The Best Crab Sushi Bake

Crab Sushi Bake is a no-bake casserole packed with traditional sushi ingredients (sticky rice, fresh cucumber, crab, and avocado) and garnished with your favorite sushi toppings. This reconstructed sushi roll is a fun, easy meal that's perfect for any night of the week!

If you like this recipe, try my Spicy Crab Sushi Bake next. You'll also love my Dragon Roll Sushi Bowls, Philly Roll Sushi Bowl, and Garlic Noodle Soup with Spicy Pork too!

Crab sushi bake is creamy layers of sweet crab meat with savory, umami flavors. This is perfect for a casual family dinner, picnic, or potluck. Each bite is better than the last so this dish is definitely a crowd-pleaser.

This no-bake sushi bake is also so easy to make. The key components are prepared first, then you assemble the casserole and let it set in the fridge before serving.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Crab Sushi Bake Recipe
• What is a Crab Sushi Bake?
• Ingredients
• The Best Rice for Sushi Bake
• How to Make Crab Sushi Bake
• Tips and Tricks for the Best Crab Sushi Bake
• Substitutions for this Recipe
• How to Store Leftover Crab Sushi Bake
• How long does Crab Sushi Bake last?
• FAQ
• Crab Sushi Bake

Why You'll Love This Crab Sushi Bake Recipe

• Great for Potlucks! This is an affordable way to serve seafood to a crowd. Scoop and serve so everyone gets a taste of something truly decadent.
• Easy Prep! This no-bake sushi bake does not require an oven. Add your prepared ingredients in layers and refrigerate so the flavors have time to meld. It's that simple.
• Super Versatile! This real crab sushi bake is totally customizable from the protein to the flavor and the toppings. Take this recipe as a helpful suggestion and make it your own.

What is a Crab Sushi Bake?

Sushi bake is a deconstructed version of traditional sushi. The recipe is prepared in a baking dish and most times baked like a casserole. For this reason, sushi bake can consist of all your favorite sushi additions like fresh crab, salmon, shrimp, spicy mayo, avocado, crunchy onion, and more. The possibilities for additions and toppings are endless!

While sushi bake is fairly new, it has become extremely popular across social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. There are many variations of sushi bake recipes, but this recipe is centered around fresh crab.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make the best crab sushi bake. Keep in mind this is just a blueprint. Use what you have access to.

SUSHI RICE

• Sushi Rice. Short-grain rice is best for this recipe.
• Water. To cook the rice in.
• Rice Wine Vinegar. The mild sweet-sour flavor adds complexity to the overall flavor of the sushi.
• Sugar. For depth of flavor, add a touch of sweetness.
• Salt. This balances the other flavors.
• Oil. This improves texture and adds moisture. (I use grapeseed oil.)

CRAB MIXTURE

• Dungeness Crab. This is my protein of choice because it's succulent and tender.
• Mayo. Use regular mayo or Japanese mayo. If using Japanese mayo, try kewpie mayo, a mayonnaise made with egg yolks for a richer taste.
• Lemon Juice. This brightens the overall taste with a pop of citrus flavor.
• Old Bay. The sweet, spicy flavor of this classic seasoning makes the crab meat mixture absolutely irresistible.

AVOCADO MIXTURE

• Avocado. Use ripe avocados for a creamy texture.
• Season All. Use this or salt and black pepper.
• Lemon or Lime Juice. Some citrus flavor enhances the avocado taste.

ADDITIONAL FILLINGS

• Cucumber
• Jalapeno (optional)
• Nori Sheets or Seaweed Papers

SPICY MAYO

• Mayo
• Sriracha
• Sesame Oil
• Garlic Paste (or fresh minced garlic)

TOPPINGS

• Sriracha (optional)
• Spicy Mayo
• Toasted Sesame Seeds 
• Fried Onions (optional)
• Green Onion 
• Wasabi
• Pickled Ginger

The Best Rice for Sushi Bake

Sushi rice is the best rice for sushi bake because it enhances the flavor and gives the dish the true sushi flavor and texture you expect. You can find it in your local grocery store, Target or an Asian market.

Sushi rice is a short-grain rice. It is prepared with additional ingredients to give it a sticky texture. Medium to long-grain rice is not able to withstand the added ingredients as well as short-grain rice.

Here's an image of the sushi rice I cook with and with all of my Asian inspired meals. I absolutely love Calrose Rice and you can find my favorite brand by clicking here. This rice requires only to be soaked once and not rinsed several times before cooking.

If you're in a pinch, regular rice will work too but sushi rice will give you the best results.

