Salmon Sushi Cups

Viral recipes come and go, but our salmon sushi cups will live on repeat in your kitchen. Sushi and salmon lovers rejoice: this recipe requires no sushi rolling nor raw fish but delivers all the satisfaction of a baked salmon maki roll. These “cups”—shaped and cooked in muffin tins—are the snack, appetizer, or party food. This recipe was inspired by our foodie friend Victoria Minell, who we first saw making sushi “muffins” go viral on TikTok.

What stands out

If you’re anything like us, you love sushi but don’t have the time or energy to make your own at home. Instead of takeout, enter the solution: baked salmon sushi cups. These are so straightforward to make and come together in under 30 minutes. Salty, savory, creamy and a hint of spicy these cups bring new meaning to “we bet you can’t eat just one.”

How to Prepare

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Rinse the rice and cook it according to the instructions on the package. (we like to use our rice cooker and add a pinch of salt.)

Pat the salmon dry with paper towels. Cut the salmon into small cubes and add to a bowl with the coconut aminos, salt, and spicy mayo. Stir to combine.

Cut 2 sheets of nori into 6 equal-sized squares. Add 1 tablespoon of the cooked rice onto each of the squares and press the rice into the nori.

Place each nori and rice square into a muffin tin insert, then add a tablespoon of the cubed, marinated salmon on top of each rice cup.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Broil for the last 60 seconds to get the tops of the sushi cups crispy.

Remove the muffin tin from the oven, let cool slightly, and then transfer the sushi cups to a plate. Lastly garnish with spicy mayo and chives.

Kitchen tip

Ask your fishmonger to remove the skin and pin bones from the salmon to save you some time in the kitchen.

Swaps

1. Instead of cooked salmon, you can also make this recipe with raw, sushi-grade salmon or tuna from a trustworthy fishmonger or a specialty fish store. Cut the fish into small pieces, combine it with the marination ingredients, but skip the step of cooking the cups in the oven.
2. Frozen salmon should be fully defrosted and pat dry with paper towels before cubing.
3. You can also use steamed or instant jasmine, sushi or short-grain rice here.
4. If you don’t like spicy food combine about 1 tablespoon of your favorite mayonnaise and omit the hot sauce.
5. Customize the garnish with fresh herbs, such as finely chopped cilantro or scallions instead of the chives.

Serve it with

• These sushi cups taste topped with a drizzle of Homemade Spicy Mayo.
• If you’re making these to share (they make an party appetizer), you might also make some with shrimp, following our recipe for Shrimp Sushi Cups.
• Our Asian Style Green Beans add a burst of color alongside, as well as a big serving of fiber.
• In addition to a drizzle of spicy mayo, we also like eating these with some soy sauce for dipping.

Questions

strong HOW CAN we PREVENT THE NORI (SEAWEED) FROM GETTING TOO CRISPY AND FALLING APART?

Make sure you assemble the sushi cups while your rice is still warm. This way, it softens the nori, which prevents it from over-crisping in the oven.

strong CAN we USE AN INGREDIENT OTHER THAN Salmon?

Yes, you can use shrimp, chicken, crab, and more.

strong WHAT KIND OF RICE SHOULD we USE?

Our personal favorite is jasmine rice, but sushi rice or any kind of short-grain rice will work here. In a pinch, you can use instant/microwave rice, too.

strong CAN we REPLACE THE SPICY MAYO IF we DON’T LIKE SPICY FOOD?

Yes, you can use regular mayo, such as Japanese ‘Kewpie’ mayo, instead.

strong HOW SHOULD THE salmon BE PREPPED?

You should use raw salmon. If it’s frozen, make sure it’s fully defrosted and pat it dry before cutting it into cubes and combining it with the coconut aminos mixture. br a

strong WHAT ARE COCONUT AMINOS?

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

• ½ cup rice, such as jasmine, sushi, or short grain rice
• salt
• 2 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar, optional
• ½ pound salmon, skin and pin bones removed
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos, or soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon spicy mayo, plus more for garnish
• 2 sheets of nori
• chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Equipment

• Muffin Pan
• Nakiri Knife
• Redmond Real Salt
• Cutting Board
• Rice Cooker
• Mixing Bowls
• Measuring Cups + Spoons

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Rinse the rice and cook it according to the instructions on the package. We like to use our rice cooker and add a pinch of salt. Once the rice is cooked, you can add the rice vinegar, if using, and mix.
3. While the rice cooks, pat the salmon dry with paper towels. Cut the salmon into small cubes, making sure the cubes are more or less equal in size. Add the cubed salmon to a bowl with the coconut aminos, a pinch of salt, and the spicy mayo and stir to combine.
4. Cut 2 sheets of nori into 6 equal-sized squares (approximately 3.5-inch squares). The squares should fit into a standard muffin tin with overhang on the sides for easy removal.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of the cooked rice onto each of the 6 nori squares and press the rice into the nori. This will help soften the nori and make it easy to place in the muffin tin. If the rice is too sticky, you can dip your fingers in some water. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands.
6. Place each nori and rice square into a muffin tin insert. Add a tablespoon of the cubed, marinated salmon on top of each rice cup.
7. Bake for about 15 minutes. We like to put the oven on broil for the last 60 seconds to get the tops of the sushi cups crispy.
8. Remove the muffin tin from the oven, let cool slightly, and then transfer the sushi cups to a plate. Garnish with spicy mayo and chives.