Homemade sushi cake

This Sushi ‘cake’ is incredible from so many aspects. Well, I like calling it a cake because it looks exactly like a cake and I always make it in a cake spring form. 😉

I chose to make it with three rice layers this time but there are few ways you could choose to make it.  I’ll come back to this a bit later though.

Let me tell you a little more about it.

How did this idea emerged?! Well, I gave my sushi making kit about two years ago to my sister in law to use.

One fine day, shortly after that we craved for sushi really, really badly. I was then thinking and telling my kids I recall how lazy and not in the mood I was to get a new kit (it meant to go out) and didn’t fancy that at all. All I knew was that we badly fancied some sushi.

I had to get a little creative so I the next thought about layering the rice and making a sushi ‘cake’.  They thought it was a brill idea but we were pretty unsure about what was gonna come out. Kids were very quick to help with the chopping. We have formed a good team and gave it a go. We’ve made the sushi with ingredients we found in the fridge and used canned/tinnes tuna instead of fresh fish.

We did not roll sushi since I have to admit which I have to say it always used to put me off a little making sushi sound and look a lot more fiddlier to prepare. Not any more. 👍

Let me go even a little further back  on sushi making and our true love for it.

I’m a little ashamed to admit, but my love for sushi only emerged recently, I wish I tried sushi a lot longer ago.

One day, it was a spring day – March time- I remember, I decided together with my family to go out and try some sushi. We went to this authentic Japanese local restaurant which,…. oh, waw and yeah, really and totally turned around my appetite for sushi. I was hugely impressed. Very impressed. My eye sight, my taste buds, my whole being was impressed, and I did get to realize very shortly that it wasn’t only me that was so positively imprinted with the sushi idea, it was all of us! Yet!! We all absolutely loved it and instantaneously fell in love with it. Since then, we are utterly hooked to it and eat it very, very regularly.

In fact, I even went for a sushi making class as soon as I could so I could start making it home for all those sushi addicts in my house (including myself of course).  😊 🍣

The sushi making class happened the following March. Coincidence or not but this recipe comes out in March too perhaps to celebrate 🎉 my sushi love and beginnings 🤗

To be very truthful and upfront about it, before trying sushi for the first time, I never thought I wanted even to give it a go, not quite sure why. How silly of me, I know, but that’s the naked truth!

Kids ask me for sushi almost every week now, and they’re soooooo happy when mummy delivers.

We can now, no longer live without it. It must be a regular or ….. else. 😂 Homemade sushi is such a regular now.

Well, yes, of course it ia regular, firstly it is so quick to make, secondly, it is a lot of it and it comes out ready in no time, thirdly it’s delicious, fourthly it is homemade, fifthly no rolling is involved and therefore no special tools and skills are required. Great I would say, would you not?!👌

I am very lucky to have the best fishmonger at a very reasonable walking distance where I can buy whatever fresh fish and fish roe I want, come home, make a quick cake like this and eat it in no time. Everything with this sushi cake from A-Z happens in real time. Homemade sushi in a flash.

Needless to say that the fish must be at its most freshness and there is absolute no point in thinking of having it with raw fish otherwise.

Ok, but don’t panic, there are alternatives if you are not lucky enough to be able to buy the freshest of fish, just use canned it’s safest.

This is the beauty of it really! It allows you to get really creative with the fillings.

The most time consuming in making this beautiful sushi cake at home is the chopping and getting the fillings ready which ultimately is super easy, so all in all this is a lot of writing, but when it comes to actually doing it it’s a lot easier than it may look or sound at first.

Decide on what ingredients you want to use or have and get going. Here, in this recipe is an idea of some, most liked by us but there are many, many more you could try.

Here’s this really cool recipe you lovely sushi 🍣 lovers!

