Easy Lazy Sushi with Smoked Salmon and Avocado

(mydeliciousmeals.com)
Easy Lazy Sushi with Smoked Salmon and Avocado

If you love sushi but don't feel like making individual rolls, this easy lazy sushi recipe is such a fun way to get all those flavors with much less work. Smoked salmon, avocado, sushi rice, nori, cream cheese and cucumber are layered in a dish, flipped onto a serving board and cut into squares.

I especially like how pretty the smoked salmon looks once the whole thing is turned over. Finish it with a drizzle of mayo and sriracha and sprinkle with some black sesame seeds, and you have an easy sushi dinner that looks much more impressive than the effort it takes.

Ingredients

    Sushi Rice

  • 1/3 cup rice (uncooked short-grain rice / sushi rice)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 3/4 teaspoon sugar (or honey)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • Layers

  • 4 ounces smoked salmon
  • 1 avocado (thinly sliced)
  • 2 nori sheet
  • 4 ounces cream cheese (spreadable)
  • 1 cucumber (small, thinly sliced)
  • Topping

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil mayonnaise (or regular mayo)
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce (for drizzling)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (black)
Yield:
bites
Prep time:
20 minutes
Cook time:
15 minutes
Total time:
55 minutes
Yield: 20 bites | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes | Total time: 55 minutes

Instructions

1. Place the sushi rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse well with cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Drain. Transfer the rice to a small saucepan and add water. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 12-15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let the rice stand, covered, for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt. Add to the warm rice and gently mix. Let the rice cool.
2. Prepare an 8.5 × 6.5 inch (22 × 16.5 cm) Pyrex glass dish and line it with plastic wrap, leaving some overhang around the edges.
3. Arrange the smoked salmon over the bottom of the dish in an even layer, covering as much of the bottom as possible. Arrange the avocado slices over the smoked salmon.
Two-step photo showing smoked salmon layered in the dish, then topped with sliced avocado.
4. Add the cooled sushi rice and spread it evenly over the avocado. Gently press the rice down with the back of a spoon or damp fingers so the layers hold together, but don't pack it too tightly.
Cooled sushi rice spread evenly over the avocado and gently pressed into place.
5. Cut one nori sheet to fit the dish and place it over the rice. Spread the cream cheese evenly over the nori sheet.
Two-step photo showing a nori sheet placed over the rice, then spread with cream cheese.
6. Arrange thin cucumber slices over the cream cheese. Cut the second nori sheet to fit and place it over the cucumber.
Two-step photo showing cucumber slices arranged over the cream cheese, then topped with a second nori sheet.
7. Place a serving board or plate over the baking dish. Hold them together firmly and carefully turn everything upside down. Lift off the glass dish and remove the plastic wrap.
Glass dish being lifted after the layered sushi is flipped onto a serving board.
8. Add mayonnaise to a small Ziploc bag and snip off a tiny corner. Drizzle the mayonnaise over the smoked salmon, then drizzle with sriracha and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
Finished lazy sushi with smoked salmon, avocado, mayonnaise, sriracha and black sesame seeds on a serving board.
9. Refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes to help the layers set. Use a sharp knife to cut the lazy sushi into squares. Lightly wet the knife between cuts for cleaner pieces. Serve with soy sauce on the side.

Notes

Sushi rice: Short-grain sushi rice works best because it becomes sticky enough to hold the bites together. Other types of rice can work too, but the pieces may be a little more delicate when sliced. Let the cooked rice cool before assembling so it doesn't soften the nori or melt the cream cheese.

Rice amount: About 1/3 cup uncooked sushi rice makes approximately 1 cup cooked, which is the amount I used for the dish of this size.

Smoked salmon: Arrange the salmon carefully because this becomes the top of the sushi after you flip the dish.

Avocado: Use a ripe but still firm avocado so the slices keep their shape.

Cream cheese: Spreadable cream cheese is easiest to use here. If using regular block cream cheese, let it soften first.

Cucumber: Use a small, crisp cucumber and slice it thinly. If it seems watery, pat the slices dry with a paper towel before adding them.

Nori: Use kitchen scissors to trim the nori sheets to fit your dish.

For easier slicing: Chilling the sushi before cutting helps the layers stay together. Use a sharp knife and lightly wet the blade between cuts so the rice doesn’t stick.

Serving: Serve with soy sauce on the side, if desired.

Storage: This lazy sushi is best the day it's made. Keep it covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Recipe Video

Shop products and ingredients I recommend for this recipe:

Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon

Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon
Rice Vinegar

Rice Vinegar
Sushi Rice

Sushi Rice
Nori Sheets

Nori Sheets
Avocado Mayo

Avocado Mayo
Sriracha Hot Sauce

Sriracha Hot Sauce

Note: This post may contain affiliate links for products I like. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I'll earn some coffee money at no cost to you, which I promise to drink while creating more helpful recipes like this ;) Thank you for supporting My Delicious Meals!

About Alena

Welcome to my website!

I’m Alena, the blogger at MyDeliciousMeals since 2010. My goal with MyDeliciousMeals is for you to discover the joy of cooking and to find lots of new favorite recipes that your family will enjoy. I’m so happy you stopped by!

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