These spicy salmon sushi cups feature crispy rice cups filled with a spicy sriracha salmon filling and topped with lots of fresh avocado and jalapeno.
We’re giving sushi a serious makeover today! Handheld-mini style with ALL the toppings, cause you’ve gotta go big or go home in the sushi department.
My husband and I love making sushi at home, but don’t always love the extra hassle involved with rolling. These rice cups eliminate that step completely, yet you still get all the classic components of sushi.
Plus you have a crispy rice shell coming into play which obviously kicks everything up a notch.
You can prep most of the components ahead of time for these sushi cups making them a great choice for parties. Everyone is always impressed by a platter of these on an app table and especially love the mini hand-held size!
Just be warned: people tend to want to make a meal out of them.
These Sushi Cups feature…
- Crispy baked rice cups
- A creamy, spicy fresh salmon filling
- Silky avocado, fresh jalapeno, and scallion for topping
- A fun twist on sushi and perfect for parties
Making the Sushi Cups
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Short-grain rice
- Rice wine vinegar
- Granulated sugar
- Mayonnaise
- Sriracha hot sauce
- Sesame oil
- Red pepper flakes
- Salmon
- Scallion
- Nori
- Avocado
- Jalapeno
- Sesame seeds
Choosing Your Salmon
A variety of salmon types work great in this sushi! We’ve used sockeye, coho, and Atlantic in this recipe with great results.
Since the salmon will be served raw in this recipe, go for a fresh salmon in the store, ideally farm-raised to lessen the risk associated with consuming raw seafood.
Tips for Perfect Sushi Cups
- Rinse rice before cooking – to rinse the rice, place in a mesh strainer and rinse several times in cold water until water runs clear. This step removes extra starch from the rice.
- Cool rice – allow the rice to cool a bit at room temperature after cooking and then chill 1 hour in refrigerator before shaping in muffin cups.
- Use pan spray – spray the muffin cups and then the rice very well with pan spray so they pop out of the pan easily.
- Cut salmon in uniform cubes – aim for 1/2 inch uniform cubes.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on these sushi cups.
- Use tuna – ahi tuna would be a great substitute for the salmon.
- Adjust heat level – skip the hot sauce and red pepper flakes for a mild version or add additional hot sauce and red pepper flakes to taste if you want the sushi extra spicy.
- Use smoked salmon – this adds an extra layer of flavor in the sushi cups.
- Add more veggie toppings – try adding carrot matchsticks, cucumber slices, or sweet pepper.
Make Ahead Instructions
Follow these instructions for time-saving make ahead tips.
- Cook sushi rice – the sushi rice stores well in refrigerator up to 6 days.
- Make salmon filling – this stores well in refrigerator up to 2 days.
- Assembly – when ready to serve sushi cups, proceed with baking rice cups and fill with salmon filling. For best results, serve sushi cups immediately after assembly while the rice cups are fresh and crispy.
All the flavors and textures just work SO well together in these sushi cups! The rice is warm and crispy, while the creamy salmon filling has just the right amount of heat. Top everything off with a few slices of silky avocado, a crisp jalapeno ring, and a good drizzle of extra sriracha and we’ve got a winner!
Break these sushi cups out next time you’re looking to seriously impress and trust me, they’ll get the job done.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
Watch these cups made step-by-step on Google web stories.
More salmon favorites to try next!
Spicy Salmon Sushi Cups
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
Rice Cups
- 1-1/2 cups short-grain sushi rice, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Spicy Salmon Filling
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1-2 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 lb fresh skinless salmon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup thinly-sliced scallion
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 12 (3×2 in) squares nori
- 2 medium avocados, pitted and thinly sliced
- Fresh jalapeno slices, additional sliced scallions, sesame seeds, and hot sauce for garnish
Instructions
Rice Cups
- Combine rice, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring rice to a simmer over medium-high heat then reduce heat to low heat, cover pot, and allow to cook 10-15 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is evaporated.
- In a small bowl, whisk vinegar and sugar together until sugar is dissolved. Toss into warm rice until evenly combined. Transfer rice to a large bowl and allow to cool at room temperature 30 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill rice 1 hour in refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin well with nonstick pan spray.
- Scoop about 1/4 cup of cooled rice mixture into each muffin cup and pat very firmly into bottom and a little ways up the sides. Spray rice cups well with pan spray.
- Bake rice cups at 425F 25-30 minutes until rice is golden brown and crispy. Allow to cool in pan while you prepare the salmon filling.
Spicy Salmon Filling
- In a large bowl, whisk mayonnaise, sriracha, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes until smooth. Fold in salmon and scallion until combined and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Gently run a butter knife around each rice cup to remove and transfer to a serving plate. Press a square of nori into each rice cup and fill with salmon filling. Garnish cups with avocado, jalapeno slices, scallion, sesame seeds, and hot sauce and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Keith says
Is the Salmon Raw?
Sarah says
Yes it is!