Sushi Bake

Our Sushi Bake is the one-dish single-serve weekday meal. A sushi bake is a warm, hearty dish made with flavors and ingredients often found in cooked sushi rolls. The hot, savory dish is then garnished with toppings of your choice, such as avocado, sesame seeds, and spicy mayo, and served scooped onto squares of nori (crisp seaweed). This dish makes a comforting meal for one or you could double or triple the recipe and serve to friends as an appetizer.

What stands out

This Sushi Bake is inspired by the flavors and ingredients of hot and creamy sushi rolls. If you love Philadelphia rolls or fried shrimp rolls you will adore the taste and texture of this dish: a crisp broiled top with layers of rich dairy, salty shrimp, and chewy rice. Also, it’s endlessly customizable, from the type of rice to the seafood and toppings.

How to Prepare

Preheat the oven to 400 (200C).

Rinse the rice and cook it as per the package instructions. We like to use our rice cooker and we add a nice pinch of salt to flavor it.

In a bowl add the softened cream cheese, mayo, sriracha, sesame oil, and coconut aminos and mix well. Then add the shrimp to the cream cheese mixture and stir to combine.

Take a small baking dish or ramekin and press down the cooked rice with the back of a spoon. Add the shrimp mixture on top of the rice and distribute it evenly with the back of a spoon.

Bake, uncovered, for 12 minutes. Switch the oven setting to broil (top of the oven only) and keep a close eye on the sushi bake as it broils. We like to broil the top for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.

Lastly, remove the ramekins from the oven and top the Sushi Bake with any of the optional garnishes. Enjoy with small sheets of nori.

Kitchen tip

We used 9 extra-large jumbo black tiger shrimp peeled and deveined in this Sushi Bake. If using fully frozen, make sure to thaw the shrimp and pat them dry with a paper towel. We then cut each shrimp into 5 small pieces.

Swaps

1. Instead of shrimp, you can also use salmon (pinbones and skin removed, and cut into small pieces) crab or lobster in this Sushi Bake.
2. You can top this Sushi Bake with other finely chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro, or scallions.
3. Use whatever kind of rice you love: jasmine, sushi, short-grain or brown rice. We like to cook ours in a rice cooker.

Serve it with

• This Sushi Bake is great loaded with toppings, like spicy mayo, which can be purchased, such as this Lee Kum Kee-brand sriracha mayo or prepared homemade.
• There are so many ways to scoop up the sushi bake: with sheets of nori (seaweed), nori crackers, rice crackers, or crisp leaves of lettuce, such as baby romaine or endive.
• If serving this Sushi Bake as an appetizer, follow it with some comforting Ramen Noodle Soup.

Questions

Can we use any other protein besides shrimp?

Yes, you can use salmon, lobster, crab, or even chicken in this Sushi Bake. Just make sure whatever protein you use is raw, boneless, skinless, and cut into even, small bite-size pieces, so it cooks evenly with the dish.

What are coconut aminos?

Can we make this dairy-free?

Ingredients

Makes 1 portion

• ½ cup jasmine rice, yields (1 cup cooked rice)
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 2 tablespoons mayo, any brand you enjoy
• sriracha, or any hot sauce you love (to taste)
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos, or soy sauce or tamari
• ½ pound jumbo shrimp, thawed if frozen and peeled, deveined, and cut into small pieces
• snack-size nori squares or nori sheets cut into squares

Optional Toppings

• ½ avocado, thinly sliced
• fresh chives, finely chopped
• spicy mayo
• sesame seeds
• furikake seasoning
• unagi sauce

Equipment

• 10 Ounce Ramekin
• Nakiri Knife
• Redmond Real Salt
• Rice Cooker
• Mixing Bowls
• Measuring Cups + Spoons

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C)
2. Rinse the rice and cook it as per the package instructions. We like to use our rice cooker and we add a nice pinch of salt to the rice to flavour it.
3. In a bowl, add the softened cream cheese, mayo, sriracha, sesame oil, and coconut aminos and mix well. Add the shrimp to the cream cheese mixture and stir to combine.
4. Take a small baking dish or ramekin and press down the cooked rice with the back of a spoon.
5. Add the shrimp mixture on top of the rice and distribute it evenly with the back of a spoon.
6. Bake, uncovered, for 12 minutes. Switch the oven setting to broil (top of the oven only) and keep a very close eye on the dish as it broils. We like to broil the top for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove the dish from the oven and top with any of the optional garnishes. Enjoy with small sheets of nori.