Everyone likes sushi these days, right? Well, almost everyone. I think a lot of people think all sushi is raw fish. But it isn’t. A really popular kind of sushi at the sushi bars is salmon skin roll. My good friend Leslie and I just love them and always order them at our favorite sushi restaurant. The salmon skin is a bit charred…with just a little bit of the actual salmon ‘meat’ on the skin. It’s crispy, salmon-y, and delicious. It is usually made with some thin slices of cucumber, maybe carrot, and almost always a horseradish sprout. If you haven’t ordered one at your favorite sushi bar, you must do so!

Ok, so I thought I would do something a bit different and make myself a little sushi cake. Then I made a sushi bowl. Then I mixed everything from the sushi bowl together and formed it into a mound. Just a little sushi playing. So much fun to play with food. Whatever way you choose to do it, you will enjoy it.

Layers of Nori (seaweed), rice, salmon, cucumbers, sesame seeds….all stacked into a CAKE.

Sushi bowl…..rice topped with nori, salmon, cucumber strips, pickled ginger and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Salmon bowl all mixed together into a wonderful sushi mound. My favorite and it’s a great presentation for guests.

Salmon Sushi Cake (or bowl, or mound)

-cooked warm sushi rice (sushi rice is Japanese short grain rice, sprinkled with just a bit of rice vinegar, giving it a slightly sweet, tart taste)
-cooked salmon, preferably the skin, baked till crispy and chopped into small pieces
-cucumber with seeds removed, cut into strips
-toasted sesame seeds
-pickled “sushi” ginger or another kind of Japanese pickles (found at Japanese grocery stores)
-Nori (dried seawood sheets found at Asian markets and even in most grocery stores) Cut nori into a circle the size of your cake pan
-soy sauce and wasabi for dipping

For the cake: line a round cake pan with plastic wrap, extending over the edges. This is to prevent any rice from sticking to your pan. Place a sheet of nori on the bottom of the cake pan. Using moistened fingers, gently press rice down on top of the nori. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Top with salmon. Top with more rice and then cucumber strips and ginger. Add another layer of rice. Top with another sheet of nori. Gently press the top down. Place a plate on top of the cake pan and flip over. Remove pan and gently removed the plastic wrap. Slice and serve with soy sauce and wasabi.

For the bowl: Top a bowl of rice with the salmon, cucumber strips and ginger. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

For the mound: Mix the rice, salmon, ginger, torn pieces of nori and sesame seeds together. Line a container of your choice, with plastic wrap. Scoop the mixture in. (Ramekins work great) Slightly press down to compact everything. Flip over onto a serving plate and remove plastic wrap.

Play with your food!! It’s fun.