Cut The Cook Time For Your Sushi Bake In Half With One Simple Swap

Trendy recipe ideas come and go quickly these days, but the most delicious and practical become the next generation of family favorites. Sushi bake is destined to be a keeper, with super flexible ingredients that are easy to have on hand for either a quick weeknight nosh or a dressed up weekend splurge. In fact, if you find yourself with leftover rice and cooked fish, you're nearly halfway to dinner time — no need to thaw out a filet or cook a pot of rice!

Though you could use whatever fish you prefer, our go-to is a salmon sushi bake. First, we cook the salmon and rice, then we add a set of savory seasonings before pressing the ingredients into a dish for the final warming step. However, there's no reason you can't do exactly the same steps to convert the remnants of another dinner into something completely different. In fact the flavors of honey-citrus salmon or smoky cedar plank roasted salmon would add great flavor accents to your bake.

For the most successful results, keep your favorite sushi rolls in mind. There's no reason to limit your bake to salmon — leftover cooked shrimp, tuna, or even a can of tuna will give you tasty results. If you love the flavors of California roll, grab some cooked or canned crab at the store, or find convenient surimi (fake crab) to substitute. You can even make a vegan sushi bake version by swapping the fish for leftover tofu or your favorite savory vegetables.

When it comes time to do the essential baking step, be careful not to overcook your already cooked ingredients. Fish doesn't improve with overcooking, and reheating rice properly requires a bit of special care for the optimal texture. You can reduce the baking temperature a bit, or add a little extra water to help with that. Pat your seasoned rice and toppings into a thin layer so the heat travels through the ingredients quickly, leaving you with an evenly warm, delicious result.