Spicy Salmon Sushi Pizza Bites

Making these Spicy Salmon Sushi Pizza Bites is a fun way to serve sushi as an appetizer or as a meal! Fry up the rice cakes and add any toppings to make a colorful sushi pizza.

Make these spicy salmon sushi pizza bites by making rice cakes and then adding your toppings.
Make these spicy salmon sushi pizza bites by making rice cakes and then adding your toppings.

Ingredients:

  • Fried Rice Cakes: I like to make freshly fried rice cakes for this recipe. Simply take freshly-made sushi rice and season it with rice vinegar, white sugar and salt. Coat the cakes in all-purpose flour, then beaten eggs and then panko bread crumbs.
  • Spicy Salmon: I love topping these pizza bites with spicy salmon. Take your salmon and cut it into bite-sized cubes. Mix sriracha mayo into the salmon and refrigerate until your rice cakes are ready.
  • Masago: A bright, vibrant orange fish roe is commonly found in Japanese cuisine.
  • Seaweed Salad: Also known as Wakame, this is a Japanese side dish that is sweet, savory and has the texture of crunchy seaweed. Add as a garnish to your sushi pizzas or on the side when serving.
  • Chives or Green onions: Adding sliced onions or chives not only will add a bright green pop to your sushi bites, but it will also add a zesty onion-y flavory.

How to Make Spicy Salmon Sushi Pizza Bites

Making these pizza bites is quite simple and fast – it’s as easy as throwing all the ingredients together!

First, make the sushi rice and turn them into the fried rice cakes. Then, prepare your toppings. Use raw proteins like I did, or use vegan or cooked proteins (such as crab, shrimp or tofu).

Put your sushi bites together or make it into a family or dinner party activity.

Making the Fried Rice Cakes

Making the rice cakes as the “crust” for these sushi pizzas is going to be the most labor intensive part of this recipe.

First, you’ll want to make your sushi rice. You can make it in a rice cooker, which is what I did, or you can. make it in a covered stock pot on the stove. Since sushi rice is a short grain sticky rice, you will need to add more water when cooking than your standard jasmine rice.

Once the rice is done cooking, season the rice with rice vinegar, salt and sugar. Mix well and then let the rice cool enough so it is easy to handle.

After about 15 minutes, start forming the rice into patties and place them onto a baking sheet covered in saran wrap. You will want to freeze the rice cakes for about 3 hours. This will allow for easier frying.

When you are ready to fry, get out three shallow bowls or plates. Add panko crumbs to one plate, all-purpose flour to another, and beaten egg to a third. Place about half a cup of neutral cooking oil in a pan so you are ready to start frying.

Dip the frozen rice cake into the white flour, knocking off the excess, then into the egg, and then coat evenly with the panko. Repeat with all your rice cakes.

Dip the frozen into flour and knock off the excess.
Dip the frozen into flour and knock off the excess.
rice cakes dipped in egg
Dip the rice cakes in the beaten egg
Coat the cakes in panko before frying.
Coat the cakes in panko before frying.

Heat the oil over medium heat until it is hot. A good way to tell is it hto and ready for frying is by putting the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If the oil sizzles and bubbles around the wooden end, the oil is hot and ready.

Fry the rice cakes until they are golden brown.
Fry the rice cakes until they are golden brown.

Begin frying your rice cakes and flip every so often. This should take between 15 to 20 minutes. The rice cakes are finished frying when they are golden brown.

Making your Toppings

For this recipe, you can add your favorite sushi toppings to your pizzas. I added a spicy salmon mix, masago, chives and seaweed salad.

To make the spicy salmon, you will want to cube your salmon into bite-sized pieces so you can easily spoon it on top of the rice cakes. Add the salmon to a bowl and add in the sriracha mayo. Mix well.

The other ingredients – the masago, seaweed salad and chives are easily prepped. Simply ensure that you are using fresh ingredients by checking the expiration date on the package.

Assembling your Sushi Pizzas

After your rice cakes are fried, you can start assembling your pizzas.

Add the spicy salmon and other garnishes to your sushi bites.
Add the spicy salmon and other garnishes to your sushi bites.

Pull out the toppings you’re planning on using, in my case it was the spicy salmon, the masago, seaweed salad and the chives.

First, add your protein. Spoon the spicy salmon generously onto the pizzas. Then add your toppings as you would like! Think of it like you are painting a picture – get creative! You can make them all the same or make each one individually.

Looking for More Asian-Inspired Dishes?

Commonly Asked Questions

What type of rice should I use?

You can use any type white or brown rice for this recipe. For this recipe to turn out with the best texture, it’s best to use a sushi rice. Sushi rice is a short-grain rice with a sticky consistency that will make the best consistency.

What kind of salmon should I use? Can I replace the salmon with another fish?

When eating raw fish, you will want to always use sushi-grade salmon. You can find sushi-quality fish at Asian grocery stores. If you would rather use a non-raw protein, you can replace the salmon with shrimp, crab, tofu or simply cook the salmon first before using it.

What kind of non-raw proteins or toppings can I use for my sushi pizzas?

There are lots of non-raw proteins to use for your pizza bites. If you want to stay away from raw proteins, or don’t have access to raw proteins, opt for something cooked or vegan. Replace the raw fish with cooked fish, crab, shrimp, egg or even tofu.

What other sauces can I use?

You can use your favorite sauce for this dish! Another great option is mixing the sriracha mayo into the protein and then drizzling unagi sauce on top of the pizzas. You can also marinate your protein of choice in a ponzu sauce for something salty and citrusy.

Spicy Sushi Pizza Bites

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Sarah Course: DinnerCuisine: American, JapaneseDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Calories

110

kcal

Ingredients

  • Fried Rice Cakes
  • 1.5 cups 1.5 sushi rice

  • 2 tbsn 2 white sugar

  • 3 tbsn 3 rice vinegar

  • .5 tsp .5 salt

  • 2 2 eggs, beaten

  • 1.5 cups 1.5 panko breadcrumbs

  • 1 cup 1 all purpose flour

  • .5 lb .5 sushi-grade salmon

  • .25 cup .25 sriracha mayo

  • massago

  • chives

  • seaweed salad

Directions

  • Making the Rice Cakes
  • Make your sushi rice by making a cup and a half of rice and then adding the sugar, vinegar and salt while the rice is hot. Allow the rice to cool slightly so it’s easy to handle.
  • Form patties with the rice and place them onto a baking sheet and freeze for about three hours.
  • Once the patties are frozen, coat them in the panko by putting out three shallow plates. Place the flour in one plate, the beaten egg in another and panko in the third. Take a frozen rice patty and dip into the plain flour first and knock off the excess. Then coat in the egg and then place in the panko. Repeat for all patties.
  • Add about half a cup of neutral cooking oil into a pan and allow it to get hot. Place the rice patties into the hot oil and allow them to fry for 10 to 15 minutes – or until they are golden brown.
  • Make the Spicy Salmon Sushi Pizza Bites
  • Cut the salmon into small bite-sized pieces and add to a bowl. Toss the salmon with the sriracha mayo and set aside.
  • Take a freshly-made rice cake and place the spicy salmon on top of the pizzas. Add more garnishes such as massago, chives and seaweed salad.
  • Serve the pizzas immediately.

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