Salmon Sushi Bake

Salmon Sushi Baked Recipe – This crowd-pleasing casserole is a unique take on your favorite non-traditional sushi roll! It features layers of tender sushi rice, cream cheese, nori, and salmon, all baked together and served with tasty fresh garnishes.

What is a Sushi Bake

OK, admittedly this is a strange recipe… But so delicious! I’ve been noticing sushi bake recipes floating around online and on social media for the last 8 to 10 years. But I was never willing to try them because, to me, sushi isn’t baked or cooked in any fashion, it contains raw fish. However, if you love the idea of all the flavors and textures involved in sushi, yet are not fond of ingesting raw seafood, this is the Baked Salmon Sushi recipe for you!

But what exactly is “baked sushi?” It’s sort of a deconstructed sushi roll with a layer of cooked rice, a layer of seaweed nori sheets, a layer of cooked seasoned fish, and then any additional toppings or ingredients that one might put in (or on) a sushi roll. It’s reminiscent of spicy salmon rolls, but the salmon is totally cooked, so you can serve it to anyone who likes seafood, even if they don’t eat sushi.

Here I’ve added a thin layer of cream cheese to balance the spicy mayo in the salmon. And I’ve also topped the sushi bake with unagi sauce, furikake rice seasoning, scallions, as well as additional garnishes like thinly sliced cucumbers, jalapeños, and radishes!

Sushi bake can be enjoyed hot, but I actually prefer to bake it and chill it, so the pieces are easier to cut into perfect squares and it has more of the taste and feel of sushi, which of course, is served cold or at room temperature. 

This is a great show-stopping appetizer to serve at parties and events.

Ingredients You Need

• Salmon – I prefer wild-caught sockeye (but buy the freshest salmon available to you)
• Soy sauce – or gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos
• White rice – precooked and cooled
• Rice vinegar – a lightly tangy and sweet vinegar
• Nori – thin sheets of dried seaweed
• Cream cheese – softened
• Sriracha mayonnaise – if you can’t find sriracha mayo, make your own by combining mayonnaise with sriracha to taste
• Garnishes – sliced green onions, eel sauce, furikake seasoning or sesame seeds, plus optional goodies like thinly sliced, radish, cucumbers, jalapeños, avocado, and/or pickled ginger

Pro Tip: I’m using pre-cooked rice that comes in vacuum-sealed packages to cut out the step of cooking rice… If you prefer to cook your own rice, feel free to do so! 

How to Make Baked Salmon Sushi

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lay out a large rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Place the salmon fillet on the parchment paper and drizzle 2 tablespoons of soy sauce over the top.

Bake the salmon for 15 minutes until cooked through, then cool.

While the salmon is baking, set out a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Dump the cooked rice into the baking dish and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar.

Toss the rice by hand and then press it firmly into an even layer in the bottom of the dish.

Next lay the nori sheets over the top of the rice. If needed, cut them with scissors to fit them evenly over the entire surface of the rice.

Gently spread the softened cream cheese over the entire surface of the seaweed sheets. Use a large flat frosting spreader to spread the cream cheese in an even layer.

Once the salmon comes out of the oven, set out a mixing bowl. Remove the skins and discard.

Then crumble the cooked salmon into the mixing bowl. Add the sriracha mayo, and mix the salmon and mayo together until well combined.

Spread the salmon mixture over the top of the cream cheese mixture in an even layer.

Place the easy sushi bake recipe in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the salmon layer is well set.

Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Or refrigerate until cold and then cut. 

Serving Suggestions

Sushi bake can be served at any temperature, but I prefer to enjoy it cold or at room temperature.

When ready to serve, cut the salmon sushi bake into 12 to 24 pieces. Sprinkle the tops with furikake rice seasoning. Then drizzle eel sauce over the top of each piece and sprinkle with scallions.

Also feel free to add extra fresh and crunchy garnishes! Here we added our favorite toppings, a thin slice of cucumber, radish, and jalapeño.

You can also add avocado slices on top, but Pro Tip: the squares must be eaten immediately so the avocado doesn’t brown.

Salmon Sushi Bake Recipe Variations

• Fish – Salmon is a great fish option for a sushi bake, because it’s just as delicious baked as it is raw. But you can swap it for other types of fish typically found in sushi rolls, like tuna or whitefish, or even shrimp or chopped imitation crab meat.
• Rice – As noted, feel free to use packaged cooked, or cooked and cooled short-grain rice. You can also swap white rice for cooked brown rice, if you prefer.
• Cream cheese – Use low fat cream cheese for a slightly lighter dish. Or make this salmon sushi bake without cream cheese and simply layer the salmon mixture right on top of the seaweed.
• Mayo – Swap spicy sriracha for plain mayo or Japanese mayo (kewpie mayo) for a mild casserole.
• Other garnishes – Try adding on other goodies like masago (fish eggs), tempura crunchies, or dollops of wasabi on the side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Looking for More Unique Casserole Recipes? Be Sure to Try:

• Easy Eggs Benedict Casserole
• Epic Seafood Dressing
• One-Pot Chicken Noodle Casserole
• Seafood Stuffed Shells
• Fluffy 5-Ingredient Omelette Bake

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