How To Turn A Can Of Tuna Into A Sushi Bake

Making a sushi bake with canned tuna takes just a couple more steps than whipping up a basic tuna salad, but the payoff is big. Sushi bakes often use imitation crab for a low-lift situation that does not require pre-cooking, but canned tuna is even easier to prepare.

Just start by draining a couple of tins of your favorite tuna. In this case, tuna canned in water is the better option because of the slightly firmer texture. For the simplest take, combine the tuna with mayonnaise — though you can also incorporate sour cream or Greek yogurt for a little tanginess. For extra richness and a thicker texture, add cream cheese for a situation where seafood and cheese are definitely meant to be together. If you like, use sambal oelek or sriracha for a kick.

If you don't have canned tuna on hand, canned salmon, shrimp, or crab will all work just as well. This is also a great way to give leftover cooked seafood new life. Another great way to add umami depth is to incorporate masago or tobiko into your tuna salad mixture. Masago are the eggs from a type of smelt fish, and tobiko is the roe from flying fish. Both lend a pleasant textural variation and a pretty bit of color to an otherwise creamy and fairly neutral dish.

For the rice, any short-grain variety will work, but sushi rice is ideal. You want something that is pleasantly sticky and holds together when cooked, so freshly made is a better choice than leftovers. Season it with ingredients like sesame oil, rice vinegar, and a little white sugar.

Lightly press the warm rice into a baking dish or a muffin tin to make mini sushi bake cups, and then top it generously with furikake — this is one component that cannot be skipped. Furikake is Japanese rice seasoning that nearly always contains dried seaweed, sesame seeds, salt, sugar, and other dried, crunchy, salty, savory toppings. There are so many delicious variations that include items like citrusy perilla leaves, powdered eggs, bonito fish or salmon flakes, wasabi, and more.

Layer on your tuna salad, drizzle on some more mayo and sriracha to taste, and then add another good sprinkle of furikake. Pop it in the oven, and bake until lightly browned and bubbly, which should take about 15 minutes or so.

After exerting minimal effort, you will have made a dish that has all the tastiest components of casseroles, California rolls, and mayo-based tuna salad. Of course, the best part is eating it. You can pretty much just dig in straight from the casserole dish, which is what makes sushi bakes so fun, communal, and comforting.

A classic way to serve this dish is with Korean-style seaweed snacks called Gim, which come toasted and seasoned. You can also use nori sheets — but if they're large, you may want to cut them into quarters. Just grab a piece of the seaweed and spoon in a bite of the sushi bake, making sure to get a bit of each layer.

You can also dress up your sushi bake with more toppings to add cooling and crisp components — avocado and cucumber are go-tos. Sliced scallions, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, eel sauce, kimchi, or even cubes of fresh mango are all delicious additions. Scatter the toppings over the entire dish or place them in pretty bowls on the side. That way, everyone can make their own perfect bite!