5 from 3 votes

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Homemade sushi cake

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Ingredients

For the rice:

• 600 g sushi rice
• 600 ml water
• 120 ml sushi vinegar

For the (spicy) tuna filling:

• 1 tin tuna (in brine)
• 1/3 lemon (or lime juice)
• 1 spring onion
• 1/2 red pepper (finelly chopped into little cubes)
• 1 small avocado (soft and perfectly ripe)
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce (for spicy option)
• 1 tbsp mayo
• 1 pinch pepper (freshly ground)
• 1 pinch Himalayan salt

Other ingredients:

• 100 g cucumber (finely cubed)
• 100 g red pepper (finely cubed)
• 1 avocado (cut into thin slices)
• 1/2 pack surimi (finely cut)
• 20 g seaweed (seasoned, roasted)
• 2 springs onions (finely chopped)
• 150 ml soya sauce
• 50 ml soya sauce (sweet type)
• 2 tsp wasabi paste
• 100 g ginger (pickled)
• 80 g salmon roe (or any you find)

Instructions

1. Start by preparing and cooking the rice first. I always do this in advance. This is how this needs to be done. Wash rice thoroughly by placing it in a sieve and running cold water through for about 2 minutes. Leave on the sieve to rest for min 20 min.
2. While the rice rests prepare the tuna mix. Take a mixing bowl, put the tinned fish and the avocado in and mix with a fork until the fish becomes really small flakes.
3. Put the rice in a pot, pour water over and cover with lid. Cook on medium heat for 12-13 min. Keep an eye on it and when water starts boiling turn the heat down to low and cook until the 12-13 min are up.
4. When the time is up turn heat off and pour all over it the 120 ml sushi vinegar. Take the rice out in a bigger dish where you can mix it well and also it allows it to cool a lot quicker. Allow it to rest and cook for 15 min or so.

5. Chop all the needed ingredients, the cucumber, pepper, spring onion, avocado and the surimi.

6. Prepare a springform dish by either slightly oiling the edges or lining it with the seaweed sheets. Start by layering 1/4 of the rice using a metal or wooden tablespoon. Apply some pressure on to the rice and press it down all uniformly until you have the same thickness all throughout.
7. Immediately over the rice sprinkle most of your chopped ingredients. Depending on the number of rice layers you choose to have you can simply choose how to distribute the ingredients between the layers. Place another rice layer and then spread the tuna mix equally so that this covers the whole surface.

8. Once the last rice layer has been placed press down as usual and cover with a cling film. Place a spring form bottom of a slightly small form over the cling film it and place some heavy bottles or jars over to press the whole cake and firming it up to make it easier to cut later when serving it.

9. Finish by taking it out of the form, placing it on a plate and decorating your sushi 'cake' with a few more of your chosen ingredients and some fish roe.

10. Absolutely unbelievable sushi with a lot less work. Enjoy it folks and let me know where your creativity has taken you making this amazing homemade sushi cake.

Recipe Notes

You can choose to make 3 or 4 layers of rice all depending on the size of your dish size or could even make 2 or 3 cakes with as many layers of rice as you wish. I personally love ❤ sushi rice and I can have chunky rice layers easily, you choose and make it your own.

You may also choose to make it a square or rectangular shaped sushi cake. Just get creative! 👏🏻👏🏻

Fresh fish source...

I do get a little repetitive here but I do have to stress it out - It is so crucially important to have a fresh source and if you happen to have a good source of fresh fish like I do, you are in a good fortune, if not... stick to canned fish. We also use fried shredded duck, yummmmm, it really depends on what we fancy and/or have.

Many times I use raw tuna, raw salmon, raw sea bass or any fish I can find available. I chop this into tiny little cubes too and make a layer with just that instead of the tinned tuna mix. I sometimes use smoked fish too like salmon or mackerel. It is delicious whichever way, just go for it 😉

Regarding the lining or oiling the edges, if you decide to oil the edges and not use the seaweed sheets then scrunch those up and sprinkle between layers and on edges when taking the 'cake' out of the form.

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how you liked it, what twist did you give to it, all in all how it turned out for you, why not leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #ramonascuisine.

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