Baked Sushi (Kid-Approved)
This version of Baked Sushi features a more-kid approved creamy topping that is mainly made of just salmon, imitation crab, mayonnaise and cream cheese. Generously topped with a crumbled seasoned seaweeds, the flavor in every spoonful is amazing.
Okay, it may seem that I am late to this baked sushi trend, but we loved it and make it quite often. However, there may have been quite some resistance with some additional toppings I use (avocado, mango, cucumber etc), and as I noticed, my kids prefer one type of baked sushi more than the others.
This kid approved Baked Sushi omits any kind of veggies and fruit. I know.. but let’s just say there is a place and time for veggies and this Baked Sushi is not it. Or maybe.. this is my way of accepting defeat. Ha. I surrender and I present to you, my kid approved baked sushi. I admit, I love it too!
Why My Kids Love this Kid Version Baked Sushi?
It is creamy, a bit sweet, kind of salty and savory. While, I personally love adding mangoes and avocado to my baked sushi, I understand how this make sense for them. Just straight creamy, meaty and satisfying.
Recipe Overview
- Cook the Rice. Once cooked, stir in mirin, salt, and sugar to the rice. This adds sweetness, stickiness and flavor depth.
- Make the Creamy Topping: Kewpie mayonnaise, cream cheese, flaked cooked salmon, flaked imitation crab.
- Make the Seasoned Nori: 3 crumbled or cut nori sheets, cut really fine; And in another bowl, salt, brown sugar and sesame seeds.
- Layer: Spread the rice, top with some of the crumbled nori and sesame seeds mixture, then spread the creamy topping on top. Top with the remaining crumbled nori and sesame seeds, then drizzle more kewpie mayo.
- Bake: Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and slightly bubbly.
Recipe Tips
Cooked Salmon. I used salmon fillets that are skinless, seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked in the air fryer for 8-10 minutes. Do not overcook the salmon.
Softened Cream Cheese. Take out the cream cheese from the fridge about 2-3 hours before cooking. If it is still not yet a stirrable consistency, pop it in the microwave for 3-5 seconds. Do not be tempted to heat it for longer or you will scorch the cream cheese.
The Seasoned Nori. If you do not want to bother with cutting or crumbling nori sheets and all, buy the ready made furikake. Furikake is sold in the Asian/ Oriental aisle of some supermarkets, but you will likely find it in actual oriental groceries in your area. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons all over the rice, then once again as final topping.
How to Serve Baked Sushi
You can either scoop out of the dish with spoons into a piece of seaweed snack. Or you can let them take the portion they want into their individual plates.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you do not have sushi rice or don’t want to buy it, you can use just a regular jasmine white rice. This is close to sushi rice in its plumpness. Not as sticky but it will work just fine.
Yes, you can use regular mayonnaise. There will be a slight variation the flavor, as the kewpie is bit more salty, kind of like an umami kick, and it is more robust in flavor. However the creaminess and lightness of regular mayo will work too.
You can omit the mirin and just add a bit more sugar to the cooked rice. However, mirin adds fluffiness, stickiness, and sweetness to the rice especially if you plan to use regular jasmine rice
More Easy Kid Approved Recipes
- Simplified Pork Giniling
- Korean Beef Rice Bowls
- Aglio e Olio Spaghetti
- Easy Sesame Noodles
- Chicken Yaki Udon
- My Homemade Pad Thai
Baked Sushi (My Kid-Approved Version)
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 3 cups Sushi Rice see note 2
- 3 cups Water
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp mirin See note 3
The Creamy Topping
- ½ cup Kewpie Mayo see note 4
- ¾ block cream cheese softened, see note 5
- 300 grams cooked salmon shredded, see note 6
- 1½ cups Imitation Crab Flaked
Seasoned Seaweed Mixture
- 3 sheets nori the full-sized, square ones. Crumbled into little pieces.
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
For Serving
- 6-10 seaweeds snack packs
Instructions
- Cook the Rice. Rinse and drain the rice. Combine the rice and water in the pot of a rice cooker and use the cook feature to cook the rice completely. Turn off rice cooker and sprinkle the sugar, salt and mirin into the freshly cooked rice. Stir well to distribute.Non-rice cooker option at the notes 1 section.
- Combine the Ingredients for the Creamy Topping. In a large bowl, combine softened cream cheese, kewpie, salmon and imitation crab. Stir will to incorporate the ingredients and the mayo and cream cheese is evenly distributed.
- Make the Seasoned Seaweed Mix. Crumble or cut the nori into really tiny little pieces into a bowl. In another small bowl, combine sugar, salt and sesame seeds.
- Layer. Preheat the Oven to 350℉. Spread the rice into ta 9×13 inch glass baking dish or 9×13 inch rimmed baking pan. Sprinkle more than half of the crumbled seaweeds over the rice and about half of the sesame mixture. Drop the creamy mixture in dollops on top, then use an angled spatula or the back of the spoon to spread it out evenly.
- Finishing Touches. Sprinkle the remaining crumbled nori all over the top, followed by the remaining sesame mixture. Lastly, Pipe a thin layer of the kewpie mayo in diagonal lines on top.
- Bake. Bake at 350 ℉ for 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a bit bubbly.
- Serve. Scoop out a spoonful into a piece of a seaweed and eat 🙂 Be careful as it is hot. Store the dish in the fridge, covered well. Reheat portions in the microwave, for about 15-30 seconds, depending on how much are you heating.
Notes
- No rice cooker? After rinsing and draining the rice, combine the rice and 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan or pot. Do not cover. Bring the heat to medium high and allow the water to come to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and continue cooking until a very small amount of liquid is left at the surface of the rice. Put the lid on the pot. Cook for a few minutes more, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
- Sushi Rice. I recommend sushi rice because it is sticky and a bit more plump. However, if you do not have it, just use white jasmine rice.
- No Mirin. Just omit it from the recipe. This adds more stickiness and sweetness to the rice, but if you do not have it or cannot find it. Just skip it.
- Kewpie Mayo. This is more robust, has a slightly salty kick and bit sweeter. If you cannot find this, you can use regular mayonnaise. It can change the flavor profile a bit, but nothing really drastic.
- Softened Cream Cheese. You want the cream cheese to be really soft, as in stirrable. Mostly, even after letting it sit at roomm temperature for a while, it is still not that soft to the point of being stirrable. So what I recommend for ease is to microwave the cream cheese for a very brief 3-5 seconds. Anything longer can scorch the cream cheese so keep it reaallly short.
- Cooked Salmon. I use 3-4 skinless salmon fillets. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and cooked it in the air fryer for 8-10 minutes.
- Nutrition Information are approximate and doesn’t include the seaweed snacks as that consumption may vary from person to person.
We love it for snacks or as a convenient meal.