If you're a fan of our original sushi bake, made with only imitation crab meat, you'll absolutely LOVE our salmon sushi bake! It's so flavorful with the extra drizzle of spicy mayo and unagi sauce, and it's also richer from the extra cream cheese, almost like eating a warm, spicy salmon handroll. Of course, this salmon sushi bake is just as easy to make, especially if you've already got some leftover cooked salmon that you need to use up. It's perfect for an everyday dinner or the potluck casserole dish you need to bring for your next get-together!
Also, don't forget to bring these yummy, crowd pleaser appetizer along: lumpia (Filipino spring rolls), jalapeño popper wonton cups, and these beef bulgogi meatballs. They are all super easy to make (30 minutes or less!) and incredibly delicious!
If you’ve made this recipe or any recipes from our blog, please tag us on Instagram using #twoplaidaprons! You can also tag us in your Instagram stories using @two_plaid_aprons. We would love to see your creations! It absolutely makes our day! 🥰
Ingredients needed
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
- Seasoned sushi rice - It is very important to use either short grain or medium grain rice for the best texture and the necessary stickiness to hold each bite together. The rice is seasoned with a mixture made with regular rice vinegar (NOT seasoned), sugar, and salt.
- Cooked salmon - If you have any neutral flavor salmon leftover, it's perfect for this! If not, you can easily bake it in the oven or air fryer. Instructions included in recipe.
- Imitation crab meat - Sometimes called imitation crab sticks. They can be found at most Asian markets in the freezer aisles. Make sure they are defrosted before using.
- Cream cheese, Kewpie mayo, and Sriracha - These three ingredients bind and season the salmon and crab mixture. We recommend using kewpie mayo as it's richer and more flavorful than regular mayo.
- Green onion - To add some green and a little extra flavor to the dish.
- Spicy mayo - All you need are kewpie mayo and sriracha.
- Unagi sauce - Free free to use store-bought ones or make it yourself! Recipe included.
- Seaweed snack - This is like the tortilla to a taco! Since sushi is wrapped with nori (seaweed sheet), seaweed snack is the perfect size alternative. It's available almost at any grocery store, but if you can't find seaweed snack, you can also use toasted nori cut into smaller squares.
- Toppings - Our favorite toppings for salmon sushi bake are furikake and avocado. But cucumber slices are also great!
How to make salmon sushi bake
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!
For the sushi rice:
1. Cook the rice. Rinse and wash the rice until the water runs clear. Cook the rice with your preferred method.
🌟 Pro tip: To make the sushi rice more fragrant, add a small sheet of kombu to the rice while it's cooking. If doing so, make sure to wash and rinse the kombu to get rid of any dirt or sand.
2. Make the seasoned vinegar. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Heat up the mixture in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop to dissolve the sugar and salt.
3. Season the rice. Once the rice is cooked, transfer it to a large bowl or a traditional sushi bowl (hangiri) and give the rice a quick fluff. Then drizzle in the seasoned vinegar and mix the rice in a slicing, fluffing motion to incorporate. Keep mixing until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is sticky again. Cover with a damp towel until needed.
🌟 Pro tip: It is best to incorporate the seasoned vinegar into the rice while it's super hot because hot rice absorb liquid better than cooled rice. On the same note, it is also better to make the sushi rice a little drier than normal so that it doesn't become too mushy after adding all the liquid seasoning.
Make the toppings and assemble:
4. If using salmon from raw: Arrange the salmon skin side down on a baking tray lined with foil and season lightly with some salt and pepper. Bake at 425°F for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the salmon is just cooked through. The cook time will depend on how thick your salmon is. You can also bake in the air fryer at 400°F for about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Make the salmon and crab mix. Unwrap all the crab sticks and cut them in half for easier eating. Place them into a mixing bowl and roughly break up the cooked salmon into the bowl as well. Add the cream cheese, Kewpie mayo, Sriracha, and green onion. Mix well.
6. Assemble. Lightly grease a baking dish with toasted sesame oil. Evenly spread the seasoned sushi rice and give it a gently press to flatten it out and help the rice to stick together better.
If you want, sprinkle a layer of furikake on the rice for extra flavor.
