Salmon Sushi Cups

Name: Salmon Sushi Cups
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 10 oz salmon (cubed); 3 tbsp Japanese mayo; ½ tbsp sriracha; 1 tsp lemon juice; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 3 sheets nori/seaweed; 1½ cup cooked sushi rice; ½ cup green onions (chopped); 1 tbsp furikake; 2 tbsp unagi sauce; 1 tsp sriracha

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Salmon sushi cups are a fun twist on traditional sushi, offering a convenient, budget-friendly, and easy way to enjoy this beloved Japanese classic. With their bite-sized servings and big flavors, these sushi cups are perfect for parties, gatherings, or even as a quick lunch, dinner or snack.

These sushi cups feature with layers of chewy sushi rice, fresh salmon bites tossed in sriracha mayo, green onions, furikake, and delicious sauces. Each bite is sure to tantalize your tastebuds!

A rectangular plate of salmon sushi cups topped with chopped green onions, sesame seeds and drizzled with sauces.

Table of Contents

Baked Sushi Cups

This salmon sushi cup recipe is dedicated to all sushi lovers out there. If you love sushi and want to make an attempt on a simpler, less tedious way of make sushi at home to satiate the sushi cravings, this salmon sushi cup recipe is for you!

Along with Sushi Bake and Salmon Sushi Bowl, salmon sushi cups is a delicious twist on traditional sushi.

Salmon sushi cups are essentially miniature sushi rolls, presented in the form of individual cups. Instead of rolling the ingredients in seaweed and slicing them into traditional sushi rolls, we layer them in small cups.

Trust me, not rolling those sushi rolls, which is probably the hardest part about making sushi and making it well, makes the whole process much easier.

One of the greatest things about sushi cups is their versatility. You can customize them to suit your preferences, incorporating various ingredients such as avocado, cucumber, or spicy mayo to create your own signature flavor profile.

Sushi cups got popular when a baked sushi cup recipe went viral on TikTok. I’ve made salmon sushi cups many times using different ingredients, but this is the one I always come back to. Feel free to use your favorite ingredients make this recipe your own!

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make salmon sushi cups:

A plate of sushi cups topped with baked salmon, along with furikake and chopped green onions

Japanese mayo – Japanese mayo is a tangy mayo with a more custard-like consistency. In a pinch, you can use regular mayo, but Japanese mayo is preferred.
Sriracha – this is a chili sauce that originated in Thailand. It can be spicy. Feel free to adjust the amount to meet your spice tolerance. And make sure to save some to drizzle over the finished cups.
Lemon juice – lemon and fish just go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Garlic – the ever fragrant and delicious addition to help up the flavor of any dish. Plan on mincing it for this salmon sushi cup recipe.
Salmon – the salmon is the star of this dish. It is worth getting as fresh as you can. You can use frozen salmon, but, in my experience, fresh just has a better taste.
Nori/seaweed sheets – nori is an edible seaweed. Nori sheets are typically larger than you need for these cups. You will need to cut them into 8 inch squares in order to fit them into the muffin cups. They are easily cut with kitchen scissors.
Sushi rice – you will need cooked sushi rice for this recipe. Sushi rice is basically seasoned short grain rice. Check out this homemade sushi rice recipe to learn how to make sushi rice.
Furikake – a Japanese rice seasoning typically used on rice that contains spices, seaweed pieces and sesame seeds. It brings a lot of great flavors to the sushi cup.
Green onions, sesame seeds – some simple toppings to sprinkle over your finished salmon sushi cups.
Unagi sauce – also known as eel sauce, unagi is basically a sweetened and condensed version of soy sauce. It is great for drizzling over these sushi cups. Alternatively, you can make your own!

How to make it

Salmon sushi cups are simple and quick to make. It should take no longer than 30 minutes from start to finish.

Prepare salmon filling: Slice the salmon into 1-inch cubes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the Japanese mayo, sriracha, lemon juice, and garlic, then add the cubed salmon to the bowl.

Fold cubed salmon in mayo mixture. Set bowl aside.

Assemble the Cups: Grab a muffin pan with 12-cups – this will be used to form the 12 sushi cups.

Cut nori into ~8 inch squares. Nori sheets can vary in size, but basically I cut the nori sheet into four squares.

Line each muffin tins with nori squares, then gently press nori square into each muffin cup. Note that nori will not stay situated until it is filled with rice.

Fill nori square with 2 tbsp of cooked sushi rice.

Nori in muffin cups topped with sushi rice

Next, top rice with 4-6 cubes of salmon.

Sushi cups topped with rice and raw salmon

Bake: Bake the sushi cups in a preheated oven 12-15 minutes until the salmon is cooked through and slightly browned on top.

Add toppings: Remove muffin tin from the oven, and remove the sushi cups from the muffin tins. Top with unagi sauce, sriracha if you like it spicy, and chopped green onions.

Serve: Serve baked sushi cups hot or at room temperature by itself, or with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger, or your favorite condiments.

You are going to love these salmon sushi cups! They are not only delicious but also incredibly convenient. Every bite is a lovely combination of so many textures and flavors!

Top down view of a rectangular plate of sushi cups topped with salmon, green onions and sauces

Storage and Reheating

To store leftover salmon sushi cups, place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

To reheat, simply place them in the oven or microwave until warmed through. Be sure not to overheat them to avoid drying out the salmon. Add more sauce and toppings when serving if desired.

Variations and Substitutions

Sushi cup fillings: you can experiment with different fillings such as crab meat, shrimp, tuna or pickled vegetables to create unique flavor combinations for your sushi cups.

Toppings: you can also garnish the sushi cups with sliced avocados, sliced cucumbers, sesame seeds, fried garlic, fried onions, tempura flakes for added flavor and texture.

Sauces: sriracha mayo, mayo, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, gochujang can be used to drizzle over each sushi cup as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use other fish instead of salmon? Can I use cooked fish?

Absolutely! Feel free to substitute salmon with your favorite fish such as tuna, yellowtail, or shrimp to create different flavor profiles. If using cooked fish, bake sushi cups in the oven for only 7-10 minutes. Remove promptly once sushi cups are warm.

Can I use any type of rice to make sushi cups?

Since this is a twist on sushi, sushi rice works best. Sushi rice is basically seasoned short grain rice – here is a blog post that covers everything you need to know about cooking and making sushi rice. Jasmine or basmati can be used if sushi rice is unavailable. However, taste and texture will differ slightly.

Can I make salmon sushi cups ahead of time?

Yes, you can assemble the sushi cups and store them in the refrigerator a few hours ahead of time until ready to bake. Because salmon is raw, I do not recommend storing assembled raw sushi cups in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours.

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