One of my favorite dishes at my parent’s Japanese-American restaurant is this salmon with spicy crab sushi. It is a salmon nigiri topped with avocado, spicy crab, teriyaki sauce (aka unagi sauce), sriracha, and green onions. The combination of all these ingredients make it a savory, slightly spicy, and a sweet bite!
This is Japanese American sushi so I cant say it is authentic by I assure you this dish is absolutely to die for. Keep in mind I’m not a sushi pro. I’m just here to show you my favorite dish at the restaurant. Hope you try this combination at your next sushi night!
Where to get sashimi grade salmon
I got my fish at Marukai Market (Japanese grocery store). I shop in the sashimi section and slice my own fish at home. For salmon, I also like to salt (large rock salts) the fish and freeze to get rid of any parasites. After freezing for 1-2 days, I defrost it in the refrigerator. I highly recommend going to a fish market or a place you trust to get sushi grade fish!
Sushi Rice
Good sushi starts with the rice. I am using short grain Japanese higher quality rice. We soaked the rice in water for 30 min to 1 hour to soften. Afterwards, add water and cook in rice cooker. I recommend to look at your rice package directions to cook the rice and how much water to add. However, you can always try my magic ratio of water and rice to make the sushi rice.
Recommended Teriyaki Sauce
We had homemade teriyaki sauce (link on amazon here for a 3 pack) at the restaurant but I don’t want to take 12+ hours to make my own. So I found a good equivalent at the Japanese store! Its the perfect amount of sweetness and savory flavor!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR YOUR SALMON WITH SPICY CRAB SUSHI:
sushi rice:
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups short grain sushi rice
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
spicy crab:
- half pack imitation crab (12 sticks)
- 1/2 cup kewpie mayo
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2-4 teaspoon togarashi – Japanese 7 spice (add depending on your spice tolerance)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
assembly:
- sushi rice
- sushi grade salmon or tuna
- spicy crab
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- teriyaki sauce (eel sauce)
- sriracha
- chives or green onions, thinly sliced
- sesame seeds
STEPS TO MAKE THE SALMON WITH SPICY CRAB SUSHI:
- Soak 2 cups of sushi rice with water for 30 minutes to one hour. After soaking, pour out the water and wash the rice a few times until water runs clear (3-4 times). Strain the rice (this helps you measure the perfect amount of water to add to the rice). Add the rice and 2 cups of water to the rice cooker. We want a 1:1 ratio (rice:water).
- While the rice is cooking, prepare your spicy crab mix. Chop up the imitation crab in 2 inch pieces. Add the crab to a bowl and mix with 1/2 cup kewpie mayo, 1 tablespoon sriracha, 2-4 teaspoon togarashi (add depending on your spice tolerance), and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. You can also eyeball this depending on your spice and mayo preferences. Set aside spicy crab in the fridge until the rice is done.
- When the rice is done, take it out in a large bowl. Fluff up the rice and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Once cooled, mix with 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the rice back to the rice cooker and cover until you make the sushi! We don’t want to dry out the rice ◡̈
- Slice the salmon and avocado in thin pieces. Chop up some green onions or chives. Take out the spicy crab from the fridge and you’re ready to assemble. Get a bowl of water and wet your hands with the water. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands!
- Gently squeeze ~2 tablespoons of sushi rice in one hand in a long oval shape. Shape in a nigiri shape like below. Add a thin slice of salmon on top of the rice. Then, add on top thinly sliced avocado, spicy crab, teriyaki sauce, sriracha, sliced green onions, and sesame seeds. Repeat until all the salmon is used. If you still have rice, fish and spicy crab left, you can make hand rolls!
Salmon with Spicy Crab Sushi
Ingredients
sushi rice
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups short grain sushi rice
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
spicy crab
- 12 sticks imitation crab
- ½ cup kewpie mayo
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2-4 teaspoons togarashi (Japanese 7 spice)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Assemble
- 2 pounds salmon or tuna
- 1 ripe avocado thinly sliced
- spicy crab
- teriyaki sauce (eel sauce)
- sriracha
- green onions thinly sliced
- sesame seeds
Instructions
make sushi rice
- Soak 2 cups of sushi rice with water for 30 minutes to one hour. After soaking, pour out the water and wash the rice a few times until water runs clear (3-4 times). Strain the rice (this helps you measure the perfect amount of water to add to the rice). Add the rice and 2 cups of water to the rice cooker. We want a 1:1 ratio (rice:water).2 cups water, 2 cups short grain sushi rice
- When the rice is done, take it out in a large bowl. Fluff up the rice and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Once cooled, mix with 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the rice back to the rice cooker and cover until you make the sushi! We don't want to dry out the rice ◡̈¼ cup rice vinegar, 2 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
spicy crab
- While the rice is cooking, prepare your spicy crab mix. Chop up the imitation crab in 2 inch pieces. Add the crab to a bowl and mix with 1/2 cup kewpie mayo, 1 tablespoon sriracha, 2-4 teaspoon togarashi (add depending on your spice tolerance), and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. You can also eyeball this depending on your spice and mayo preferences. Set aside spicy crab in the fridge until the rice is done.12 sticks imitation crab, ½ cup kewpie mayo, 1 tablespoon sriracha, 2-4 teaspoons togarashi (Japanese 7 spice), 1 teaspoon sesame oil
assemble
- Slice the salmon and avocado in thin pieces. Chop up some green onions or chives. Take out the spicy crab from the fridge and you're ready to assemble. Get a bowl of water and wet your hands with the water. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands!2 pounds salmon or tuna, 1 ripe avocado, sriracha
- Gently squeeze ~2 tablespoons of sushi rice in one hand in a long oval shape. Shape in a nigiri shape like below. Add a thin slice of salmon on top of the rice. Then, add on top thinly sliced avocado, spicy crab, teriyaki sauce, sriracha, sliced green onions, and sesame seeds. Repeat until all the salmon is used. If you still have rice, fish and spicy crab left, you can make hand rolls!2 cups short grain sushi rice, 1 tablespoon sriracha, 1 ripe avocado, spicy crab, sriracha, green onions, teriyaki sauce (eel sauce)
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cookwithdanaa on instagram to show me your beautiful creations!
Looking for more Japanese bites? Check out these delicious dishes:
- karaage (Japanese fried chicken): crunchy chicken in a flavorful marinade makes for the perfect fried chicken appetizer.
- katsu-don (pork cutlet rice bowl) – crunchy pork chop cooked in a savory egg & onion sauce in a rice bowl is the ultimate comfort food!
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