Spicy Salmon Sushi Bake Recipe
Author: 
Serves: 4-6, depending on what else you're serving
 
Ingredients
  • Sushi Rice*
  • 1 cup sushi rice or short grain rice
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1½ Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon cane sugar or agave (you can omit but it’s very traditional to have it)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • Spicy Mayo (if you don’t want extra spicy mayo to serve on the side, cut this in half)
  • ½ cup high quality mayonnaise or Vegenaise
  • 2-5 Tablespoons sriracha, or to taste (the more you use, the spicier it is)
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • Spicy Salmon
  • 2 6-ounce cans wild salmon packed in water, drained
  • 2 Tablespoons shoyu, tamari, or coconut aminos
  • 1 teaspoon honey or pure maple syrup (skip if you use coconut aminos)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons spicy mayo made above
  • 2 Tablespoons plain cream cheese (Or you can use more regular mayo)
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Toasted nori or roasted sea snacks
  • Suggested Toppings
  • Eel sauce or other sweet sauce like unagi sauce
  • Furikake**
  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • Chopped scallions
  • Sliced Jalapeños
  • Sliced avocado
  • Thinly sliced or julienned cucumbers
Instructions
  1. Make the rice: I follow the directions on the bag for best results. Rinse the sushi rice in a fine mesh sieve until the water runs clear. Transfer to a medium pot and add the water. Let the sushi soak in rice for 30 minutes before cooking it (if you have time). Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 18 minutes or until all the water is evaporated.
  2. While the rice cooks, warm the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and stir just until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Stir into the cooked rice. Set aside and keep covered.
  3. Make the spicy mayo by combining mayo, sriracha, and sesame oil in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
  4. Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees.
  5. In a medium bowl, break the salmon with a fork. Add shoyu, honey, garlic, 2 Tablespoons spicy mayo made in Step 3, cream cheese, and scallions, and stir until combined. Taste for seasoning and add salt if it needs it.
  6. Flatten the rice into an 8 x 8-inch baking dish or 9-inch round (no need to grease it). Sprinkle evenly with furikake seasoning.
  7. Spread the salmon mixture in an even layer over the rice.
  8. Top the salmon with more furikake. Drizzle the top with sweet sauce and/or spicy mayo (I tend to use more spicy mayo), if desired.
  9. Bake the dish for 10 minutes, then set it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until the top has some brown spots.
  10. Top with suggested accompaniments or as you like! It’s fun to take a piece of nori and scoop the rice/salmon mixture in and top with toppings.
Notes
*or buy from local sushi restaurant
**I found a good one at Trader Joe’s but you can also swap in a combination of crushed nori and sesame seeds.

To make in advance: You can assemble up to the point of baking, refrigerate and bake before serving.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for 3-4 days and warmed in the oven or microwave.

Make it vegan: take an equivalent amount of hearts of palm pulsed in a food processor until it’s shredded like cooked crab. Serve a salad on the side with crispy tofu or shelled edamame.
Recipe by Pamela Salzman at https://pamelasalzman.com/spicy-salmon-sushi-bake-recipe/