The Best Sushi Bake Recipe

This easy crab sushi bake takes about 30 minutes from start to finish and is the perfect main dish or appetizer for your next get together! It's made with imitation crab, sushi rice, kewpie mayo, cream cheese, and furikake but you can customize the ingredients to suit your families taste!

You Will Love This

• It's got all the amazing flavor of your favorite sushi roll but in casserole form! Everything is baked together in a casserole dish, then it's sliced into squares and served with those cute little roasted seaweed snack sheets! 
• It's a fun party appetizer! This sushi bake recipe is a fun twist on the classic California roll, which makes it a popular potluck dish! It's basically a deconstructed sushi roll. You can slice up the casserole and serve it right on the snack size sheets of seaweed or you can let guests help themselves. The best part is that it can be enjoyed warm, cool, or at room temp!
• If you loved this sushi casserole recipe, be sure to check out my:
  • Creamy Baked Crab Dip
  • Sesame Salmon Sushi Bowl
  • Roasted Creamy Salmon Pasta

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Sushi Rice - This is our favorite brand of sushi rice. Be sure to follow the cooking instructions on your package of rice.
• Seasoned Rice Vinegar - Seasoned rice vinegar already has the salt and sugar in it so you can just add it right to the rice. However, if you can’t find seasoned rice vinegar, here's a delicious homemade sushi rice recipe using unseasoned rice vinegar.
• Furikake - Furikake is the blend of toasted sesame seeds, nori, salt, and sugar. If you can't find it your local grocery store, try an Asian supermarket. Let me warn you though, once you try furikake, you will want to put it on everything - it's SO good!
• Imitation Crab Meat - I used flake style imitation crab meat for this recipe because it’s less expensive than real crab, and has a similar enough texture. Plus it is sometimes used in sushi instead of real crab. However, if you can find picked or lump crab meat your local seafood store, definitely go for that!
• Kewpie Mayo - Kewpie mayo has a more custard-like texture and flavor because it uses egg yolks instead of egg whites which are used in American mayo. Kewpie mayo is a MUST for this recipe. And honestly, we don't even buy regular mayo anymore because kewpie is SO good!
• Cream Cheese - I recommend using full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture.
• Green Onion - Thinly sliced green onion will give you a bit of fresh flavor that cuts nicely through the rich mayo and cream cheese.
• Sesame Soy Mayo - My favorite drizzle for this easy sushi bake is a mixture of kewpie mayo, soy sauce, and sesame oil. I'm not a huge fan of spicy food so I skip the spicy mayo (sriracha + mayo) in favor of this instead! I usually buy low-sodium soy sauce to cut down on the saltiness without losing the flavor.

Instructions

Drizzle rice vinegar over the warm cooked rice and use a rice paddle or large spoon to gently incorporate the rice vinegar into the rice until well combined. Gently press rice into a 9x13 baking dish.

Sprinkle 4 tablespoons furikake in an even layer over the rice.

Combine kewpie mayonnaise, cream cheese, and green onions in a small bowl.

Flake crab meat into bite-sized pieces and add it to the bowl.

Stir everything together until well combined.

Spread crab mixture over the rice.

Sprinkle with remaining furikake.

Bake for 10 minutes or until heated through. In a small bowl combine kewpie mayo, soy sauce, and sesame oil until smooth and creamy. Drizzle soy sauce mayo over sushi bake.

Garnish with green onion, cucumber, and avocado slices. Slice into squares and serve with snack size nori sheets.

Tips

• Check the cooking instructions on your sushi rice. Different brands call for different amounts of water. If you have a rice cooker, that is the best and most foolproof way to make sushi rice! 1.5 cups of uncooked sushi rice makes about 4 cups of cooked rice.
• To ensure that the rice vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the rice, you can spread the rice in a single layer on a baking sheet and then drizzle it with the seasoned rice vinegar and toss to coat evenly. This will also help your rice to cool more quickly (which is nice when you're making traditional sushi, but isn't a huge deal here since we will be baking the sushi casserole anyway).

Sushi Bake Variations

You can really add whatever you'd like to this easy sushi bake recipe which is why it's one of our family's favorites. Some of our favorite variations include:

• roasted salmon
• sautéed shrimp
• lump crab meat
• tobiko (flying fish roe)
• unagi sauce (eel sauce)
• bonito flakes

FAQ

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating

• Make-Ahead: This is the perfect make ahead dish! You can prepare it up 3 days in advance and keep it in the fridge. When you're ready to eat, just pop it in the oven and bake. Plan to add a few extra minutes of baking time to account for the cold casserole.
• Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• Reheating: You can reheat this sushi bake in the oven at 350 degrees until it is warmed through. You can also pop it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds at a time or until warmed through.

Easy Family Dinner Recipes

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