Easy Salmon Sushi Bake

The delicious flavors of baked salmon in a sweet and spicy mayo sauce in this salmon sushi bake are out of this world! Plus you don't need to construct any finicky sushi rolls, since it's baked in a casserole dish. All the flavors meld into Japanese-inspired perfection in just about one hour.

A sushi bake is essentially a deconstructed sushi roll. Instead of being rolled and sliced, rice and seafood are baked in a casserole dish. Everything gets warm, creamy, a little caramelized, and insanely delicious!

I season the sticky sushi rice with salt, rice vinegar and sugar for the perfect salty-tangy-sweet combination. And juicy baked salmon is mixed with mayonnaise to make it super creamy.

And I love to serve this easy weeknight meal with sheets of dried seaweed, so we can scoop a little onto the nori, almost like a taco.

And if you're hungry for more Japanese-inspired recipes, try matcha mochi donuts or Japanese shrimp curry.

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

• Sushi rice - short grain and medium grain sushi rice are best for the sticky texture in this sushi bake
• Rice vinegar - adds a tangy flavor, and the acid in rice vinegar helps break down the starches in sushi rice to create a slightly softer texture
• Granulated sugar -
• Salt

Baked Salmon

• Salmon - you can use one big filet or several small filets; I recommend removing any bones before baking the salmon
• Salt and ground black pepper 
• Garlic powder

Mayo Sauce & Toppings

• Mayonnaise - creates a super creamy sauce that thickens and caramelizes once it's baked
• Soy sauce
• Sriracha - you can add less or more sriracha depending on your spice level preference
• Furikake - this Japanese blend of nori, sesame seeds, bonito flakes, salt, sugar, and other seasonings adds a crunchy texture and tons of savory flavor
• Optional toppings: sliced fresh or pickled cucumbers, green onions, spicy mayo, shredded nori, sliced avocado, toasted sesame seeds or more furikake

How to Make this Salmon Sushi Bake

Cook the rice: Rinse and drain the sushi rice in cold water. Cook the sushi rice in a rice cooker based on your rice cooker’s instructions, or on the stove with 1½ cups water.

Season the rice: Add the rice vinegar, sugar and salt to the cooked sushi rice, and mix to combine. Set aside.

Prep and season the salmon: Place the salmon skin-side-down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel. Then season with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

Bake the salmon: Bake the salmon for 10 to 20 minutes at 400F, until it flakes easily with a fork. Break apart the salmon into bite-sized pieces with a fork.

Mix the mayo sauce and salmon: In a mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, soy sauce, and sriracha until it’s a creamy mixture. Then and the baked salmon pieces and mix until the salmon is coated in the sauce.

Layer the salmon sushi bake: In an 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish (or something with similar dimensions), spread out the seasoned rice and press it down in an even layer. Sprinkle furikake the on the rice, then spread the salmon mixture on top.

Bake and enjoy: Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is golden on top.
To serve, top with a drizzle of spicy mayo, furikake, sliced green onion, sliced avocado, fresh or pickled cucumbers, or toasted sesame seeds.

Recipe Variations

• Instead of baked salmon, try shrimp, tuna, or real crab or imitation crab meat.
• Use Kewpie mayonnaise instead of regular mayo for a richer flavor.
• You can use room temperature cream cheese instead of mayo for a California roll style sushi bake.
• For an extra spicy salmon sushi bake, use spicy mayo instead of regular mayo.

Recipe Tips

• Don't skip rinsing your rice. There's a lot of starch in rice, which helps create its sticky texture. But you'll have too much starch if you don't rinse your rice, which could cause the texture to be gummy. Rinse the rice in cold water at least three times, until the water is pretty clear.
• This recipe can easily be doubled. Just bake it in a larger casserole dish, that's 9x11 or 9x13.
• Turn the oven to broil for the last few minutes to get a nice golden color on top.

Storing

Fridge: Allow your salmon sushi bake to cool completely, and transfer to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheat: Reheat in the microwave for about 1 minute on a microwave safe plate, until it's warmed through.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does sushi bake reheat well?

Yes, this sushi bake tastes great as leftovers when reheated. You can either reheat it in the microwave, or in the oven at 350°F for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Can sushi bake be eaten cold?

Yes, just like some types of sushi rolls, this sushi bake recipe tastes great cold.