How to Make Crab Sushi Bake

Begin by preparing the sushi rice. Follow the package instructions on your bag of rice. While the rice is cooking, let's complete a few more steps.

After the rice has cooked. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, and oil and stir until combined. Add liquid mixture to rice and stir until thoroughly combined. Allow rice to cool before assembly.

HOW TO PREPARE SPICY MAYO

If you are preparing the spicy mayo homemade, now is a good time to prepare it. Allowing the sauce to marinate makes for great flavor. You can certainly purchase store bought too.

Start by adding mayo, sriracha, sesame oil and garlic to a bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Adjust spiciness and flavor to your liking and refrigerate until ready for use.

ADDITIONAL CRAB SUSHI BAKE INSTRUCTIONS

Next, in a medium sized bowl, add crab, mayo, Cajun seasoning and lemon juice. Stir gently until combined and set aside until assembly.

Next, peel the cucumber and small dice. Small dice jalapeno and deseed to decrease spice level (optional). Roughly chop green onion and set all prepped ingredients aside.

Now, peel and deseed the avocado and add lemon juice and season all. Smash avocado until smooth and set this aside too. Tip! Add the seed of the avocado to prepared avocado smash mixture, this will help with the mixture not browning as fast!

CRAB SUSHI BAKE ASSEMBLY

With your pre-greased baking dish, add half of the cooked sushi rice to the bottom of the baking dish and press rice firmly until smooth and even. By using a flat utensil such as a spatula, you'll get the best results ensuring the rice is evenly flat.

Next, add one sheet of nori and add crab mixture on top of nori spreading evenly throughout dish. Then, add diced cucumber and jalapeno and spread evenly over dish.

Add avocado mixture and spread evenly over cucumber and jalapeno mixture. Lastly, top with second piece of nori and add remaining sushi rice on top of nori.

HOW TO GARNISH THE BEST CRAB SUSHI BAKE

Lastly, place clear wrap on top of finished casserole and press down firmly to compress casseroles ingredients.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Crab Sushi Bake

• Use short-grain rice. You can find sushi-grade rice at your local grocery store in the international/Asian aisle.
• Depending on package instructions you'll need to rinse or soak the rice for best results.
• The vinegar, sugar and additional ingredients really give great, authentic flavor so don't omit!
• When adding additional ingredients to make sushi rice, do so after rice is immediately cooked. (My first attempt didn't go as well for not following this trick)
• Use an appropriate pot to cook your rice if you don't own a rice cooker.
• The rice will need time to cool before assembling the casserole. (I was too anxious on the first attempt and burned my fingers, ouch!)
• Place crab sushi bake in the refrigerator for at least fifteen minutes to let ingredients and flavors mesh.
• Remove from the refrigerator after fifteen minutes and top with favorite toppings such as sriracha, spicy mayo, green onion, fried onions, toasted sesame seeds and enjoy!
• This particular recipe is not baked but prepared like a dish and served casserole style. You can certainly bake it but I didn't want to disturb the integrity of the crab.

Substitutions for this Recipe

Protein-Substitute crab for shrimp, scallops, imitation crab or go meatless!

Nori- Can't find nori sheets? Simply omit the layering of nori sheets and use flavored seaweed sheets to place the completed casserole on top of.

Additions- Add fresh fruit like mango. Or double up on protein and add crab and shrimp. Fun toppings like fried onions and fun sauces like unagi sauce would be delicious!

How to Store Leftover Crab Sushi Bake

While I'm certain you will have minimal leftovers because this dish is absolutely delicious, you can store crab sushi bake. Simply transfer the leftover casserole into an airtight container and store in the fridge.

This step will work best using a spatula while transferring the recipe into the storage dish. Be careful with keeping the integrity of the casserole intact by using the spatula for best assistance.

How long does Crab Sushi Bake last?

Again, this recipe will not last long and I'm certain your loved ones or guests will absolutely devour this recipe. But, once stored this dish can last in the refrigerator for up to about three days.

I always use my old school rule of thumb that if it smells funny. It's probably not the safest to consume!

FAQ

What goes good with sushi bake?

Serve sushi bake with flavored seaweed sheets for handrolls. It would also be delicious with a seaweed salad or an Asian-style salad with ginger dressing.

What is sushi bake made of?

The essential ingredients for sushi bake are: short grain rice, Nori sheets, your preferred protein (typically crab, salmon, or shrimp), rice vinegar, mayo, and sugar.

Is the crab in sushi cooked?

Crab is cooked before it is added to sushi.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CRAB SUSHI BAKE RECIPE!

If you try this recipe, I'd love to see it! Share it with me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.