The Best Sushi Pizza
on Mar 30, 2021
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Here’s a way to shake up your pizza night…with Sushi Pizza! Imagine the convenience of a handheld slice of pizza with all of your favorite sushi flavors. This recipe makes a “crust” out of seaweed and rice that can be topped with all of your favorite sushi fixings like salmon, avocado, and cucumber.
This Sushi Pizza combines two beloved foods to create a new dish that will surely have the whole house buzzing with excitement. It’s one of my favorite sushi recipes along with California Roll, Dragon Roll, and Boston Roll.
Like both sushi and pizza, this recipe can easily be customized to your preferences. I’ll explain how to make a simple sushi roll, and then we’ll move onto the slice of pizza! You’ll need a bamboo mat and a bit of patience, as there are quite a few steps. But it’s overall still a pretty simple recipe and the results are well worth the work.
What is Sushi Pizza?
There are two types of Sushi Pizza. One version is originated from Canada – pizza base made with crispy and chewy fried rice, and topped with avocado, salmon, tuna, or crab meat. Then it’s drizzled with the blend the mayonnaise and wasabi.
Another version, originating at Atlanta-based restaurant Poke Burri, quickly became a growing trend amongst foodies across the internet. This recipe is based on this popular version and uses the same ingredients you find in sushi rolls to create a dish that actually looks like a slice of pizza.
Ingredients for Sushi Pizza
- Sushi Rice: Sushi rice is different from traditional white rice. It should normally be labeled on the bag, but look for Japanese short-grained rice. If your local grocery store doesn’t have it, California medium-grain will also work in a pinch.
- Sushi Vinegar: You can make sushi vinegar by simply mixing 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Adding it to your rice is an optional step, but it adds a subtle enhancement to the flavor.
- Imitation Crab Meat: Sometimes called Kanikama, you can often find Imitation Crab Meat vacuum-packed at the grocery store. If you’re wondering what exactly makes it imitation, it is still made from fish, but it’s processed with other ingredients to get the texture of crab while being more cost-friendly.
- Avocado: Look for ripe but firm avocado. You can sub cucumber if you’re not a fan.
- Nori / Seaweed Sheet: Nori is pretty easy to find these days as it’s become a pretty popular snack. You’ll need it for making the most important part of this recipe – the pizza crust!
- Sesame Seeds: You can use either white or black sesame seeds. I used both in this recipe.
- Salmon (or Other Fish Like Tuna): I used smoked salmon, but if you prefer to eat them raw, make sure you purchase one that is sashimi grade. Alternatively, you can use grilled, or canned salmon and tuna.
- Cucumber: Cucumber goes so well with sushi because it’s refreshing and also adds a pleasant crunch. I used small baby cucumbers for this recipe.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Sushi Bamboo Mat: A Sushi Bamboo Mat is going to make your rolling process so much easier. It’s a small investment that will save you a lot of headaches when trying to roll your sushi tight enough to not unravel. They’re pretty easy to find these days with sushi’s huge popularity. If your grocery store does not sell them, check your local Walmart or pick one up online.
- Plastic Wrap: It’s optional but will make the clean-up process easy.
How to Make Sushi Pizza
Step 1: Cook Sushi Rice
- Add the rinsed sushi rice and water to the rice cooker. Once cooked, transfer to a large bowl and let it cool down slightly. When it’s still very warm, stir in the sushi vinegar and mix gently.
Step 2: Make Sushi Rolls
- Cut off 1/3 of the nori seaweed sheet using kitchen scissors. Then place the remaining nori sheet towards the bottom of the mat, shinning side facing down.
- Take 3/4 cup of cooked rice and evenly spread over nori while leaving 1/2 inch at the top of the sheet. Wet your fingers in the vinegar water to spread the rice in a thin layer.
- Place imitation crab stick and avocado slices on top of the rice. Make sure not to add too much filling or your roll won’t seal properly.
- Place the thumbs underneath the bamboo mat and lift the edge up and over the filling.
- Roll the bamboo mat away from you and press the rice and filling together. Use the bamboo mat to continue rolling until reaching the blank nori on the edge.
Step 3: Make Pizza Crust
- Take a piece of the nori seaweed sheet, and cut it into a triangular shape, resembling the shape of a sliced pizza.
- Making the sushi pizza crust by adding 1/4 of the remaining rice, and spreading it over the seaweed sheet. Press the rice down gently. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Step 4: Assemble Sushi Pizza
- Place one sushi roll at the end of the triangular pizza crust. Cut the ends of the roll to make it align with the crust.
- Arrange avocado, salmon, and cucumber slices, on top of the sushi pizza.
Tips for the Best Sushi Pizza
- Keep a bowl of Tezu water (water mixed with sushi vinegar) handy so you can dip your hands when touching the sushi rice. This will help prevent it from sticking to your fingertips.
- The sushi rolls should be slimmer than the regular rolls.
