Salmon Sushi Bake
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Oct 21, 2025 
This crowd-pleasing Salmon Sushi Bake is a unique take on your favorite non-traditional sushi roll! It features layers of tender sushi rice, cream cheese, nori, and salmon, all baked together and served with tasty fresh garnishes.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
OK, admittedly, this is a strange recipe… but Salmon Sushi Bake is delicious! I’ve been noticing sushi bake recipes floating around online and on social media for the last 8 to 10 years. But I was never willing to try them because, to me, sushi isn’t baked or cooked in any fashion; it contains raw fish.
However, if you love the idea of all the flavors and textures involved in sushi, yet are not fond of ingesting raw seafood, this is the Baked Salmon Sushi recipe for you!
Why You’ll Love Salmon Sushi Bake
- Layers of rich flavor – My recipe features a thin layer of cream cheese to balance the spicy mayo in the salmon. And I’ve also topped the sushi bake with unagi sauce, furikake rice seasoning, scallions, as well as additional garnishes like thinly sliced cucumbers, jalapeños, and radishes!
- Served hot or cold – Sushi bake can be enjoyed hot, but I actually prefer to bake it and chill it, so the pieces are easier to cut into perfect squares, and it has more of the taste and feel of sushi, which, of course, is served cold or at room temperature.
This Salmon Sushi Bake recipe is a great show-stopping appetizer to serve at parties and events.
Ingredients and Tips
- Salmon – I prefer wild-caught sockeye (but buy the freshest salmon available to you).
- Soy sauce – You can also use gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos.
- White rice – Make sure it’s precooked and cooled.
- Nori – These are those thin sheets of dried seaweed. You can find these in most supermarkets.
- Cream cheese – Use a regular softened cream cheese.
- Sriracha mayonnaise – if you can’t find sriracha mayo, make your own by combining mayonnaise with sriracha to taste
- Garnishes – Use sliced green onions, eel sauce, furikake seasoning, or sesame seeds, plus optional goodies like thinly sliced radish, cucumbers, jalapeños, avocado, and/or pickled ginger.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Fish – Salmon is a great fish option for a sushi bake, because it’s just as delicious baked as it is raw. However, you can substitute it with other types of fish commonly found in sushi rolls, such as tuna or whitefish, or even shrimp or chopped imitation crab meat.
- Mini versions – Make mini versions of this recipe — great for parties!
- Vegetarian – Replace the salmon with mushrooms or sweet potato.
- Brown rice – Instead of white rice, use brown rice for a more nutritious version.
- Cream cheese – Use low fat cream cheese for a slightly lighter dish. Or make this salmon sushi bake without cream cheese and simply layer the salmon mixture right on top of the seaweed.
- Mayo – Swap spicy sriracha for plain mayo or Japanese mayo (Kewpie mayo) for a mild casserole.
How to Make Salmon Sushi Bake
Tips for Success – For the best appearance, take time to make the layers even and neat.
Find the full Salmon Sushi Bake recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Place leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Serving Suggestions
Sushi bake can be served at any temperature, but I prefer to enjoy it cold or at room temperature.
When ready to serve, cut the salmon sushi bake into 12 to 24 pieces. Sprinkle the tops with furikake rice seasoning. Then drizzle eel sauce over the top of each piece and sprinkle with scallions.
Also, feel free to add extra fresh and crunchy garnishes! Here we added our favorite toppings, a thin slice of cucumber, radish, and jalapeño.
You can also add avocado slices on top, but Pro Tip: the squares must be eaten immediately, so the avocado doesn’t brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cooking the salmon with soy sauce and combining it with sriracha mayo completely cuts that “fishy” taste. Altogether, the salmon tastes nicely sweet and spicy, so even folks that are usually picky about seafood will love this casserole!
You can enjoy it hot, but it holds its shape better once cooled… It’s best to enjoy the baked sushi either cooled to room temperature or chilled in the fridge.
Salmon Sushi Bake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ – 2 pounds wild sockeye salmon filet
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 32 ounces ready-made cooked sticky rice or 3 cups dried sushi rice, cooked according to package
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2-3 nori sheets
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ cup sriracha mayonnaise
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- 3 tablespoons eel sauce or oyster sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons furikake rice seasoning
- Optional garnishes: thinly sliced radish, cucumbers, jalapeno, avocado, and/or pickled ginger
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lay out a large rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Place the salmon fillet on the parchment paper and drizzle 2 tablespoons of soy sauce over the top.
- Bake the salmon for 15 minutes until cooked through, then cool.
- While the salmon is baking, set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Dump the cooked rice into the baking dish and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar. Toss the rice by hand and then press it firmly into an even layer in the bottom of the dish.
- Next lay the Nori sheets over the top of the rice. If needed, cut them with scissors to fit them evenly over the entire surface of the rice.
- Gently spread the softened cream cheese over the entire surface of the Nori sheets. Use a large flat frosting spreader to spread the cream cheese in an even layer.
- Once the salmon comes out of the oven, set out a mixing bowl. Remove the skins and discard. Then crumble the cooked salmon into the mixing bowl. Add the sriracha mayo, and mix the salmon and mayo together until well combined. Spread the salmon mixture over the top of the cream cheese mixture in an even layer.
- Place the sushi bake in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the salmon layer is well set.
- Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Or refrigerate until cold and then cut.
- When ready to serve, cut the sushi bake into 12 to 24 pieces. Sprinkle the tops with furikake rice seasoning. Then drizzle eel sauce over the top of each piece and sprinkle with scallions.
- Feel free to add extra fresh and crunchy garnishes! Here we added a thin slice of cucumber, radish, and jalapeño on top!
This Salmon Sushi Baked Recipe is something I’ve never tried before. It’s full of flavor and it gets better and better as I have it! It’s super delicious!
This was such a unique and fun meal to make. My husband and I loved it!
This is so good! The layers of sushi rice, cream cheese, nori, and salmon are perfectly baked and topped with fresh garnishes. It’s a unique and delicious twist! It was gone quickly.
Oh my goodness, this dish was everything that I wanted it to be and more! thank you so much for sharing this amazingly unique recipe!