If you love sushi but not the rolling, these salmon sushi cups are the answer. This is everything you want in a quick homemade sushi recipe. Easy baked rice cups, tender salmon, creamy sauce, and all those savory sushi bake flavors packed into a handheld bite. This is fun salmon recipe for a weekend snack and easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
This was inspired by my Lion King Sushi Bake, Spam Rice Balls and Korean Rice balls on this site. I really love pairing this Salmon recipe with Yaki Udon Stir Fried Noodles and Taiwanese Cucumber Salad are my favorite dishes to serve with Salmon Sushi Cups.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy enough for weeknight cooking and snack prep
- A fun homemade sushi recipe without rolling
- Great for lunch, dinner, appetizers, or meal prep
- Beginner friendly but still impressive enough to serve guests
- Easy to customize with spice level, toppings, or different sauces
🍣 Salmon Sushi Cup recipe ingredients
- Momofuku Chili Crunch
- Seasoned rice vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Sesame Seed oil
- Unagi sauce
- Nori sheets
- Furikake
- Kewpie Mayo
A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found on the recipe card below.
🥒 Substitutions & Variations
- Salmon - Use canned salmon if you need a very fast shortcut
- Toppings - add avocado on top for a creamy finish, or cucumbers for a refreshing bite
- Furikake - If you do not have furikake, toasted sesame seeds are a good alternative
- Proteins - Swap salmon for shrimp, tuna or even imitation crab
- Soy Sauce - Coconut aminos are a great sub here
🔪 How to make Sushi Bake Cups
- Step 1: Cook sushi rice. While warm, mix with seasoned rice vinegar and let cool slightly.
- Step 2: Remove skin and bones from salmon, then cube into 1 inch pieces. Add to a bowl and toss with chili crunch, soy sauce, mayo, sesame oil, garlic salt, and onion powder.
- Step 3: Cut nori into quarters with scissors.
- Step 4: Place a nori square on your work surface. Flatten about 2 tablespoons of rice onto the seaweed using a spoon,
- Step 5: Press the nori into the muffin tin until the tray is filled.
- Step 6: Top with about 2 tablespoons of salmon.
- Step 7: Bake at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes, then turn on broil for the last minute to crisp the edges.
- Step 8: While the sushi cups cook, mix together mayo, chili crisp, and a splash of water to make spicy mayo.
- Step 9: Remove sushi cups from the pan and spoon over spicy mayo, unagi sauce, furikake, and green onions.
- Step 10: Optionally garnish or serve with cucumbers and avocados. Enjoy!
Hint: Press the rice firmly so the cups hold together after baking
💡 Recipe Pro tips
- Add a few drops of water to the spicy mayo if you want a smoother, drizzle friendly consistency
- Slightly warm rice presses into the muffin tin better and helps the cups hold their shape after baking
- Cut salmon into even pieces so everything cooks at the same rate
- Use traditional mayo or Kewpie Mayo for a sushi house taste
💭 Baked Salmon Recipe FAQ
Yes, you can absolutely use canned salmon for sushi, especially for easy homemade sushi bowls, baked sushi cups, hand rolls, or spicy salmon rolls
The tastiest way to cook salmon is usually crispy pan seared or oven roasted with a flavorful glaze. Pan seared salmon gives you crispy edges and a juicy center, while oven roasted salmon stays tender and flaky.
Frozen salmon can be just as good as fresh salmon because most salmon is frozen shortly after being caught to preserve freshness and quality. Many sushi restaurants and seafood markets actually use previously frozen salmon
🫙 Storage
- Store the salmon cups in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- For best texture, assemble right before serving.
More Rice Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
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📖 Recipe Card
Easy Baked Salmon Sushi Cups
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb salmon cubed, skin and bones removed
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili crunch oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1.5 tablespoon mayonnaise
Sushi Rice
- 2 cups
cooked rice
- 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
Toppings
- 1 tablespoon furikaki
- 1 green onion chopped
- 2 tablespoon unagi sauce
- 4 sheets nori
Spicy Mayo
- ½ tablespoon Chili Crunch
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
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Instructions
- Cook sushi rice. While warm, mix with seasoned rice vinegar and let cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Remove skin and bones from salmon, then cube into 1 inch pieces. Toss with chili crunch, soy sauce, sesame oil, mayonnaise, garlic salt, and onion powder.
- Cut nori seaweed paper into quarters with scissors.
- Place a nori square on your work surface. Flatten about 2 tablespoons of rice onto the seaweed using a spoon, then press it into the muffin tin. Top with about 2 tablespoons of salmon.
- Bake at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes, then turn on broil for the last minute to crisp the edges.
- While the sushi cups cook, mix together mayo, chili crisp, and a splash of water to make spicy mayo.
- Remove sushi cups from the pan and spoon over spicy mayo, unagi sauce, furikake, and green onions. Optionally garnish or serve with cucumbers and avocados.
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