Baked Spicy Sushi

Disclaimer apologizes to all you Japanese folks and sushi purists.

This recipe by no means is a sushi, but it has taken all the beautiful flavors of sushi and simplified for the common man who can’t or doesn’t want to make perfect sushi rolls. Enter baked spicy sushi. It’s essentially a giant sushi with layers of sushi rice, baked surmi (imitation crab), topped with spicy tuna, furikake, a few veggies and couple of sushi sauces.

This recipe is obviously homemade and much easier than rolling those perfect sushi rolls that you get at your favorite Japanese restaurants + it tastes just as good, maybe a tad better because it’s made with half the rice and more of the tasty toppings. Check the recipe and the Pro tips before you head out to gather the ingredients, because there are a few different options if you can’t find or don’t like certain ingredients.

NOTES

• The spicy tuna is optional, but recommended. You can also top the baked sushi with smoked salmon, grilled shrimp and for plant based edamame, baked tofu are good choice.
• If you prefer less rice use about 1/2 cup and reduce the water and vinegar proportionally. You could add more fish and imitation crab, the recipe is forgiving that way.
• The links are recommendations for ingredients I used and are not sponsored. There are several brands that make these ingredients, use this as a guide. Also I found many of the same ingredients are cheaper in Asian/Japanese markets in comparison to Amazon so its worth checking your local ethnic markets before ordering.
• The sauces I drizzled on top of the dish are a bit of an indulgence, but they make the sushi taste delicious.
• If you choose to top the dish with spicy tuna, raw fish make sure you eat the casserole right away. The casserole is hot making the raw fish go bad if not consumed right away. If you’re not sure if the entire casserole can be consumed, keep the raw fish in a separate dish on the side like a garnish and promptly put away any leftover in the fridge. Consume within one or two days after preparing the spicy tuna.

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Baked Spicy Sushi Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Japanese rice or any  short grain rice preferred
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 8-10 oz imitation crab shredded, also called Surimi
• 1/2 cup cream cheese room temperature
• 3 tablespoons light, vegan or regular mayo, kewpie brand mayo preferred
• 1/4 cup furikake or 2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
• Spicy Tuna
• 1/2- 3/4 lb sushi/ sashimi grade raw tuna
• 1-3 tablespoons sriracha sauce, use as much as you can handle
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
• Pinch of sugar to balance the flavor
• 2-3 green onion, green part finely chopped, you’ll need one for the tuna the rest are for serving
• To Serve
• 1-2 Persian cucumber sliced
• 1-2 tablespoons Japanese pickled ginger also called Gari
• 1 avocado cubed
• a few chopped spring onions or chives
• 1 cup microgreens 
•  roasted Korean seaweed snack
• Wasabi Mayo,** SEE NOTES optional but recommended 
• Sriracha Mayo** SEE NOTES, optional but recommended 

Instructions

1. Place the sushi rice in a colander, rinse throughly and let drain for 15 minutes. Cook rice according to the package instructions or your preference. While the rice is cooking, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small sauce pan and warm over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Alternatively, microwave briefly, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside.
2. Heat the oven to 400°F. 
3. Slice the tuna into thin strips and then turn the strips 90 degrees and chop it. If you want your spicy tuna chunky, you can stop here, or you can continue to chop the tuna up with your knife until the pieces are smaller.
4. Add the green parts of the scallion stems to the tuna and continue chopping them up together with the tuna.
5. Transfer the chopped tuna to a bowl, and add the sriracha, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and stir everything together until mixed. Cover and keep the mixture refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.
6. In a bowl, mix the shredded crab with the cream cheese and mayo until smooth. Set n a fridge until ready to assemble.
7. When the rice is done, transfer to a very large bowl. Sprinkle on the vinegar mixture and use a rice paddle or spatula to mix the vinegar into the rice while using a slicing motion.
8. Fan the rice while mixing to dry it out slightly. Spread the sushi rice into an oven safe baking dish, about 1/2 inch layer and top with 1/2 of the furikake.
9. Top with the cream cheese mayo crab mix to make another 1/2 inch layer** see images. Sprinkle the remaining furikake. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top just begins to brown and bubble. You could stop here and serve it topped with the recommended sauces with the garnishes or go over the top with the addition of spicy tuna.
10. Just before serving top the casserole with the spicy tuna layer** SEE NOTES. Drizzle the sauces, cut the casserole into cubes and enjoy with roasted seaweed snack, sliced cucumbers, microgreens and sliced avocados. If you think you can’t finish the entire dish don’t add the spicy tuna on the warmed casserole, simply serve it on the side as needed. Tuna is raw and should be kept chilled if not consumed right away.