Here's a quick and easy recipe for making Sushi Crab Mix at home. This simple 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 in your own kitchen.
If you love Japanese food, this Sushi Crab Mix holds endless possibilities.
I'm including instructions for making a spicy crab mixture (like we did for our Spicy Crab Rolls), or keep it classic with the regular version of the crab mix.
This recipe is also a great supporting dish for some of your other Asian favorites:
What you need to make this recipe:
Full measurements and instructions included in the printable recipe card below.
Step by Step Instructions:
1. Prep imitation crab
To make the sushi crab mix, first cut the imitation crab meat sticks into small pieces. If using flake or chunk style crab, you won't need to cut it, just transfer to your food processor.
Then transfer diced crab sticks to a food processor or chopper and pulse until fine.
2. Add mayo
Transfer crab 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!
Serve with sliced English cucumber and garnish with scallions, cilantro or sriracha.
3. For crab sushi roll: Prep rice and nori
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. 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.
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 nori is facing up. Remove the top sheet of plastic.
4. Add sushi mix and avocado
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.
5. Roll sushi
Using the bamboo mat, roll the sushi closed firmly, but not so tight as to force out the filling.
6. Cut sushi
Slice the sushi into even pieces, wiping your knife after each slice to keep the cuts clean.
7. Serve and enjoy
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 Asian Cucumber Salad or Spicy Crab Salad. 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 is 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 or Sushi Stack.
To store, transfer sushi crab mix to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to Make Sushi Crab Mix
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4
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
- 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.
- Add kewpie mayonnaise. Stir to combine well. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve with spicy mayo sauce.
Notes
Imitation crab sticks works well in this recipe, as does flake style and chunk style surimi.
I love serving this recipe 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.
Be sure to use short grain rice (like sushi rice) in this recipe. I wouldn’t recommend basmati, jasmine rice or any other kind of long grain rice.
- Prep Time: 5
- Category: Easy Recipes
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American, Japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼
- Calories: 187
- Sugar: 6.4 g
- Sodium: 671 mg
- Fat: 11.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.6 g
- Protein: 6.8 g
- Cholesterol: 25.1 mg
Joel
So easy and turned out great. Made one mild batch and one spicy. Served it over cucumbers and with your crispy rice recipe. Both winners!
Christina Jolam
Sounds like the perfect menu! So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for coming back to leave a helpful review, Joel.
Linda
How long will the crab mixture last in the fridge? TY 🙂
Christina Jolam
Up to 3 days in the refrigerator, Linda. Thanks for making the recipe!
Nikki Krakauer
Using the food processor to finely chop is a great tip! Can’t imagine why I didn’t before! A tip for your sushi mat. The standard sized one fits beautifully in a gallon ziplock bag. Super easy clean-up too. I use a freezer one, as it lasts longer! Again, thanks for the tip! Even at 80, we old cats can learn new tricks!!!
Christina Jolam
So glad you loved it, Nikki! And thanks for the freezer bag tip - brilliant! Look at us just learning new kitchen tips every day 😉