Easy Sushi Bake Recipe

easy sushi bake

Need a crowd-pleasing dish to serve at your next potluck? Make my version of the internet’s viral sushi bake with a rich and tender salmon filling over a bed of seasoned sushi rice and finished with a ton of crispy toppings, like tempura bits and fried shallots. 

Learn how to customize your own sushi bake at home with some of my favorite tips on choosing other proteins, what type of baking dish to use, and how to eat sushi bake leftovers. 

Who invented sushi bake?

single bite of assembled sushi bake

Sushi bake is basically a sushi-influenced casserole. This layered seafood dish has a base layer of seasoned sushi rice, a second layer of seafood (or other proteins like tofu), and a bevy of toppings like Kewpie mayo, sriracha, and crispy bits of tempura. The casserole is also served on crispy sheets of nori, so you can make your own bite-sized handrolls–it’s an easy potluck dish to be eaten communally.

Sushi bake originated from Mimi Qiu Reyes, a Filipino nail artist who created the dish in 2015. Since then, it has been remade many times all over the internet because it’s easily customizable and fills so many bellies with one dish.

Ingredients in this sushi bake

The ingredients in a sushi bake are similar to specialty sushi rolls at many Japanese American restaurants and are much like what’s in a California roll. Essentially, sushi bakes are like sushi rolls, except the rice and filling are layered into a baking dish. You scoop the filling and rice onto a nori sheet to make your hand roll (temaki). Each sushi bake can be divided into three parts: rice, fish (or other protein), and toppings. 

This sushi bake uses:

The sushi rice

scooping out furikake rice

For sushi bake this is the exact sushi rice recipe I use for making nigiri sushi, or handrolls, except I add furikake at the very end. I like using short-grain white rice and a simple seasoning of cane sugar, kosher salt, and rice vinegar. To make the seasoning, combine the sugar, salt, and rice vinegar in a bowl and microwave for 20 seconds until everything is dissolved.

You can also make sushi rice using a rice cooker and add the seasoning to the pot.

Fish & protein options

salmon, fish, and protein options

Picking a fish or protein for a sushi bake is like choosing a specialty sushi roll at your favorite Japanese restaurant. I really love salmon rolls, especially baked salmon rolls, and this recipe is similar, except it’s in the form of a casserole. The filling includes baked salmon and kani, alongside Kewpie mayo, cream cheese, soy sauce, red miso, and sriracha seasoning.  

For example, if you love a tiger roll, which includes shrimp, kani, and avocado, you can make a filling of chopped shrimp and kani – and don’t forget to add the crispy tempura bits as a topping. Here are other protein ideas you could choose: 

  • Scallop
  • Tuna 
  • Salmon 
  • Crab 
  • Tofu 

While most of these are typically baked, you can add some proteins raw if you prefer. 

Protein seasoning / filling ingredients

mayo, and other sushi bake filling & seasoning ingredients

This is where a ton of the flavor comes in. The rice provides a nice base and carb element, and the protein gives much of the umami, texture, and sets the tone for what the rest will be. But the seasoning is where you can really customize things and make flavors pop how you wish. In this recipe we’ll use:

  • cream cheese
  • Kewpie mayonnaise
  • soy sauce
  • sriracha
  • red miso
  • yuzu juice

The cream cheese and Kewpie both add a good amount of fat and flavor to the relatively lean kani and salmon. Soy sauce and miso add much of the umami, and salt in a way that themes this dish “sushi.” Sriracha lets you add a vinegary spicy punch, very common in sushi rolls, and highly customizable how spicy you want it to be. I find yuzu adds an interesting sharpness with a unique Japanese twist you don’t get from regular lemon.

