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Taste of the Wild: Great Lakes salmon (or steelhead) sushi bake

Sarah Kozlowski shares this recipe that she developed after noting a number of recipes that started showing up on the social media app, TikTok, for a baked salmon dish.

Sarah said she uses salmon or steelhead interchangeably and said that the size of the dish makes it great for leftovers throughout the week, especially when it is cool and less likely to fall apart.

NOTE: Furikake is a Japanese seasoning typically made with toasted sesame seeds, nori, salt, and sugar.

INGREDIENTS

2 salmon filets, skin removed

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder

3 cups of cooked rice (jasmine, basmati, or white rice)

1 cup of Don Ho’s brand YumYum™ Sauce

1 ⁄2 block of cream cheese

2 teaspoons of sriracha sauce

1/2 of a fresh lemon (juiced)

Dried seaweed (nori) snacks or large sheets (Roughly 10 small packs to layer and also eat the final product, or large sheets help for covering the layer between the rice and the salmon mixture)

Eel or sushi sauce (two small portion cups is the size I get at the grocery store)

1 bunch of green onions (chopped)

Sriracha mayonnaise

Optional: Furikake seasoning

Optional: avocado and cucumber slices for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a baking pan and line with aluminum foil and drizzle some of the EVOO on it, spreading to grease the foil. Place salmon fillets on the pan, drizzle and rub the balance of the EVOO onto filets and follow up by sprinkling the following seasonings on the top and sides of the filets: garlic powder, pepper, and salt. When the oven is preheated, bake the salmon for roughly 20 minutes until properly cooked through.

2. While this is baking, prepare your rice of choice per the package instructions. (Sarah noted she prefers the texture and taste of jasmine rice but indicated you can use basmati or traditional white rice too).

3. While the rice and fillets are cooking, use a medium to large size mixing bowl and blend the YumYum™ Sauce, cream cheese, sriracha sauce, and lemon juice. Give it a good mix with a spatula or an electric mixer until you get a smooth consistency.

4. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Remove the salmon from the oven and place the filets into the bowl with the cream cheese sauce blend.

Break the filets down into small chunks, and make sure to pick out any bones you may have missed while cleaning the fish. Mix the salmon and sauce together until the fish is coated evenly with the sauce blend.

6. Once the rice has finished cooking, scoop this into a deep baking dish until about half of the way up the depth of the pan. Be sure to spread it evenly and make it smooth on top. (You can save any additional rice for another meal later in the week!) Take your nori seaweed sheets and layer on top of the rice until it is covered. Add the salmon mixture to the top and smooth out. Drizzle the top with sriracha mayonnaise, eel and sushi sauce and/or furikake seasoning. Place in the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle chopped green onions on top.

7. To serve, take a metal spatula and cut the sushi bake into small, bite-sized squares. With each square, you’ll wrap a seaweed paper around the serving to finish it before serving. If desired, you can also serve with avocado slices and cucumber slices, to spice things up.

Recipe and photos by Sarah Kozlowski.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Sarah Kozlowski is from Hayward, Wisconsin; she’s an avid female outdoorswoman from Northwest Wisconsin. You can follow her adventures @skozlowskiii on Instagram.