Then spread the salmon and crab mixture evenly and gently press to compact the mixture.
7. Bake the salmon sushi bake in a 425°F (220°C) preheated oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated through. Then remove and let cool for a moment.
8. Top with sauces. Drizzle the top of the salmon sushi bake with spicy mayo and unagi sauce. Also sprinkle on some additional sliced green onion and furikake if you
Sauce toppings:
Spicy mayo: Simply mix together the Kewpie mayo and Sriracha. You can adjust the spiciness to your preference by adding more or less Sriracha.
If desired, transfer the spicy mayo into a squeeze bottle, pipping bag, or Ziploc bag.
Unagi sauce (if making): Combine all the ingredients for the unagi sauce into a saucepan and bring it to a summer over mediu high heat, stirring occasionally. Then reduce the heat to medium or medium low and let the sauce simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until it's glossy and kind of syrupy. Remove from heat.
Once the sauce has cooled, it will look thicker. Transfer the sauce to a squeeze bottle, pipping bag, or Ziploc bag if desired. Set aside until needed.
How to serve sushi bake
Sushi bake is a comforting casserole dish that is best enjoyed hot or warm. The idea is to serve it family style and let everyone scoop their own onto a sheet of roasted seaweed snack. Fold it like a taco and enjoy as is or top with avocado and cucumber to add texture and to make each bite more refreshing.
If you prefer, you could also pre-cut each portion and serve it on a sheet of seaweed snack. This way everyone can just grab and go. However, with this method, the seaweed snack tends to become limp and loose its crisp due to the moisture and heat of the sushi bake.
Storage
Properly wrap the leftover sushi bake once it is completely cooled. It can also be transfer to an airtight container instead. The leftover sushi bake can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 to 4 days.
Reheating
Leftover salmon sushi bake can be reheated in the microwave or in the oven.
Microwave method: Place the sushi bake into a microwave safe container and make sure to keep it loosely covered. Microwave until everything is warmed through and the sushi rice is tender again.
Oven method: To reheat in the oven, place the leftover in an oven safe container and cover with foil. Reheat in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through and the rice is tender again.
FAQ
Our salmon sushi bake is made with a layer of seasoned sushi rice, topped with a mixture of cooked salmon, imitation crabmeat, cream cheese, kewpie mayo, Sriracha, and green onions. Imagine a spicy salmon casserole. This is exactly that!
We highly recommend using sushi rice for making sushi bake. These are medium grain and short grain rice that contain more starch and have a slightly chewier texture compared to long grain rice. It also holds together better because it is sticky.
The purpose of greasing the baking dish wit some toasted sesame oil is to most importantly help the rice stick less (to the baking dish) and secondly to add an extra subtle layer of flavor. But you can definitely substitute it with just some regular neutral oil.
Although you can substitute the cream cheese or Kewpie mayo for each other, the flavor and thickness of the salmon and crab mix will be a little different. If you want to use only cream cheese, use about 6oz total per recipe, and if needed, add a splash of cream or milk.
If only using Kewpie mayo, use about ½ cup per recipe. You may also need to decrease the amount of sriracha used if you're only using mayo because cream cheese is richer and creamier than mayo.
📖 Recipe
Salmon Sushi Bake
Ingredients
For the sushi rice:
- 2 cups sushi rice medium or short grain (about 4 cups cooked)
- ¼ cup rice vinegar regular , NOT seasoned rice vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Toasted sesame oil just a small amount of greasing the baking dish (optional)
For the salmon and crab mix:
- 8 ounces cooked salmon
- 8 ounces imitation crab meat
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup Sriracha more or less to your preference
- ¼ cup Kewpie mayo
- 1 stalk green onion sliced (plus more for garnish if desired)
Spicy mayo:
- ¼ cup Kewpie mayo
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha more or less to your preference
Optional unagi sauce:
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon mirin
Optional toppings:
- Avocado sliced
- English cucumber sliced
- Furikake
- seaweed snack
Instructions
Make the sushi rice:
- Wash and rinse the sushi rice 2 to 3 times, or until the water runs clear. Drain well and cook the rice with your preferred method.
