Creamy crab layered over hot rice with spicy mayo, furikake and green onions. This quick and easy sushi bake is deliciously comforting and ready in 30 minutes! A great meal for the family to enjoy if you're craving sushi and less costly too!
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What is a Sushi Bake?
A sushi bake is a baked casserole dish made of cooked white rice, furikake, creamy cheesy crab mixture with spicy mayo served with roasted seaweed.
This serves well as a main dish for dinner and is super easy to make! This trending seafood dish became viral on social media adding to its popularity.
There are other versions of a homemade sushi bake, like my Spicy Tuna Sushi Bake.
When I'm feeling Japanese sushi but don't have much energy, I make this! There's no sushi mat required or rolling involved making it super easy.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Cooked Sushi Rice: aka short-grain rice or Calrose rice. Avoid long grain white rice or medium grain rice.
- Rice vinegar: or substitute with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- White sugar
- Salt
- Imitation crab meat: or substitute with cooked real crab meat, canned tuna, or cooked salmon.
- Furikake: A Japanese style seasoning made of roasted seaweed flakes, toasted sesame seeds, sugar and salt. Most Asian grocery stores carry this or check online.
- Japanese mayonnaise: aka Kewpie Mayonnaise. Or substitute with normal mayonnaise.
- Cream cheese: You can use light or regular cream cheese. Avoid using seasoned cream cheese.
- Sriracha: for that spicy mayo
- Green onion
- Cucumber: to serve with the sushi
- Nori sheets: or feel free to use seaweed snack which also come in rectangular sheets.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Microwave the rice seasoning for 30 seconds to help the sugar dissolve faster.
- Peel the imitation crab meat first and then slice into smaller pieces.
- Lightly grease the baking dish so the sushi pieces come out easily.
- Use a wet rice paddle to help you pack the rice into the casserole dish.
- Make sure to pack the rice and crab mixture into the dish so it doesn't fall apart when you cut it.
- Cut the sushi bake with a wet sharp knife.
- Transfer the spicy mayo to a squeeze bottle (if you have one) to squeeze evenly amounts over the sushi bake.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make sushi bake:
Make Rice Seasoning & Season Rice
First preheat the oven to 450 F. In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, salt and sugar and mix until dissolved. This is your rice seasoning liquid.
Transfer hot cooked rice into a medium bowl. Then mix in the rice seasoning liquid with a rice paddle.
Layer Rice & Sprinkle Furikake
Then transfer seasoned rice to a lightly greased 9 x 11-inch baking dish. Firmly flatten and pack the rice into the dish with a wet rice paddle.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of furikake on top of the rice.
Create & Layer Crab Mixture
In a large bowl, combine shredded and chopped imitation crab meat with Japanese mayo, and cream cheese.
Add crab mixture top of rice. Spread it out evenly and firmly pack it in.
Add Furikake & Make Spicy Mayo
Sprinkle the remaining furikake on top of crab meat mixture.
In a small bowl, combine Japanese mayo and sriracha to make a spicy mayo. (Not a fan of spice? Omit the sriracha sauce).
Drizzle Spicy Mayo & Broil
Drizzle spicy mayo on top of crab layer.
Bake in your preheated oven at 450F for 15 minutes uncovered. Then broil at 500 F for 1 minute.
Garnish
Lastly garnish the sushi bake with green onions. Serve warm with a small sheet of nori and fresh cucumbers.
Storage
- Leftovers will up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave on high heat covered for 2-3 minutes until warm or re-bake it in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until warm throughout.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing leftover cooked sushi bake as the rice will turn hard even after reheating.
Pairing Suggestions
Sushi bake serves well with Japanese dishes, like miso soup, Japanese crab corn salad, salad with Japanese ginger salad dressing, shrimp tempura, panko shrimp, ramen eggs, chicken katsu, tonkatsu, or ebi mayo.
FAQ
Sushi bake can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave for a few minutes until hot.
Unfortunately I wouldn't recommend that as the long grain rice won't be sticky enough to hold the sushi bake together.
Other Recipes You May Like
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Sushi Bake
Ingredients
For the Sushi Rice:
- 4 cups cooked short grain rice aka sushi rice or calrose rice
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar or sub with white vinegar
- 2 teaspoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Toppings:
- 14 oz imitation crab meat peeled into strands and chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 2 teaspoon furikake or sub with toasted sesame seeds and crushed roasted seaweed
- ½ cup Japanese mayo aka Kewpie mayo or sub with normal mayo
- ½ cup cream cheese light or regular both work
- 1 green onion finely chopped for garnish
Spicy Mayo:
- 4 tablespoon sriracha
- 4 tablespoon Japanese mayo aka Kewpie mayo or sub with normal mayo
Serve with:
- cucumber thinly sliced
- 4 nori sheets each sheet cut into 4 squares
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 F.
- Transfer hot cooked rice into a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, salt and sugar and mix until dissolved. Pour over sushi rice and mix well.
- Transfer seasoned rice to a 9 x 11-inch baking dish. Firmly and evenly pack it down with a wet rice paddle (so the sushi bake doesn't fall apart when you enjoy it).
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of furikake on top of the rice.
- In a large bowl, combine shredded and chopped imitation crab meat with ½ cup Japanese mayo, and ½ cup cream cheese.
- Add crab mixture top of rice. Spread it out evenly and firmly press it down.
- Sprinkle the remaining furikake on top of crab meat mixture.
- In a small bowl, combine Japanese mayo and sriracha to make a spicy mayo. (Not a fan of spice? Omit the sriracha sauce).
- Drizzle spicy mayo on top of crab layer.
- Bake in your preheated oven at 450F for 15 minutes uncovered. Then broil at 500 F for 1 minute.
- Garnish with green onions. Serve warm with a small sheet of nori and fresh cucumbers.
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