Sushi Bake
Have you ever been sitting at home, thinking “God I could go for some sushi right now!” But don’t have the means or patience to tediously roll up and slice a plethora of rolls? Oh, you have?! Same. Thats why I started making this DIY sushi bake dish. I mean, is it *real* sushi?Probably not. Does it boast the posh, silky feeling of raw sashimi? Also no. But is it delicious and sure to be a hit at your next gathering/event - ABSOLUTELY!
This dish hits all the notes of a sushi dinner - seafood, spicy, salty, crunchy, umami bombs of goodness. The best part about this too, is that you can mix and match the toppings. You can serve as many, or as few, of these toppings as you want, or feel free to add any of your own!
This dish is made to be shared between friends and family and is a super fun dish to eat! Any time I have made it, everyone around the table is engaged and loving every single bite. Its also super fun to explain to your guests what all the little condiments you made are and to share with them what your favourite combinations are. Placing down 10+ little dishes of yummy toppings is sure to WOW your guests and impress any company.
Since this is the first “Asian” style recipe I’m posting it is important to note that there are a few ingredients that are specific to this recipe and are essential for the ideal taste of the dish. When indicated, I will always provide a link of where to purchase the product, or a location of where it can be purchased from.
In this recipe I use Kewpie mayonnaise which can be sourced from your local Asian supermarket and Okazu Chili Miso Paste. There are a few places I have seen this absolutely mind boggling condiment that belongs in EVERY fridge across the country. First one is online, obviously. Its available for order both from amazon.ca or directly through the company. I have also seen the spicy version available at my local Loblaws, but I am unsure if it has a nation-wide availability. Trust me, you’re going to want this all-purpose condiment. Okazu is an umami-rich chili, miso, and sesame oil based condiment often eaten with rice in Japan. You can literally put this shit on literally anything though. Salmon - slap some on top and bake. Done. Chicken - chop into strips, marinade, and pan fry quickly using JUST Okazu. Add it to your eggs. BAM! Gourmet tasting chicken butt nuggets. Its just - next level. I can literally go through a jar of this stuff for personal use within a week no problem. Just - go order it now. You’ll have to - if you want to make this recipe as delicious as it is meant to be.
Wait… I wrote that before I discovered I could make it. The Okazu. Mine’s better!!! Made a batch this weekend and immediately went out and purchased 12 more jars to make more. Its everything that Okazu is - only more. More sesame. More garlic. More ginger. More miso. Its just more flavourful than the other one. And I didn’t think it was possible. Shoot me a message to secure yours today! And at $15 - its less than Okazu ;)
Its also super important to use light (or low sodium) soya sauce in this recipe. The dark soya sauce is much more pungent and salty and can really alter the flavour profile of the dish. Feel free to use it as a dip, but I HIGHLY recommend using the light version. Just to give you an example of how often I use the two: I will go through a 2L of light for every standard 300mL of dark. Dark does have its place in a lot of sauces and marinades, but not for this purpose.
Furikake is the last thing in this recipe that may sound unfamiliar. It translates to “sprinkles” in Japanese! How cute?! Furikake is basically a mixture of sesame seeds, seaweeds, herbs, fish flakes, and salt and is used as a topping for - well whatever you want. You can use it on fish, shellfish, vegetables, meat - anything really! In this case we’re using it to sprinkle on top of the sushi bake.
I serve this sushi bake with nori snacks. You can create perfect little sushi bites that are different every time. I also serve this with a variety of toppings including: homemade pickled red onions and carrots, seaweed salad, chilli cucumber salsa (diced cucumber mixed with some of my Sizzlin’ Chilli Oil), lime zest, avocado (slice and season heavily with lemon pepper or Tajin if you’re feeling adventurous), more sesame seeds (can you tell I really like sesame seeds), seasoned panko, savoy cabbage, my Sizzlin’ Chilli Oil, my signature dipping sauce - the possibilities are seriously endless! If you have any suggestions - please reach out and let me know your ideas!!! I love to have input!
I won’t bore you anymore. Onto the recipe!
Sushi Bake
Sushi Rice:
2 cups sushi rice
2 3/4 cups water
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp ponzu
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
Topping:
2 packages of imitation crab meat, finely chopped
1 large 8oz salmon filet, or 2 small 4 oz filets, cooked and flaked
2 tbsp Sizzlin Chili oil, divided (shoot me a message to find out how to get yours)
3 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise, divided
2 tbsp Sriracha, divided
1 tbsp light soya sauce
4-5 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp black sesame seeds
s&p to taste
1 tbsp furikake
Green onions, chopped fine or julienned, for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish
*please keep in mind that these are all the proportions that I used for my taste buds. Feel free to add more of less something if your taste so desires.
METHOD
Preheat over to 425 degrees.
Add sushi rice and water to your Ninja Foodi. Set to high pressure for 10 minutes. Naturally release pressure for 5 minutes and then quick release until all pressure is released from your pressure cooker.
Spread 1 tbsp Sizzlin’ Chilli Oil on your salmon. Toss that baby on a lined baking sheet and get er in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until it is cooked to your personal desire. I cook mine for 17. This yield a cooked through, but still moist and flaky fish.
Once pressure is released from your rice, add in your rice seasonings. I normally find I have to add a bit more of the suggested seasonings to get it to my liking.
Let this rice cool then press it into a well-greased 9x13 baking dish. Use your hands for this. It is way easier than trying to use a utensil of some sort. Make sure to wet them first to prevent the rice from sticking.
Sprinkle rice generously with furikake.
Chop up your crab nice and small. Think about the size you would want your crab to be in a small sushi taco and go with that. You won’t be wrong.
Once your salmon is done, flake that into the bowl with the crab.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Add all your additional seasonings and spices to your salmon and crab mixture. Use 2 tbsp of Kewpie, and 1 tbsp of the sriracha IN the mixture and 1 tbsp of each is used for garnishing.
Add the soya sauce, roasted garlic, ginger, sesame oil, s&p and sesame seeds and mix.
Spread this mixture over the top of your rice and put it in the oven to warm through, 350 for 15 minutes.
Garnish with your sriracha, Kewpie, green onions, furikake and some additional black sesame seeds.
ENJOY!!
I really hope you enjoyed my first blog post! If you have suggestions for recipes that you would like to see, or topics you would like me to write about - let me know! I’d love to hear from you :)
Love & Hugs,
Abby
