Salmon Sushi Bake

Thank goodness for moms! Mine just called to ask me why I didn’t post this morning and well, I simply forgot. Glad that someone is keeping me honest!

Okay, stay with me here. This is another one of those “weird” recipes with which I became unreasonably obsessed. I first stumbled over “sushi bake” and thought it sounded all wrong. It was like a train wreck from which I couldn’t look away. First off, the name alone…I don’t like my sushi baked, I like it raw. There was mayo (okay, I am a fan, but not in my sushi) and cream cheese (they were losing me). And then there was the deal breaker– IMITATION CRAB! No. Hard no. I just couldn’t. A normal person would move on. But me? I was intrigued.

The different versions of sushi bakes that I discovered credited the casserole’s origin to Filipinos. While sushi was not born in the Philippines, Japanese food is well-loved by Filipinos and their deconstructed version of a sushi roll has supposedly been popular for quite some time. Okay, I was listening but I couldn’t get past the imitation crab and real crab felt like too expensive of a risk. So I typed “Salmon Sushi Bake” into my web browser and many versions came up. I ended up combine elements from several to land on this one that was, I dare say, a hit!

This Salmon Sushi Bake really is delicious and fun to eat if you serve with the dried seaweed strips that I highly recommend. You can find them on the Asian aisle of any grocery store (packaged in individual servings, seemingly for lunchbox snacks). With the seaweed, you spoon bites of the rice-salmon combo onto the strip, pinch and eat as if it’s a mini hand roll. Of course, you can also eat the Salmon Sushi Bake with a fork! And finally, you will notice the inclusion of furikake in this recipe which is another common ingredient (rice seasoning) that you can find on the Asian food aisle. There are lots of different varieties, pick whichever sings to you. You can use it over and over again to season your rice and in this fun recipe that I featured awhile back, Furikake Kettle Corn. Enjoy!

Salmon Sushi Bake

Salmon Sushi Bake

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

  • 3 c cooked sushi rice (from about 1.5 c uncooked rice) cook according to package directions
  • 1 1/2 Tbls rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbls sugar
  • 1 tsp salt

Baked Salmon

  • 1 1/2 lbs salmon fillet
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbls low sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 scallions, sliced plus more for topping
  • 2 Tbls sriracha mayo
  • 2 Tbls cream cheese room temperature

Toppings

  • Eel sauce or other sweet sauce like unagi sauce or Japanese barbecue sauce 
  • furikake
  • sesame seeds
  • cilantro optional
  • jalapeños, sliced optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 F. After cooking the sushi rice according to package directions, season with the rice vinegar, salt and sugar and stir to combine. Spread into an even layer on the bottom of your 9"x9" baking dish (I used a 9-inch diameter pie dish).
  • Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Combine the soy, honey and garlic in a bowl and rub over the fish. Bake the salmon for 15-18 minutes, depending on thickness. After the salmon is cooked, flake it with a fork (without the skin) and add it to a bowl with the scallions, cream cheese and sriracha mayo. Combine together until evenly mixed.
  • Change the oven temperature to 400F. Sprinkle furikake seasoning over the rice. Add the salmon mixture on top of that and flatten it to cover the rice. Top the salmon layer with more furikake, and then drizzle over some sweet sauce and sriracha mayo. Bake the dish for 10 minutes, then set it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Once done, top with more furikake, sesame seeds, sauces, scallions, cilantro (optional) and jalapeños (optional).
  • If you plan to prepare this dish in advance, I suggest layering the cooked rice and salmon, and then baking it just before serving.

Notes

Some of the recipes I referred to used A LOT more mayo and cream cheese mixed into the salmon (or whatever fish they chose). I did not go this route but if you decide to, you would end up with a creamier final product. This ratio was just right for me. Feel free to play around, adding up to 1/2 cup of each, if you like.