Spicy Salmon Sushi with Crab

Spicy salmon sushi with crab is a delicious one bite sushi that has the combination of savory, slightly spicy, and sweet flavors! This salmon nigiri topped with avocado, spicy crab, teriyaki sauce (aka unagi sauce), sriracha, and green onions is not to be missed!

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. If you don’t want to buy at a store, you can make your own sushi grade salmon at home. To summarize the homemade salmon process, I 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!

INGREDIENTS:

These are the ingredients I recommend to get for delicious salmon sushi. The sushi rice needs to be slightly sour to complement the flavors of the raw salmon. I also recommend to get high quality salmon so the fish tastes fresh.

sushi rice:

• water – use water to soak rice prior to cooking
• short grain 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.
• rice vinegar – use this type of vinegar to season the rice
• sugar – balances the flavors of the sushi rice
• salt – balances the flavors of the sushi rice

spicy crab mixture:

• imitation crab or use real crab
• kewpie mayo – I like to use Japanese kewpie mayo compared to regular mayonnaise because it tastes sweeter and richer
• sriracha – I use this to make spicy mayo
• togarashi – Japanese 7 spice (add depending on your spice tolerance)
• sesame oil

assembly:

• sushi rice
• sushi grade salmon – find high quality salmon or make your own sushi grade salmon at home
• spicy crab – spicy mayo mixed with imitation crab
• avocado slices
• teriyaki sauce (eel sauce) – gives the sushi extra sweetness
• sriracha – for an extra kick
• chives or green onions, thinly sliced
• toasted sesame seeds

Recommended Teriyaki Sauce

We made 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! This sauce is the perfect amount of sweetness and savory flavor!

VARIATIONS:

For homemade sushi, you can substitute with your favorite types of fish or fish that is available at your store:

• type of fish – instead of salmon, you can use fresh sushi grade tuna. If you can find bluefin tuna, it is the highest grade of tuna and tastes the best.
• imitation crab – I like to use imitation crab for this recipe because that is what we used at the restaurant. However, if you want to use real crab, this recipe would be delicious with it.

I do not recommend substituting the type of rice such as brown rice or jasmine rice. The rice will not stick as well as the short grain rice. The result of using different types of rice is that your sushi will fall apart when you are eating.

HOW TO MAKE SPICY SALMON SUSHI:

1. 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. 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 ½ 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.
3. 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 ¼ cup vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, and ½ 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 ◡̈
4. 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!
5. 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 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 left, you can make hand rolls with the excess fish and spicy crab.

SERVE

Sushi is usually served with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce. When I eat at sushi restaurants, I always love ordering karaage (Japanese fried chicken) as an appetizer. You can make this crunchy fried chicken to serve with your sushi or end with a warm udon soup!

FAQ