A spin on the classic california roll, these sushi bake cups make a fun and delicious dinner! These are a take on the popular sushi bake casseroles you may have seen on social media.
Sushi bake is a dish that I have seen become popular on social media over the past couple years. This is far from traditional Japanese food, but this viral recipe hits the spot if you’re craving those sushi flavours. These sushi bake cups are also great for sharing, or if you want to change up those weeknight dinners.
So… what is sushi bake?
A mix of ingredients such as cream cheese, kewpie mayonnaise, shrimp, and crab all layered on top of sushi rice. The great thing about sushi bake is that you just mix and layer, then chuck it in the oven. No need to roll anything!
Key Ingredients
- Rice: for these you are of course going to need to use sushi rice. This is because sushi rice is a lot stickier than say basmati or jasmine, which is needed in order for the sushi bake to hold its muffin form.
- Shrimp: or prawns are used in the topping of the sushi bake. They are tender and juicy, adding a great flavour and texture to the dish. Shrimp/prawns have a natural slight sweetness that compliment the other savoury flavours.
- Surimi: also known as imitation crab or seafood sticks. These have a milk seafood flavour and an addictive flakey texture. You could use another form of crab, but these are a great cost effective addition to these sushi bake cups.
- Cream Cheese: is the glue that holds the topping together. It adds a creaminess and slight tanginess to balance the flavours. When baked, it melts beautifully and supports the other topping ingredients.
- Nori: seaweed that has a paper-like texture. Think of these as a wrapper used for muffins, but edible. It is what brings the sushi element to the baked dish, and is a vessel for the rice and seafood top.
- Kewpie Mayonnaise: a Japanese style mayo that has a rich umami flavour. It compliments the creamy consistency of the cream cheese, and also plays a key role in binding the ingredients together.
- Soy Sauce: enhances the savoury flavour of the seafood topping. It adds depth and a touch of saltiness to the dish.
- Sesame Oil: brings a nutty and aromatic element to the sushi bake muffins. It elevates the overall flavour profile.
- Seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika are lightly sprinkled to the creamy seafood mix. This also contributes to deepening the flavour of the dish, without being overpowering.
How to make this sushi bake
Prep.
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Also wash the rice, and put it on to cook.
Prepare the seafood.
Use two forks to shred the surimi into a stringy texture. Chop the shrimp into small rough pieces.
Make the sushi bake topping.
In a large bowl, tip in the shredded surimi and chopped shrimp. Add the softened cream cheese and kewpie mayonnaise, combine to make an almost paste-like mixture. Then pour the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Give it all a very good stir to ensure the ingredients are all combined evenly.
Assemble the sushi bake cups.
Cut nori into squares, using a knife or scissors. To each piece of nori place about a tablespoon of rice, and spread to cover the majority of the square. Place each piece of rice and nori into a muffin tray. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of seafood mix on top of the cups.
Bake the cups.
Place the muffin tray of sushi cups in the oven at 180℃. Bake the sushi bake cups until they start turning golden brown on top. This will be about 10 minutes, depending on how big your cups are.
Why you should make these
- Fun: if you’re looking for something to zhuzh up your dinner or lunch, then these sushi bake cups are perfect! They’re a take on deconstructing sushi and creating something different. These sushi bake cups are great to get friends and family involved too.
- Great to share: with these being individual cups, it makes them an awesome option for food when entertaining. They make an impressive appetiser, main course, or side dish. You can also make a variety of toppings for the cups to suit your guests as well. See below for my thoughts on variations.
- Easy: creative dishes don’t have to be difficult. The sushi bake topping ingredients are all plopped into one big bowl, and mixed together until combined. Easy steps, less dishes, what’s not to love?
What do you serve with sushi bake?
For some freshness you could garnish the sushi bake with some cucumber or avocado, they seem to be popular from what I’ve seen. I served mine with edamame beans for a bit of green, but other sides could be miso soup or kimchi. These are just some ideas, you can serve it with whatever you’d like. It’s also a dish that is great just being served on its own!
Can I vary the topping?
Of course you can! I actually added shrimp to mine when it is typically made with just surimi (imitation crab). You could also use salmon, tuna, or any other seafood you’d like. You can even use a different topping all together… I actually made some with a teriyaki chicken topping for people in my household that don’t like seafood! A popular additive to the sushi bake is sriracha, if you were looking to spice it up a bit.
Storage
Allow the sushi bake cups to cool down completely before placing them in the fridge. Keep them in an airtight container to prevent moisture from getting in, you’ll want a container with enough room so you don’t squish the cups. They should last 2-3 days in the fridge and keep their quality. When reheating them, place in the oven on a low temperature for about 10 minutes. You can also microwave them for a couple minutes, but the texture may not be the same and the seaweed may go soggy (that’s what happened to me).
More Asian fusion recipes:
Alrighty… let’s get to making these easy and fun sushi bake cups!
Sushi Bake
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups sushi rice
- 3 cups shrimp
- 2 cups surimi
- 1 block cream cheese
- ¼ cup kewpie mayonnaise
- 3 nori sheets (quartered)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Shred surimi and chop shrimp in rough pieces.
- In a large bowl, add the surimi and shrimp.
- Mix in softened cream cheese, kewpie mayonnaise, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
- Cut nori into squares, then spread a tablespoon of rice on the square.
- Place the rice and nori into a muffin tray.
- Add the seafood mix on top.
- Place in the oven at 180℃ until they are golden brown on top.