- While the rice is cooking, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a microwaveable container. Warm up the vinegar mixture by microwaving for about 20 to 30 seconds. Mix until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Set aside until needed.*You could also heat the mixture in a saucepan over the stovetop if preferred.*
- When the rice is done cooking, transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Then, briefly fluff the rice using a rice paddle.
- Drizzle the prepared seasoned rice vinegar into the hot sushi rice and mix the rice using a slicing, fluffing motion, until the vinegar is absorbed and the rice is sticky and no longer wet. Add the vinegar in sessions if needed. Cover the sushi rice with a damp towel and set aside.
Make the salmon and crab mix:
- If using salmon from raw:Arrange the salmon skin side down on a baking tray lined with foil and season lightly with some salt and pepper. Bake at 425°F for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the salmon is just cooked through. The cook time will depend on how thick your salmon is.You can also bake in the air fryer at 400°F for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the wrappers off of each imitation crab meat. Line the crab sticks and cut them in half to make them shorter. Shred them up and add to a mixing bowl.
- Roughly break up the cooked salmon and add to the crab meat, along with the cream cheese, Kewpie mayo, Sriracha, and green onion. Mix until everything is well combined.
For the spicy mayo:
- Mix together the kewpie mayo and sriracha until well combined. Transfer it to a squeeze bottle, pipping bag, or Ziploc bag if desired. Set aside until needed.
Optional unagi sauce:
- Combine all the ingredients for the unagi sauce into a saucepan and bring it to a summer over mediu high heat, stirring occasionally. Then reduce the heat to medium or medium low and let the sauce simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until it's glossy and kind of syrupy. Remove from heat. Once the sauce has cooled, it will look thicker. Transfer the sauce to a squeeze bottle, pipping bag, or Ziploc bag if desired. Set aside until needed.
Assemble and bake:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and lightly grease a casserole pan with about ½ teaspoon of toasted sesame oil. Both a 9x9 or a 9x13 baking dish is fine.
- Transfer the seasoned sushi rice into the casserole pan and spread it out evenly. Press the rice down gently to flatten it and to help the rice stick together better.
- Optional: Sprinkle on a layer of furikake on top of the rice.
- Top the sushi rice with the salmon and crab mix and spread evenly. Give the mixture a gentle press across to compact and flatten it out.
- Bake the casserole for about 10 to 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated through. Remove the sushi bake and let it cool for a moment.
Serve:
- Drizzle the top of the sushi bake with the prepared spicy mayo and unagi sauce. Garnish with another sprinkle of furikake and some sliced green onion. Enjoy while warm.
- To eat, scoop and wrap with seaweed snack and top with some avocado and/or cucumber.
Notes
- Salmon and crab meat - If you prefer, you can use make the sushi bake with just salmon. Simply substitute the same amount of salmon for crab.
- Rice - We recommend making a little drier than normal so that when the seasoned vinegar is added, the rice won't become mushy. Also, if you prefer, you can skip the seasoned vinegar all together and use plain rice, but seasoning the rice will make the sushi bake much more flavorful.
- Rice vinegar - Please note that the rice vinegar used is NOT the seasoned one. If you are using seasoned rice vinegar, omit the extra seasoning (the sugar and salt).
- Unagi sauce - This is an optional sauce that you can make yourself, or you can use a store-bought one.
Laurie says
I made this and it was fantastic! I forgot to grease the pan so instead I drizzled some sesame oil on top. I actually bought all the ingredients without asking for the recipe first. Thank goodness I got everything. I used twice the salmon and crab sticks because I had bought so much. So I doubled the sauce mixture. I accidentally bought seasoned rice vinegar so I omitted the salt and sugar since it was already sweet. This stuff makes the rice taste phenomenal! I'll definitely be making this again! It would make a great dish to impress guests. I served it with sliced cucumber, avocado and seaweed snacks. I saved time by buying bottles of spicy mayo and the unagi sauce. Thanks for this great recipe!
Mei says
So glad you all enjoyed it, Laurie! It really means a lot to us!
Mei ❤️
MJ says
This was so good! Loved the regular sushi bake but this one is even better
Mei says
So glad you enjoyed it, MJ! It's become one of our favorites lately =)
Mei ❤️