cutting your sushi. With layers of rice, creamy seafood, and your favourite toppings, this is an easy comfort dish for sharing.
Whether you’re making our sushi bake or customising your own, this food for the soul is one worth adding into your home cooking recipes!
If you’re looking for other simple one-pot meals, check out our Mac and Cheese Rice Cooker recipe here.