Creamy Salmon Sushi Bake

My first sushi bake happened completely by accident on a Tuesday night when I had salmon in the fridge, leftover sushi rice, and absolutely no energy to roll anything by hand. I layered them into a casserole dish with cream cheese and mayo out of pure desperation, topped it with mozzarella, and slid it into the oven. Twenty-five minutes later, my kitchen smelled like a sushi restaurant had exploded in the best way possible. Everyone who tried it that night asked why I'd been keeping this secret, and honestly, I didn't have a good answer—I'd just invented it five minutes before.

I made this for my best friend who claimed she didn't like cooked fish, and she came back for thirds. We sat at my kitchen counter at 9 PM on a random Thursday, eating straight from the baking dish and talking about why this creamy, golden-topped bake felt more exciting than any roll we'd ordered from the fancy place downtown. It became her go-to dinner to bring to parties because it travels well, serves a crowd, and everyone assumes it's more complicated than it actually is.

Ingredients

• Salmon fillet: Use cooked salmon—leftover grilled, baked, or even canned works beautifully and saves you a step.
• Sushi rice: The starch that holds this together; rinsing it properly prevents mushiness, which I learned the hard way on attempt two.
• Rice vinegar, sugar, and salt: This trio is what makes rice taste like sushi instead of plain rice, so don't skip the seasoning step.
• Cream cheese and mayonnaise: The creamy backbone; Japanese Kewpie mayo has a subtle sweetness that elevates the whole thing compared to standard mayo.
• Sriracha or chili sauce: The heat that keeps this from tasting too mild and one-dimensional—adjust based on who's eating.
• Soy sauce: Umami anchor that ties all the flavors together.
• Mozzarella cheese: Gets gorgeously golden and bubbly; don't use pre-shredded if you can help it because it melts unevenly.
• Toasted sesame seeds, scallions, and nori: The finishing touches that make it feel intentional and restaurant-like rather than thrown together.

Instructions

Preheat and prep your workspace:

Set your oven to 200°C (400°F) and lightly grease your 9x13-inch baking dish so nothing sticks later.

Cook the sushi rice:

Rinse the rice under cold running water—really rinse it, stirring with your fingers until the water runs clear and not cloudy. Combine the rinsed rice with water in a saucepan, bring it to a boil with the lid off, then cover and drop the heat to low for exactly 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it steam, covered, for another 10 minutes without peeking.

Season the rice while it's warm:

While the rice is still steaming, mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Pour this over the rice and gently fold it together with a wooden spoon or rice paddle, turning the rice carefully so every grain gets coated without turning into mush.

Create your rice base:

Spread the seasoned rice evenly across the bottom of your prepared baking dish, pressing it down gently with the back of a spoon so it forms a compact, even layer.

Mix the creamy seafood layer:

In a mixing bowl, combine the flaked salmon, shredded imitation crab if you're using it, softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, Sriracha, and soy sauce. Stir and fold until everything is creamy, well-blended, and no white streaks of cream cheese remain visible.

Assemble and top:

Spread the salmon-cream cheese mixture evenly over your rice layer, then shower the entire top with shredded mozzarella cheese, making sure you cover all the creamy filling so it gets that golden, bubbly finish.

Bake until golden:

Slide the baking dish into your preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling at the edges and the top is a warm golden brown. You'll smell it before it's done—that's your signal it's close.

Garnish and serve warm:

Remove from the oven and immediately scatter toasted sesame seeds, fresh sliced scallions, and nori strips over the top. Serve it warm straight from the dish, with nori sheets on the side for scooping if people want them.

Save

This dish became a regular rotation in my kitchen because of the moment my normally skeptical family member asked for the recipe, wrote it down carefully, and told me it was the first thing they'd make for their new partner. That's when I realized it wasn't really about the sushi at all—it was about making something that felt special, tasted incredible, and didn't require hours of fussing in the kitchen.

Why This Works as a Crowd Pleaser

Sushi rolls are beautiful but intimidating, which means a lot of people talk about making them and never do. This bake removes that barrier completely—you're layering, not rolling, which takes the pressure off technique and lets you focus on flavor. Everyone at the table feels like they're eating something restaurant-quality, which is honestly the whole point of cooking for people you care about.

Make It Your Own

The formula here is flexible enough that you can swap out proteins and add vegetables without breaking anything. I've used cooked shrimp instead of salmon on nights when that's what I had, added fresh cucumber slices before baking, and once mixed in some finely diced avocado right after it came out of the oven while the cheese was still warm and everything was creamy. The nori is your friend—it adds texture and that classic sushi flavor, and people love using it to scoop up bites.

Serving Suggestions and Storage

This bake is best eaten warm, straight from the oven when the cheese is still bubbling and the rice is steaming. Leftovers reheat well in a 160°C oven for about 10 minutes, though it's equally delicious cold the next day if you happen to have any left. Store any extras covered in the fridge for up to three days, and if you're making this for a potluck, you can assemble it at home and bake it just before serving.

• A drizzle of unagi sauce or teriyaki before baking adds a savory-sweet depth that feels fancy and takes two seconds.
• Keep pickled ginger, sliced avocado, and extra nori at the table so people can customize their bites however they want.
• This feeds six people generously, but it's also the kind of dish that disappears faster than you'd expect.

Save

This is the kind of recipe that quietly becomes a staple because it delivers comfort, looks impressive, and honestly tastes better than it should for how easy it is to make. Once you've made it once, you'll be making it again.