After seeing my online friend Dolly share her version of a sushi bake on her Instagram page, I just knew I had to give it try and make it my own. For those who aren’t a fan of sushi or have an aversion to eating raw fish, this is going to be right up your alley since it’s pretty much a deconstructed California roll (everything is cooked, friends). Raw fish doesn’t scare me but I can understand people’s hesitation behind it so here’s a good starting point for y’all.

And let me tell you, Dolly’s recipe didn’t disappoint. Due to the ongoing pandemic, I’m trying to get a little better about using ingredients I have at home instead of buying a bunch of stuff that I probably already have (this gets difficult to manage sometimes with multiple people living in the same house), so my take on her sushi bake resulted from that: I didn’t have masago, unagi sauce (eel sauce), Japanese mayo, or Sriracha (I’m not a fan and prefer regular hot sauce), so I honestly didn’t know how this was going to turn out without the majority of what she called for but man, it turned out amazing. I was able to grab lump crab meat on sale but you can definitely substitute canned tuna or canned salmon for a budget-friendly spin.

My friend Natasha suggested seasoning the rice like we would for regular sushi and here we are: a super easy and absolutely addictive sushi bake. We completely crushed an 8x8 dish together (for our first fully vaccinated pandemic hang!) and it was so damn good. Definitely going into my rotation going forward. Let’s get baking!

Simple Sushi Bake

Cook time: 40 minutes

Serves: 2-4

Non-stick canola oil cooking spray

3 cups cooked sushi rice (see note)

4 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp kosher salt salt

Salmon furikake seasoning, as needed (see note)

3oz plain cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup Duke’s mayonnaise (I prefer Duke’s but use what you have)

4 tbsp Picamás salsa brava hot sauce (see note)

1/4 tsp granulated sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups imitation crab meat, roughly chopped

1 12oz container lump crab meat

Nori sheets, cut in half for serving

1 cucumber, de-seeded and thinly sliced (see note)

1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced

Note: you can find sushi rice in most grocery stores nowadays but if you can’t, short grain rice will give you the same textural result you’re looking for. Follow the package instructions to make the rice. The furikake seasoning can be found in most international markets along with the Picamás hot sauce (I LOVE this hot sauce, the flavor is unmatched!). I’m able to find both at my local Asian market. If you can’t find Picamás and its signature green hue, just use any hot sauce you like (I’d suggest Cholula or Old Bay hot sauces). To deseed a cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise and use a tablespoon to scoop out the seeds in the center. Discard the seeds and then continue with the slicing.

Preheat your oven to 375ºF and lightly spray an 8x8 baking dish with the nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Cook the sushi rice according to package instructions. Once the rice is finished, we can go ahead and season it. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the rice wine vinegar, granulated sugar, and kosher salt, stirring until the sugar and salt are dissolved and the vinegar mixture is warm. Then, carefully pour a little bit of the vinegar mixture over the cooked rice, working in batches and stirring well to make sure all of the rice is completely seasoned. Next, take the rice and place it in the greased baking dish, using a spoon to evenly spread it out. Once the rice is evenly spread in the dish, generously sprinkle it with the salmon furikake seasoning. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, hot sauce, granulated sugar, kosher salt, and sliced green onions. Stir to make sure everything is mixed well and then fold in the imitation crab meat and the lump crab meat. Once everything is mixed together, spread the crab mixture over the seasoned, furikake-topped rice.

Bake at 375ºF for 30 minutes. Once baked, carefully remove the dish from the oven, sprinkle with more salmon furikake and sliced green onion and let it rest for 10 minutes. Letting it rest makes sure everything sets together and doesn’t fall apart when serving.

You’ll find a nice light layer of pegao at the bottom of the baking dish too, so high five for crispy rice bits when you scoop some out. Serve with nori sheets (I cut them in half for easier rolling thanks to Natasha for the Korean life hacks she always teaches me), sliced cucumber, and sliced avocado to make your own hand rolls.

¡Buen provecho!