Crab sushi bake is the latest food trend taking over social media. This fun spin on traditional sushi rolls makes for an easy and customizable meal or appetizer. At its core, sushi bake consists of seasoned sushi rice topped with crab and other mix-ins then baked together in the oven. The result is a crispy savory casserole that captures the flavors of your favorite sushi rolls without any rolling or slicing.
In this detailed guide, I’ll walk you through how to make incredible crab sushi bake at home with just a few simple ingredients and easy steps.
Overview of Sushi Bake
Sushi bake, also known as baked sushi, is a deconstructed version of sushi where the components are layered in a casserole dish instead of rolled. The base is sushi rice, topped with crab meat mixture, then baked
The dish mimics flavors you’d find in popular rolls like the California roll or dynamite roll Common ingredients are
- Sushi rice
- Imitation crab
- Cream cheese
- Cucumber
- Avocado
- Spicy mayo
- Unagi sauce
- Sriracha
- Furikake
You can customize it by adding cooked shrimp, salmon, tuna or other seafood. The basic method is to make sushi rice, a creamy crab mixture, assemble, then bake.
Ingredients Needed
To make crab sushi bake at home, you’ll need the following ingredients:
For the Sushi Rice
- 2 cups sushi rice
- Rice vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt
For the Crab Filling
- 8 oz imitation crab meat
- 8 oz shrimp (optional)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- Sriracha
- Lime juice
For Serving
- Nori sheets
- Avocado
- Cucumber
- Spicy mayo
- Furikake
- Unagi sauce
- Sesame seeds
Cook Perfect Sushi Rice
Great sushi bake starts with perfectly cooked sushi rice. Follow these tips:
- Rinse rice thoroughly before cooking.
- Use a 1:1.5 rice to water ratio.
- Let rice steam for 10 minutes after cooking.
- Toss hot rice with seasoned vinegar – sugar, rice vinegar, salt.
- Allow rice to cool completely before using.
These steps yield rice that’s fluffy, glossy, and will hold its shape after baking.
Make the Crab Filling
The crab filling adds rich flavor and mimics classic rolls. Simply mix together:
- Finely chopped imitation crab
- Small shrimp pieces (optional)
- Mayonnaise
- Softened cream cheese
- Sriracha
- Lime juice
Blend well. For extra decadence, use real crab meat. You can also add cooked salmon or tuna.
Assemble and Bake
To put it all together:
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Press sushi rice into a baking dish in an even layer.
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Layer with nori seaweed sheet (optional).
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Spread crab filling over rice.
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Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes until lightly browned.
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Remove from oven and top with desired garnishes like avocado, cucumber, green onions.
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Drizzle with spicy mayo and unagi sauce before serving.
Customize Your Crab Sushi Bake
The versatility of sushi bake is that you can easily customize it to your taste. Try:
- Mixing in smoked salmon, shrimp, tuna
- Adding mango, carrot, cucumbers
- Topping with tempura flakes or fried wontons
- Drizzling with spicy mayo, eel sauce, ponzu sauce
- Garnishing with furikake, sesame seeds
There are endless possibilities for creating your own signature baked sushi!
Helpful Tips for Making Sushi Bake
Follow these tips for sushi bake success:
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Use short-grain Japanese rice for best texture.
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Allow rice to fully cool after seasoning before using.
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Save time with storebought tempura shrimp.
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Mix real and imitation crab to stretch it further.
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Prepare components up to 3 days in advance.
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Store baked sushi bake in fridge up to 3 days.
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Reheat individual portions in the microwave.
FAQs
What proteins can I use besides crab?
Shrimp, salmon, tuna, and smoked tofu all work well.
Can I freeze sushi bake?
It’s best fresh. Rice and seafood don’t hold up well frozen.
What can I serve with sushi bake?
It’s great with sides like miso soup, seaweed salad, edamame, or Japanese pickles.
How do I make vegetarian sushi bake?
Substitute tofu for the crab and use vegetables like avocado, cucumber, mango, and carrot.
Enjoy Restaurant-Quality Sushi Bake at Home
With this easy recipe, you can impress guests with beautiful sushi bake made right in your own kitchen. The flavorful crab filling layered over seasoned rice is hard to resist. Let your creativity run wild designing your own signature combinations. Sushi bake also makes fantastic party food or appetizer for a crowd. Now you can enjoy this trendy baked sushi anytime with ingredients you likely have on hand.
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This was a viral recipe on TikTok and IG. Ive made it several times even though Im a sushi snob. Why? Because kids LOVE this, its a great way to start kids into trying sushi. This recipe left out the crispy fried seaweed. You wrap the rice in it like a taco and its delish! If you cant find crispy fried seaweed, just cut up regular sheets of seaweed into 4 pieces to use as a wrap for the rice. A great side is a refreshing cucumber salad with avocados.
This is not meant to be a replacement for real sushi. But it is a delicious appetizer to bring to a party. I’ve brought it to a few and it’s always a hit. I bring a squeeze bottle of sriracha Mayo and one with eel sauce or Bachan’s Japanese barbecue sauce, nori sheets, sliced cucumbers and avocados and let people make their own little creations. Seriously, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!
This sounded so bonkers I had to try it. The balance of flavors is right for sushi, and subbing Soy Vey Teriyaki worked when I couldnt find other sauces mentioned in the comments. Dumb luck, I got the Srirachi amount right–and massaged the mayo and hot sauce to mix in a small ziplock for the topping (one less bowl…) Defrosted frozen tuna steaks in 1/4-1/2 inch (ish) cubes worked well. Cucumbers and avocado on the side are a must. Thanks everyone–I always read the comments first!
A few substitutions that worked for me: I used 1lb of cooked shrimps instead, I just chopped them to make the scooping easier later. I did not have cream cheese, so I used sour cream instead and it worked! Great flavor and no separation while baking. Finally, Sriracha is too spicy for me, so I used sweet chili sauce instead and it was great.
Cream cheese is definitely not necessary, although with a dish so flexible that is a relative term. However, my Asian (Filipino) market sells little squares of tobiko (flying fish roe) and, to me, tobiko is mandatory. Yummy salty and crunchy note. It’s about 4 oz and not terribly expensive. Furikake is also mandatory. Use plenty. If you buy sushi rice vinegar, you can skip the heating sugar in the vinegar step. It’s very yummy but I don’t prefer it reheated so best to have with friends.
This tasted better than I expected! I used 1lb of cooked shrimp. I didnt have quite enough shrimp mixture to cover the whole 9×13 pan, so next time I would increase that part a bit and maybe cut the shrimp smaller to stretch it more. 2 cups of water was not enough for the rice for me – I needed 3. The toppings make this – I served with cucumber, avocado, roasted seaweed, picklede ginger, and extra sauces.Private comments are only visible to you.
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