- Make sure to squeeze as you roll your sushi, so that the filling and rice stick together and it doesn’t fall apart. Once your roll is done, give it a final gentle squeeze before taking it out of the plastic wrap.
- Mayonnaise is optional, and you can use it as the “sauce” of this pizza.
How to Make Mini Sushi Pizza?
If a whole slice of Sushi Pizza sounds too intimidating, try bitesize versions! Cut your Nori into much smaller triangles (a few inches) and dress each slice individually. You can slice up your finished sushi roll and just place a piece on each Mini Pizza.
Topping Variations
- Shrimp: Shrimp makes a great addition to your Sushi Pizza, especially if you’re worried about finding sashimi-grade fishes yourself. Shrimp always goes well with rice, but it also mixes nicely with the other toppings for this pizza. It’s also super quick to cook.
- Raw Fish Like Salmon and Tuna: I like to use smoked salmon but feel free to use raw fish if you prefer. Make sure to use sashimi-grade fish.
- Crab Salad: Instead of using imitation crab on its own, why not use a whole crab salad? This creamy mix of ingredients will bring loads of flavor to your pizza, and you can save any leftovers for next-day sandwiches.
- Oshinko: Oshinko is a great vegan or vegetarian option for your toppings. It’s a Japanese term used to describe a variety of pickled vegetables like radish, cucumber, cabbage, and mostly notably in North America, daikon.
- Masago: Want to add tiny bursts of flavor to your Sushi Pizza? Sprinkle some Masago on there, which are fish roe. These little pearls will add an exploding crunch to your pizza, and bring with them a pleasant saltiness.
If You Like This Recipe Try Out These Sushi Recipes
If you tried this recipe, let me know how your Sushi Pizza turns out in the comments below!
Homemade Sushi Pizza Recipe
Here’s a way to shake up your pizza night…with Sushi Pizza! Imagine the convenience of a handheld slice of pizza with all of your favorite sushi flavors. This recipe makes a “crust” out of seaweed and rice that can be topped with all of your favorite sushi fixings like salmon, avocado, and cucumber.
Ingredients
For the Sushi Rice
- 2 cups sushi rice, (uncooked short-grain sushi rice)
- 2 cups water
- 3 tablespoons sushi vinegar, (or mixing 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon of sugar)
For the Rolls & Crust
- 4 imitation crab stick
- 1-2 avocado
- 8 sheets nori, (seaweed sheet)
For the Toppings
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 8 oz salmon, (sashimi-grade salmon, tuna, or shrimp)
- 1-2 cucumber
- optional mayonnaise
Instructions
Cook Sushi Rice
- Add the rinsed sushi rice and water to the rice cooker. Once cooked, transfer to a large bowl and let it cool down slightly. When it’s still very warm, stir in the sushi vinegar and mix gently.
Make Sushi Rolls
- Cover the bamboo mat with a piece of plastic wrap (this will make clean-up easier).
- In the meantime, set aside a small bowl of Tezu vinegar water* (regular water mixed with some vinegar) to dip your hands to prevent sticking.
- Cut off 1/3 of the nori seaweed sheet using kitchen scissors. Then place the remaining nori sheet towards the bottom of the mat, shiny side facing down.
- Take 3/4 cup of cooked rice and evenly spread over nori while leaving 1/2 inch at the top of the sheet. Wet your fingers in the vinegar water to spread the rice in a thin layer.
- Cut the imitation crab stick into halves horizontally. Place the thin crab stick and avocado slices on top of the rice. Make sure not to add too much filling.
- Place the thumbs underneath the bamboo mat and lift the edge up and over the filling.
- Roll the bamboo mat away from you and press the rice and filling together. Use the bamboo mat to continue rolling until reaching the blank nori on the edge.
- Peeling the mat back away as you continue to roll, so that the nori can be rolled into a cylinder. Press the mat gently so that the roll won’t fall apart when you cut it. Repeat this process and make 4 rolls. Set them aside.
Assemble Sushi Pizza
- Take a piece of the nori seaweed sheet, and cut into a triangular shape, resembling the shape of a sliced pizza.
- Make the sushi pizza crust by adding 1/4 of the remaining rice, and spreading it over the seaweed sheet. Press the rice down gently.
- Spread optional mayo on top of the rice, and sprinkle sesame seeds.
- Place one sushi roll at the end of the triangular pizza crust. Cut the ends of the roll to make it align with the crust.
- Arrange avocado cubes, smoked salmon slices, and cucumber slices on top of the sushi pizza. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- * Tezu water for dipping hands: Mix together 1/4 cup water and 2 teaspoons rice vinegar.
- You’ll need less rice and fillings for the roll so that it can fit the pizza crust better.
- To prevent sushi rolls from falling apart, you’ll need to squeeze the rice and filling while rolling. Once you finish, gently squeeze the roll one more time.
Nutrition
Calories: 620kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 976mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 494IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
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