This sushi crab recipe is a classic ingredient building block at American sushi restaurants and the perfect way to make a delicious sushi roll, sushi bowl or easy sushi bake at home.
If you love Japanese food, this Sushi Crab Mix holds endless possibilities and variations.
I'm including options for making a spicy crab mixture, if that's your jam, or make the regular savory version of the crab mix. Delicious in so many dishes and formats and we'll talk about all of them.
It's also a great supporting dish for some of your Asian favorites:
What you need to make this delicious crab mixture:
For sushi crab mix:
- Surimi (imitation crab sticks)
- Kewpie mayonnaise
- Optional - Sriracha
For crab mix sushi roll:
- Cooked seasoned sushi rice
- Nori sheets
- Avocado, thinly sliced
- English cucumber, julienned
- Scallions, julienned
- Mixed toasted sesame seeds
Full measurements and instructions included in the printable recipe card below.
Step by Step Instructions:
1.To make the sushi crab mix, first cut the imitation crab meat sticks into small pieces.
2. Then transfer diced crab sticks to a food processor or chopper and pulse until fine.
3. Transfer to mixing bowl. Add kewpie mayonnaise. Stir to combine well. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed, with a pinch of salt or sugar to season to your liking. If you’re making spicy sushi crab mix, add sriracha and combine again.
Sushi crab salad is ready to go!
4. Serve with sliced English cucumber and garnish with scallions, cilantro or sriracha.
5. To build a homemade sushi roll with the crab mix, cover a bamboo sushi mat with a sheet of plastic wrap and lay your sheet of nori over the mat, shiny side down.
6. Dip your fingertips in water so they are a little damp, then spread about ½ cup rice over the nori sheet into a thin layer. Sprinkle the rice lightly with sesame seeds.
7. Cover the top of the rice and sesame seeds with a second sheet of plastic cling wrap, then flip the nori over, so the rice and sesame seeds are on top of the plastic wrap and the rough side of the green nori is facing up. Remove the top sheet of plastic.
8. Next, scoop about ⅓ cup sushi crab mix on top of the nori sheet in an even line about ½ inch from the edge of the nori seaweed. Add sliced avocado, julienned cucumber and scallions.
9. Using the bamboo mat, roll the sushi closed firmly, but not so tight as to force out the filling.
10. Slice the sushi into even pieces, wiping your knife after each slice to keep the cuts clean.
11. Serve with soy sauce for dipping and spicy mayo sauce.
FAQ's and Serving Suggestions:
Surimi, or imitation crab meat, is made of white fish – usually Alaskan pollock. The fish is flavored to taste like shellfish and shaped to look like crab. This is the crab meat most often seen in your local Japanese restaurant that serves a California roll. It usually comes in sticks (sometimes called kani crab stick), chunk style or flake style. Either style works in this dish. Chinese Buffet-style Cheesy Crab Casserole is another great recipe for using surimi!
Certainly! Real crab meat would be delicious in the mayo sauce and wrapped into a regular or spicy crab sushi roll. Another great option for using real crab meat is the King Crab Temaki Hand Rolls with Spicy Miso Butter Sauce.
Kewpie is Japanese mayonnaise that is richer than American mayo, thanks to the super-orange egg yolks famous in Japan. US mayo uses the whole egg to make mayo, Kewpie uses only egg yolks. It also brings a sweet note from sweeter vinegars than regular mayo, which mostly relies on white distilled vinegar. If you can’t find it in any of your local grocery stores or Asian market, you can make a substitute by combining 1 cup of regular mayonnaise with two tablespoons of rice vinegar and one tablespoon of sugar. Mix well and use for this recipe, or any other asking for Japanese mayo.
I’ve only used sushi rice, which is a short grain rice, in this recipe, and I wouldn’t recommend basmati, jasmine rice or any other kind of long grain rice.
If you're hosting raw fish lovers at your sushi night, sushi crab mix or a spicy crab roll can be a great complement to spicy tuna crispy rice sushi. Add Korean veggie pancakes with shrimp to the menu and you’ll have a real party on your hands. The TikTok viral Salmon Sushi Bake Recipes are another great option for guests who prefer cooked sushi.
I love serving it over slices of cucumber as a low-carb snack or appetizer, in sushi rolls, on crispy sushi rice squares, or in a deconstructed sushi bowl with strips of seaweed sheets.
To store, transfer sushi crab mis to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Print
How to Make Sushi Crab Mix
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
12 ounces surimi
¼ cup kewpie mayonnaise
Optional (for spicy sushi crab mix):
2 tablespoons sriracha (for spicy sushi crab mix)
For crab mix sushi roll:
2 cups cooked seasoned sushi rice
4 nori sheets
1 avocado, thinly sliced
½ cup English cucumber, julienned
¼ cup scallions, julienned
¼ cup white and black sesame seeds
Instructions
1. For the sushi crab mix, cut the imitation crab meat sticks into small pieces, then transfer to a food processor or chopper and pulse until fine. Transfer to mixing bowl.
2. Add kewpie mayonnaise. Stir to combine well.
3. Taste and adjust a pinch of salt or sugar to season to your liking. If you’re making spicy sushi crab mix, add sriracha and combine again.
4. To build a homemade sushi roll with the crab mix, cover a bamboo sushi mat with a sheet of plastic wrap and lay your sheet of nori over the mat, shiny side down.
5. Dip your finger tips in water so they are a little damp, then spread about ½ cup rice over the nori sheet into a thin layer. Sprinkle the rice lightly with sesame seeds.
6. Cover the top of the rice and sesame seeds with a second sheet of plastic cling wrap, then flip the nori over, so the rice and sesame seeds are on top of the plastic wrap and the rough side of the green nori is facing up. Remove the top sheet of plastic.
7. Scoop about ⅓ cup sushi crab mix on top of the nori sheet in an even line about ½ inch from the edge of the nori seaweed. Add sliced avocado, julienned cucumber and scallions. Using the bamboo mat, roll the sushi closed firmly, but not so tight as to force out the filling. Slice the sushi into even pieces, wiping your knife after each slice to keep the cuts clean.
8. Serve with spicy mayo sauce.
Notes
I love serving it over slices of cucumber as a low-carb snack or appetizer, in sushi rolls, on crispy sushi rice squares, or in a deconstructed sushi bowl with strips of seaweed sheets.
I’ve only used sushi rice, which is a short grain rice, in this recipe, and I wouldn’t recommend basmati, jasmine rice or any other kind of long grain rice.
Real crab meat would be delicious in the mayo sauce and wrapped into a regular or spicy crab sushi roll.
- Prep Time: 5
- Category: Easy Recipes
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American/Asian
Keywords: Sushi Crab Mix, sushi crab, California roll
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