Finishing & topping ingredients

sauces, and crispy toppings for sushi bake

One of my favorite parts about sushi bake is the added toppings. I’m big on texture in food, and this easily adds a very customizable finish to any sushi bake. Some toppings I like to add to sushi bake are:

  • Eel sauce
  • Furikake
  • Sliced green onions
  • Avocado
  • Tempura bits (this is my favorite toppings because you get so much crunch!)
  • Kewpie mayo

Tips for successful sushi bake

Here are some of my tips for making the best sushi bake at home on your first try: 

  • This recipe works best in a glass or ceramic casserole dish because it retains heat very well, keeping your sushi bake warm during serving. You can also serve sushi bake straight from the oven in a glass or ceramic casserole dish because they’re often more aesthetically pleasing. 
  • This recipe can be used in a 9×9 square dish or a 9×13 rectangular dish. Note that the smaller 9×9 dish will give you thicker 2 1/2-inch slices and less square footage for toppings. Smaller dishes are good for people who only have a small oven for cooking. The 9×13 rectangular dish will give you 1 1/2-inch thick slices and ample room for more toppings.
flaking salmon with a fork
  • You can bake the salmon ahead of time and refrigerate it until you want to assemble the sushi bake. But if you’re going to make this the day of, cook your rice first because this takes much longer than baking salmon.
ratio of cooked rice, salmon, and kani
  • This recipe uses a 2:2:1 ratio of (uncooked) rice, flaked salmon, and chopped kani. That means for 2 cups of uncooked rice, there are 2 cups of flaked salmon, and 1 cup of chopped kani. I find this is a good ratio where you get a balanced bite of all three.
softened cream cheese
  • Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before using it. Softened cream cheese is much easier to mix into the tender salmon and kani pieces.
pack of bite sized crispy nori sheets
  • Buy nori in individual snack pack sizes so each person gets their own pack by their plate. Inside each pack, you’ll find 10 sheets. You can find these at stores like Costco, H-Mart, Mistuwa, and even in American grocery stores like Albertsons. 
  • If you have leftover sushi bake, refrigerate it, and eat it within three days. This can easily be reheated in the microwave, but be warned that if you use any crispy toppers like tempura bits, they may get soggy. You can also use leftover sushi bake for easy onigiri filling for an on-the-go snack. 

How to serve sushi bake

sushi bake in casserole dish

The best way to serve sushi bake is to place it in the center of a table within all of your guests’ reach. Give each person a pack or two of crispy precut and seasoned nori sheets. Each pack comes with 10 sheets, and you can easily find them at Asian and American grocery stores. Our Costco even sells a larger pack. You can hand each person their own bag, and they can serve themselves. 

single bite of sushi bake in crispy nori

When you first serve sushi bake, be warned the rice will be piping hot. Serve sushi bake like a pro by eating it communally: 

  1. Place the nori on your palm.
  2. Scoop out a spoonful of fish and rice from the sushi bake and place it onto the center of the nori.
  3. Add any toppings if you want, like sliced cucumbers or extra avocado chunks. 

Fold the nori like a taco and eat it in one bite. It’s similar to making temaki (sushi hand rolls).

How to reheat sushi bake

It’s best to eat this all on the first go, but this sushi bake reheats really well for another meal 1 or 2 days after.

If you want to try to re-crisp the crispy toppings you originally added to your sushi bake, put your baking dish into an oven preheated to about  375 °F. It should take about 10-25 minutes depending on the thickness of your sushi bake and the size of your baking dish.

If you want a really fast way, you really could portion out how much sushi bake you want on a plate, then microwave it 1-3 minutes until heated through. Then just add a new layer of crispy tempura bits, crispy nori, and serve. Do this in individual servings though, otherwise a large chunk of sushi bake won’t reheat evenly in the microwave. Personally this is the way I’d do it for much faster results, and it’s pretty hard to have too many new crispy toppings added on top.

sushi bake recipe

Easy Sushi Bake Recipe

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Make this sushi bake casserole for your next potluck for a fullfilling meal. It's packed with seasoned sushi rice, creamy and rich salmon, and sprinkled with crunchy and fresh toppings.
BY: MG Sanchez
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
SERVINGS: 6

Ingredients

Sushi rice

  • 2 c short-grain rice uncooked
  • 2 c filtered water plus more for rinsing
  • 2 tbsp cane sugar
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal preferred
  • 2 tbsp furikake

