Sushi Casserole

Sushi, Sushi, Sushi!  At least in this part of Texas I feel like it has been the hot new food trend of the last couple of years.  Everyone is buzzing about it.  Sushi bars are opening left and right!  Now I am a meat and potatoes kind of girl.  The idea of eating raw fish kinda makes me queasy.  However, much to my dismay, my friends and sister continually begged me to eat sushi with them, citing different types that weren’t raw and didn’t have “weird” ingredients.  This was putting me in a bind.  It was either learn how to love sushi or sit home on Friday nights with my burger.   But I must admit that I have sorta caught on.  I mean, I like rice.  And avocado.  And anything deep fried.  Cream Cheese?  Jalapenos?  Bring it on…  I mean, deconstructed, sushi is a little like Mexican food.  Siracha sauce is simply smoothed out salsa, right?  (I like Mexican food!)

Sushi aside, I have been trying this Spring to focus on healthy eating and whole foods.  Coming up with tasty recipes that are healthy, easy and quick is a challenging process.  As I was thinking through the blog recipe for this week, several of my friends were lamenting about trying to find a fish option to eat on Friday’s during Lent.  Preferably, one that wasn’t fried or tired old tilapia.  So a crazy idea occurred me.  One that I knew I had to try…  Sushi casserole!!  LOL – sounds gross, hunh?!  But think about it.  It’s a great fish option!  I chose to use a whole grain brown rice (made sticky with a little dash of rice vinegar), fresh avocados which provide heart healthy fats, and smoked salmon full of Omega 3 fatty acids and protein.  A Philadelphia “un”roll.  Now to master the chopsticks…

The recipe is simple.

Sushi Casserole

Rice

Rice vinegar

1 package of smoked salmon

12 oz cream cheese, softened

2 whole avocadoes, sliced

Sesame seeds

•  Cook your rice according to package directions (I used quick cooking brown rice) and let it cool.
• Add a dash of vinegar to your bowl of cooled rice and stir.  Continue adding vinegar until the rice becomes “sticky”.  It will hold together in small clumps.
• Lay parchment paper in a small casserole dish (I used an 11×7).  Sprinkle the paper with sesame seeds.
• Press about 2 cups of the rice into a thin, flat layer covering the sesame seeds.  (you can spray your hands with cooking spray to keep the rice from sticking to them)

• Carefully spoon and spread half of the cream cheese over the rice

• Lay down a layer of your sliced avocado

• Cover the avocado with a thin layer of salmon

• One more layer of cream cheese.
• Repeat the rice layer with the last 2 cups of rice.  Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds.

• Put the casserole in the frig for 30 minutes to an hour to firm back up.
• When ready to serve, place a platter over the top and turn the casserole over.  Remove the parchment.  You can decorate the top of the sushi with siracha sauce or wasabi.

• Cut it into bite size pieces with a very sharp knife.

Note:  You may not be able to use chopsticks since there is no seaweed holding the sides together.  Since I don’t know how to use them very well any way, this just turned out to be a bonus!  The sushi casserole turned out delicious and makes a great starter for almost any meal!  Be creative with your fillings, too.  You can get as wild as you’d like!  Just be sure you use cream cheese or mayo to “hold it all together!”