Easy sushi bake recipe with cooked fish, tons of umami flavors and ready in 30 minutes. A great changeup for the week. You will love this one. A great dish for when you are craving sushi but can't or don't want raw fish!
Table of contents
Why You Should Make This Sushi Bake
This sushi bake recipe is EASY to throw together and will impress the whole family. There are simple, affordable ingredients and most everything can be found at your local grocery store (I found everything at my local Walmart in the international aisle).
This sushi bake is customizable. Baked ingredients are easy to customize. You can use cooked salmon or tuna fish in place of the shrimp if you'd like! Really any cooked fish of choice works well in this casserole. You can make it spicier by adding extra sriracha and jalapeños.
Sushi bake keeps great in the fridge. Although I don't recommend longer than 3 days in the fridge, since the fish is cooked in this casserole, you don't need to worry about it turning so quickly.
Baked Sushi Ingredients
- Shrimp. I use large, shelled and deveined shrimp, I typically buy frozen, raw shrimp. Salmon or even canned tuna fish will also work.
- Crab Meat. I use imitation crab meat, it's full of protein and affordable. If you can afford real crab, by all means you do you!
- Sesame oil. this offers a great flavor that pairs well with the sushi casserole flavors.
- Sushi rice. White rice will also work. Sushi rice tends to stick together better so things stay put when you serve this sushi casserole.
- Rice Vinegar. To season the rice. It is slightly sweet and tangy. This is found in the international aisle at most grocery stores.
- Sriracha. A hot chili sauce. This is what I use. You can find this in the international aisle. I use this sauce on a lot of dishes, but it's so delicious on a sushi casserole.
- Mayo. I use Kewpie Japanese mayo It is a little more tangy than American mayo. But both will work great. Find this with the other ingredients listed above in your grocery store, it is also sold at specialty stores.
- Cream Cheese. This give the sushi bake ingredients a nice creamy flavor, it also helps so they stick together and the sushi bake casserole won't fall apart when slicing it up.
- Nori. Aka dried seaweed. Found in the international aisle at the grocery store. This is optional but I LOVE it with this recipe to really bring it all together.
- Optional Toppings for garnish. Fresh cilantro, edamame, corn, cucumbers and avocado all make great fresh garnish for this sushi casserole
Steps To Make This Sushi Bake
Step One. Start the rice first. This can take up to 30 minutes, follow the instructions on the package.
Step Two. In a medium sized skillet, heat oil on medium/high heat. Once it's hot, add the shrimp and salt and pepper. Sauté for about 3 min each side. Set aside and let it cool. Once cooled, chop the lightly cooked shrimp and the crab meat into small bites.
Step Three. Preheat the oven to 375º. Once the rice is cooked, add rice vinegar to it and stir up. In a 7x7 or similar sized baking dish place rice on the bottom and use a large flattened spoon to press the rice down firmly. In a medium sized bowl, add the shrimp/crab meat, sriracha, mayo, cream cheese and mix together well.
Step Four. Crumble nori over the rice, layer the crab/shrimp mix over. Drizzle more sriracha and mayo over the bake. Add sliced jalapeños over the top and pop into the oven for about 15 minutes, or until everything is bubbly and warm.
Step Five. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before spooning out the mixture on a plate and enjoying.
Recipe FAQ's
This is called a sushi bake because it is similar to a casserole, it have a few layers of goodness all baked together and most of the ingredients for sushi bake are found in sushi!
There are several ways to eat and enjoy sushi back. I like to cut the casserole into 2 inch squares and serve that way. You can also spoon out the mixture and add it to nori/seaweed.
Recipe Variations
If you can't find sushi rice, white or long grain rice will also work. Just keep in mind the casserole may not stick together as well, but it will still be delicious.
Other fish works great for this recipe. Feel free to use any combination you prefer and is best for your budget. You can use salmon or white fish in place of either the crab or the shrimp. Canned tuna will also work for this recipe!
Add more veggies to this recipe by using roasted corn, avocado, edamame or cucumbers.
If you can't find nori you can use Furikake instead.
Storage and Make Ahead Tips
To store this sushi bake recipe, use a nice airtight sealed container for the fridge. I do not recommend freezing this meal, it just wouldn't be quite the same after freezing.
To make ahead, get the rice and shrimp prepared and have everything chopped up. You can combine the fish topping (crab, shrimp, cream cheese, mayo, sriracha) and keep it aside until you are ready to bake.
You can also build the casserole up to 2 days before and wait to pop into the oven for baking until ready. Just be sure to keep it refrigerated and covered until ready to bake.
Other Asian And Fish Inspired Recipes To Try
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Sushi Bake
Equipment
- 8x8 baking dish or similar in size
Ingredients
Rice Layer
- 1 cup uncooked sushi rice *makes about 3 cups
- ¼ cup rice vinegar *see notes
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 sheets of nori, torn into pieces
Shrimp Layer
- 1 lb raw deveined, shelled jumbo shrimp
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp salt & pepper
- 1½ cups crab meat *I use imitation crab
- ¼ cup kewpie mayo *or any mayo
- ⅓ cup cream cheese
- 3 tbsp Sriracha *add more to taste
Topping
- ¼ cup kewpie mayo drizzle
- 2 tbsp Sriracha drizzle
- 1 sliced jalapeño
- optional garnish: avocado, cucumber, cilantro, edamame, corn,
Instructions
- Start the rice first. This can take up to 30 minutes, follow the instructions on the package.
- In a medium sized skillet, heat oil on medium/high heat. Once it's hot, add the shrimp and salt and pepper. Sauté for about 3 min each side. Set aside and let it cool. Once cooled, chop the lightly cooked shrimp and the crab meat into small bites.
- Preheat the oven to 375º. Once the rice is cooked, add rice vinegar to it and stir up. In a 7x7 or similar sized baking dish place rice on the bottom and use a large flattened spoon to press the rice down firmly. In a medium sized bowl, add the shrimp/crab meat, sriracha, mayo, cream cheese and mix together well.
- Crumble nori over the rice, layer the crab/shrimp mix over. Drizzle more sriracha and mayo over the bake. Add sliced jalapeños over the top and pop into the oven for about 15 minutes, or until everything is bubbly and warm.
- Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before spooning out the mixture on a plate and enjoying.
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