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Move over, sushi bake because this No-Bake Sushi Bake with Imitation Crab is what busy families need. The sushi bake casserole that we all know, and love is great for potlucks and allows everyone to customize their own plate with the toppings they love. But why spend the extra 10 minutes baking the whole thing in the oven when everyone is hungry for dinner? Just serve it in the pan right after topping the rice with the imitation crab mix and furikake!
I also love this recipe because it doesn’t leave me wondering how I am going to use up the leftover cream cheese from the 8-ounce block. While I love the sushi bake with cream cheese, we don’t eat bagels with cream cheese often and don’t cook with it on a regular basis so I will have a block of cream cheese going bad in my fridge. You can use light kewpie mayo with or in place of light mayonnaise if you have it; it tastes delicious.
Health Benefits: Sushi Bake
I’ve talked about the protein and minerals in imitation crab (surimi) in the past in my post about my family’s Red Potato and Imitation Crab salad. In the fried rice post I raved about Genji Mai brown rice, which works just as well in any sushi recipe that I’ve tried so far! But what about a no-bake sushi bake?
No-bake sushi bake mostly helps my son to eat his vegetables. He enjoys trying different lettuces and sprouts in the sushi bake. So far, he is liking it with radish sprouts (which as 18 different vitamins and minerals) and julienned spinach. He also loves that he gets to eat as many dried and roasted seaweed sheets as he wants. I’ve got a link to some good roasted seaweed sheets below.
Good Toppings for No-Bake Sushi Bake
Avocado, radish sprouts, or julienned spinach (because my son loves it!) are some of our favorites. Radish sprouts are great because you just wash and cut off the stems and the slight peppery flavor cuts go well with the creaminess. It’s minimal chopping, which is great for hungry kids that just can’t wait for you to finish making dinner.
If you want to top this with light kewpie mayo and/or unagi or tonkatsu sauce go ahead!
How long does No-Bake Sushi Bake take to make?
The prep and cook time will vary depending on whether you are cooking your rice in a rice cooker, multipurpose cooker (i.e. instant pot or similar), or on the stove. If your rice cooking is hands off, then you can prep your remaining ingredients while the rice is cooking. In about 40 minutes, you can have a complete No-Bake Sushi Bake on your table even with kids interrupting your prep and maybe even wash a few dishes before eating.
Cooking rice on the stove will require you to keep an eye on it and stir it occasionally. It’s not hard to cook, but it is more time consuming, and it may take about 50 minutes to get everything done.
Regardless, the effort to make this is worth it because sushi bowls, poke bowls, sushi rolls, they’re all expensive to buy out at restaurants and grocery stores that sell prepared Asian food. Use this easy Pantry Sushi Rice Seasoning (Small Batch) recipe for your No-Bake Sushi Bake. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
If you enjoy this recipe, try some of these other easy to prepare seafood recipes that you will come back to again and again.
No-Bake Sushi Bake with Imitation Crab
Equipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 9" x 9" baking dish or serving plate (8" x 8" is also okay)
- 1 rice paddle or spoon
Ingredients
- 3 cups hot cooked medium grain rice (about 1 ½ cups raw medium grain rice)
- 2 tbsp Pantry Sushi Rice Seasoning (Small Batch) or store bought sushi rice vinegar
- 8 ounces imitation crab diced
- ⅓ cup light mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp furikake (dried seaweed and sesame seed rice seasoning)
- 5 0.14 ounce packages dried and roasted seasoned seaweed sheets
- 1 avocado sliced (optional)
- 4 ounces radish sprouts (optional)
Instructions
- While your rice is cooking or reheating, prepare your sushi rice seasoning if you are making this yourself.
- Dice the imitation crab into small pieces. Place in a large bowl and mix with the light mayonnaise until well combined. If you prefer, use a fork to shred the pieces before mixing with the mayo; this will make the mixture look more pink than red and white mixed together.
- Wash and cut any toppings you will have for the dish. Try avocado, cucumber, radish sprouts, or other leafy greens.
- When your rice is done cooking (or done reheating so it is steaming hot), put it in a baking dish or serving dish and lightly spread it out over the bottom. Then pour your sushi rice seasoning over the rice. Use a rice paddle or a spoon to help spread out the sushi rice seasoning as you pour it for more even coverage then mix until well combined. Use the rice paddle or spoon to push the seasoned rice down flat into the dish.
- Top the seasoned rice with the imitation crab mixture in a smooth and even layer. Then top with furikake. If desired, squeeze thin strips of more mayonnaise and/or a savory unagi (broiled eel) or tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) sauce over the top (optional).
- Serve with dried and roasted seaweed sheets and your toppings of choice.
