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Author:
Franco Salzillo
There’s a reason sushi is one of the hottest food trends in the world. The fluffy, delicately scented rice and delicious, fresh seafood is the very definition of beauty in simplicity.
You can’t improve sushi; it’s already as good as Japanese food gets. That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun with it. Today we’re making a salmon sushi bake, and if you don’t know what that is, think of what you get if you merge a casserole with your favorite California roll.
We’re using a baking tray to layer sushi ingredients like a lasagna. Then we’ll bake it briefly, just enough to allow you to serve a thick slice of sushi bake to your friends.
The most important part of this recipe is the rice. That applies to regular sushi, too, and the secret is in the seasoning. A pinch of salt, another one of sugar, and a splash of white rice vinegar makes the rice taste like sushi rice.
The rest of the ingredients you can experiment with. I use nori seaweed, sesame seeds, cucumber, cream cheese and smoked salmon. Try using avocado, mayo, tuna and chives — anything that reminds you of sushi.
As long as you use sushi-inspired ingredients, your sushi bake will really taste like sushi. And since the rice is already cooked, and most sushi ingredients are eaten raw, we only need to bake the sushi tray for a few minutes. Of course, covered with aluminum foil to prevent the rice from drying out too much.
There you have it, all you need to know about sushi bakes. Now, it’s time to get our hands dirty. Are you ready to put together a salmon sushi bake for your friends and family? Let’s do it!
Cook your sushi rice as you would typically do. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and dissolve. Spread the vinegar mixture over the rice and incorporate.
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Using a 4-inch square baking tray. Spread a layer of rice, cover it with nori seaweed, add a second layer of rice, cover it with cream cheese, sprinkle it with sesame seeds, and cover it with cucumber slices.
Cover the sushi bake with smoked salmon and protect it with any leftover rice. Cover the baking tray with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes, and season with soy sauce to taste. Enjoy!
