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Sushi bakes, which are a deceptively simple yet deeply delicious take on a rice casserole, have been very trendy on .

Though the sushi bake as a dish stepped into the spotlight only recently, its ingredients are built on essential, comfortingly familiar sushi flavors. Chef Maya's take includes a silky homemade Japanese-style mayonnaise as well as crab meat, tobiko (also known as flying fish roe) and salmon roe as the proteins.

The recipe is versatile, so you can substitute in protein(s) of your choice if crab meat and roe aren't your cup of tea. Though the recipe calls for baking everything together, the crab salad and rice combo is also great on its own as a rice bowl on a warm summer day.

"It's like a comforting baked rice dish," Chef Maya says. "It brings all these delicious flavors together."

After pulling it out of the oven, the bubbly bake gets seasoned with more mayo, salt, nori flakes and additional toppings to taste to create a hearty yet easy to make casserole dish. (Fancy plating optional.)

This sushi bake is perfect for your next party or for meal prep. Here's how to make it at home.

Recipe

Elevated Sushi Bake

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the Japanese-style mayonnaise:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1.5 TB rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon dashi powder
• 1 cup canola oil
• Salt to taste

For the sushi bake:

• 2 cups cooked sushi rice (seasoned with rice vinegar and sugar while still hot)
• 1/3 cup canned crab meat
• 1/3 cup tobiko (flying fish roe)
• 1/3 cup salmon roe
• Homemade Japanese-style mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions

For garnish (optional):

• Roasted seaweed packages or nori sheets
• Sliced green onions
• Pickled ginger
• White sesame seeds

Directions

For the Japanese-style mayonnaise:

1. Whisk egg yolks in a bowl, along with the rice vinegar, dashi powder and about 1/4 cup of the canola oil.
2. Continue to whisk while slowly adding the oil, watching the texture of the mayonnaise. Taste and salt as you go.
3. Once you've added all or nearly all of the oil, you should have a creamy, thickened mayonnaise. Add more salt to taste and set aside.

For the sushi bake:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
2. Make the crab salad: Add the crab meat to a mixing bowl and gently pull apart any clumps with your fingers, making sure to remove any bits of shell you find. Add tobiko, salmon roe, green onions and 3/4 cup homemade Japanese-style mayo and mix well. Set aside.
3. Oil the inside of a small casserole dish or stainless steel pan well. Evenly spread and press the seasoned sushi rice across the bottom of the pan.
4. Spread the crab salad mixture on top of the rice, making sure to spread it all the way to the edges. Top with an additional drizzle of the homemade Japanese-style mayo.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly browned on top.
6. OPTIONAL: Using a kitchen torch, carefully toast the top of the sushi bake until crispy. You could also turn the oven on broil and place the dish back in for 2-3 minutes.
7. Garnish with more Japanese-style mayo, sesame seeds, more tobiko and salmon roe, pickled ginger and sliced roasted seaweed as desired. To serve, cut a slice with a large spoon or spatula and dig in!

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