TikTok's Viral Sushi Bake Is the Easiest Way to Make Sushi at Home
It’s large format sushi, but cooked!
Richard Ernest Yap/Getty Images
Making sushi at home can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it’s also time-consuming, laborious, and a potentially expensive venture. Enter: Sushi bake. The viral TikTok meal is a bit of a misnomer—sushi is raw, and this very Americanized casserole is indeed baked, but it takes the ingredients and flavors of popular sushi rolls and makes a big-batch meal that appeals to the craving. The combo of seasoned sushi rice, nori, and fish, can be created in several different ways, and you can even use raw fish on top if preferred—no rolling required. The base recipe also leaves plenty of room for creativity, so you can add sushi bake to your regular rotation and always have a different meal.
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How to Make a Sushi Bake
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Start by making 3 cups of sushi rice in your rice cooker, or follow the stovetop cooking directions. Allow to cool slightly and add to a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with 1⁄2 cup seasoned rice vinegar, a tablespoon of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine and spread out until flat.
Now, prepare your fish. Salmon is a popular sushi bake topping, and is super-easy to prepare. Cut salmon into 1-inch cubes, and stir with enough spicy mayo, or Kewpie mayo and sriracha, to coat. Canned salmon can also work here! Leftover salmon, smashed up with a fork and seasoned, works as well.
If you prefer a deconstructed California roll, skip the salmon and use a package of kani, or imitation crab. Shred using a whisk or fork, and mix with spicy mayo. Add a dollop of cream cheese for additional creaminess, if desired.
Sprinkle furikake across the rice and spread fish mixture on top in an even layer. Add another sprinkle of furikake and bake for 20 minutes.
While the sushi bake is in the oven, slice sheets of nori into quarters and prep any additional toppings. Sliced avocado and tamago are popular, as are sesame seeds, pickled ginger, soy sauce, and eel sauce.
Remove sushi bake, scoop some into the nori to make a hand roll, top with desired additions, and enjoy!
Sushi Bake Variations
For a spin on the standard sushi bake, try one of the below variations.
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Mini Sushi Bake
A popular rendition of sushi bake is to make mini versions for grab-and-go ease. Prepare muffin tins with non-stick spray, and line with a sheet of nori, like a cupcake liner. Then, add a layer of rice, seafood, and any desired toppings and bake. They’re ready to go!
Crab Rangoon Sushi Bake
TikTok User ChefBlackBeard has a recipe for a crab rangoon-inspired sushi bake that uses fried wontons, a bunch of cream cheese, and chili sauce to recreate the beloved crab rangoon in a large format meal.
Plant-Based Sushi Bake
Plant-based seafood is easy to make at home with pantry staples, and when you’re making sushi bake, it’s easy to swap in your favorite roasted veggies for the fish element. Marinate chickpeas in soy sauce and slightly smash before mixing with spicy mayo, let roasted cauliflower take on the same flavors and garnish the rice with florets. Or toss sliced hearts of palm and artichokes in spicy mayo for briny flavor and strong texture that mimics imitation crab. Plant-based imitation crab can also be sourced at specialty and vegan stores. Riff off a sweet potato tempura roll by topping the sushi with thinly sliced sweet potatoes garnished with panko bread crumbs. Or just go for a raw veggie sushi bake by cooking the rice with furikake and nori, and then eating it with sliced cucumber, shredded carrots, and avocado.
Garnish for a dinner party
While sushi bake is a great low-key weeknight meal, it can also be dressed up for company. When the sushi bake comes out of the oven, let it cool slightly and then add a criss cross pattern of spicy mayo and eel sauce. Garnish with fresh chives or thinly sliced scallions, plus black and white sesame seeds. So elegant! So easy!
Chicken Sushi Bake
Pretty derivative of the original concept, some TikTok-ers just prefer poultry to seafood, and use shredded rotisserie chicken, or small chicken cubes covered in spicy mayo, to top their sushi bake. To each their own!
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Teriyaki Sushi Bake
If spicy mayo isn’t your thing, skip that component altogether and marinate your salmon, crab, or other protein in bottled teriyaki sauce. The flavors still meld perfectly!
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