Fish

  • 2 (5 oz) wild sockeye filets 1-inch thick (or your preferred fish)
  • ½ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal preferred

Filling & seasoning

  • 2 c shredded baked salmon from the baked fish above
  • 1 c kani chopped (about 8 kani sticks)
  • ½ c cream cheese softened
  • ½ c Kewpie mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • ½ tbsp red miso
  • 1 tsp yuzu juice or lemon juice

Toppings (all optional)

  • Kewpie mayonnaise
  • sriracha
  • eel sauce
  • furikake or seasoned seaweed flakes
  • green onions, sliced
  • tempura bits
  • avocado avocado, sliced or cubed
  • fried shallots
  • fried garlic

To serve

  • nori packs
  • cucumber sliced

Equipment Used

  • knife and cutting board
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • rice paddle
  • sheet pan
  • parchment paper
  • tongs
  • mixing bowl
  • spatula
  • glass or ceramic casserole dish this recipe can be made in a 9×9 or 9×13 inch dish

Instructions 

Cook sushi rice

  • Rinse the 2 c short-grain rice under running water until the water runs clean.
  • Combine the clean 2 c short-grain rice and 2 c filtered water into the rice pot and cook the rice based on your cooker’s settings.

Fish

  • Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
  • Pat dry the 2 (5 oz) wild sockeye filets and place them onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.
    salmon fillets on parchment
  • Season the 2 (5 oz) wild sockeye filets with ½ tsp kosher salt thoroughly.
    seasoning salmon fillets with salt
  • Bake the salmon for 9 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 140 °F. Remove from the oven and let it cool on the counter.
  • Use a fork or clean hands to flake the salmon into smaller pieces.

Season sushi rice

  • When the rice is finished cooking, turn off the rice cooker and open the lid. Use a rice paddle to fluff up the rice. Let the rice cool for about 10 minutes.
    fluffed rice in rice cooker
  • In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the 2 tbsp cane sugar, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, and 1 tsp kosher salt. Microwave for 20 seconds and then stir with a spoon to dissolve all the ingredients.
  • Pour half the seasoning into the rice pot and use the paddle to gently mix the rice. Add the other half of the seasoning and mix again.
    pouring rice seasoning into pot
  • Sprinkle in the 2 tbsp furikake and mix to evenly distribute.
    sprinkling furikake into cooked rice pot

Assembly

  • Preheat the oven to 425 °F.
  • Mix all the filling & seasoning ingredients in a large mixing bowl: ½ c cream cheese, ½ c Kewpie mayonnaise, 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, ½ tbsp red miso, 1 tbsp sriracha, and 1 tsp yuzu juice.
    mixing filling seasoning ingredients in glass bowl
  • In the same bowl, add the 2 c shredded baked salmon and 1 c kani. Use a spatula to mix.
    adding seasoning to protein
  • Transfer the rice to an oven-safe dish. Use the rice paddle to lightly press the rice into an even layer.
    scooping out rice into baking dish
  • Add the filling on top of the rice layer and use the paddle to make an even layer of fish.
    scooping out salmon filling onto smoothed out rice
  • Place the dish into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Carefully remove the dish and place it on a heat-safe surface or trivet.
    golden brown top of sushi bake
  • Sprinkle with more furikake or seasoned seaweed flakes, green onions, sliced, and avocado.
    adding crispy toppings on top of sushi bake
  • Drizzle Kewpie mayonnaise, sriracha, and eel sauce on top for more flavor. For more crunch, sprinkle tempura bits fried shallots, or fried garlic as a finishing ingredient.
    squeezing on final toppings and sauces
  • To serve, give guests individual nori packs. Take one nori on the palm of your hand, use a spoon to scoop out an even layer of rice and fish, and place the scoop into the center of the nori. Top with cucumber if preferred. Hold it like a taco and eat it in one bite.
    assembled bite of sushi bake
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian
Keyword: party, potluck
Did you cook this recipe?Tag @HungryHuy or #hungryhuy–I’d love to see it!

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