Get Your Sushi Fix In A Pinch With This Muffin Tin Trick

Your next sushi-making endeavors don't need to include bamboo mats and complicated attempts at rolling raw fish. A muffin tin is your quick ticket to easy, hassle-free bites of sushi that can be portioned, packaged, and carried conveniently to the office for lunch. For those who don't want to deal with raw seafood, layering muffin tin compartments with smoked fish — or simply a handful of chopped vegetables — to bake or store is a meal prep hack that can comfortably fall into this week's menu planning.

To create these savory sushi-inspired bites, manipulate nori (seaweed sheets) into the compartments of the muffin tin before layering your choice of sushi ingredients and toppings. Whether you bake the treats or not is up to you. Should you use raw ingredients, baking is convenient enough, as you simply need to place the tray into a hot oven. But if you want to use fresh vegetables and smoked salmon, cold and room-temperature tins will help keep the layered pieces organized and in place. When made ahead, these sushi muffins can make entertaining duties a lot easier.

Use cooked simple seasoned sushi rice to pack the nori-lined muffin tins, so that the warm rice easily folds on top of the seaweed squares placed into the separate indentations. Spoon prepared shrimp, spicy crab salad filling, or tuna onto the rice and finish the cups with your choice of crunchy onions, sprinkles of sesame seed, or drizzles of soy sauce. Spicy mayo and chives can be added to the prepared sushi muffins just before serving. For raw ingredients, cook accordingly, following a process similar to preparing a salmon sushi bake, and consider using the broiler setting to crisp the tops of sushi muffin cups that have been garnished with cheese.

Once you are familiar with the muffin-sushi-making process, you can vary your meals with your favorite sushi recipes in a palm-sized form. These easy-to-customize and easy-to-serve sushi bites are ideal for dinner parties and grazing tables, and you can set out ingredients for family members to make their own with their choice of proteins, spicy ingredients, and sweeter sauces.