Sushi Casserole

My son and two of his buddies are coming over after a hard day of skiing to watch our exciting Bears crush the evil Green Bay Packers, and what better group-style dish to make to witness such a thrashing than sushi (think samurai warrior). Sushi casserole is a deconstructed sushi roll you lightly bake and then scoop onto cut seaweed squares (nori), to eat like you would a street taco. This recipe is for two 9×13 dish pans, these are college boys watching football. I am using crab and salmon for my protein but you can substitute any protein. I’ll top my casserole with a combination of Gochujang and Tzatzki sauces but again, the choice is up to you, although you should use something.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Crab meat – finely chopped or flaked
• 1 lb Salmon – cooked then flaked
• 2 cups Rice – uncooked, unwashed
• 18 oz water or stock
• 4 oz Mayo
• 2 oz Rice vinegar
• 2 TBL Sugar
• 1 TBL Toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 egg
• 1 Cucumber – finely sliced
• 1 large Avacado – diced
• 1 bunch Green Onion – finely chopped
• 1 bunch Cilantro – finely chopped
• Black sesame seeds to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Nori sheets – cut in 1/4th squares; should make ~40 squares

Process

1. Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
2. Line baking pans with parchment paper, or grease the pans.
3. Put rice and water into rice cooker and cook.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F.
5. In a sauce pan on LH, mix the vinegar, salt, and sugar until dissolved – don’t over heat.
6. As rice cooks, prepare the protein
   • In a large bowl, mix crab and salmon with mayo and mix well. Add egg and mix until incorporated. Add in avocado, half of the cilantro, green onion, and cucumber, then set aside.
7. Place rice in large bowl and fold in vinegar solution.
8. Add the toasted sesame seeds,
9. Divide the rice between baking pans and gently spread out to a flat even layer in each pan.
10. Divide protein mix between pans and spread out evenly.
11. Top with black sesame seeds and optional black pepper.
12. Starting in one corner of the pan, squirt sauces on top creating a diagonal pattern.
13. Bake uncovered for ~25mins.
14. Garnish with remaining cilantro, green onion, and cucumber.*
15. To serve, place of scoop of the casserole onto a nori square and eat.

*Note: you can add the garnish after step 15 if that accommodates your guest’s preferences.