Crispy Rice Sushi with Smoked Salmon Bang Bang Sauce
Crispy Rice Sushi recipe is crunchy, delicious, easy, and fun to make! The rice is crunchy outside and soft little chewy inside. Feel free to experiment and add your favorite toppings and sauce! They make great appetizer, party food, game days, or light supper! Makes 10-12 pieces.
Prepare the rice: Rinse the rice 3-4 times until the water runs mostly clear. Add the water and cook the rice in a rice cooker. See my post on how to cook rice in a rice cooker for more info.
Season the rice: Once the rice is cooked, while still hot, gently mix the rice grains with soy sauce or coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.
Line the container: Line a generous sized single layer of food cling wrap inside of a 8” by 8” (20 cm) square shaped baking dish or a container with flat bottom. This will be the mold to shape the sushi block.
Shape and press the rice while still warm (hot): Add the rice to the container and press it down firmly using a rice paddle or the back of a spoon. Shape it as flat and even as possible, aiming for about a little thicker than ½ inch (1.27 cm) in thickness. Pay extra attention to the corners and edges—these are the areas most likely to fall apart. You can also lift the edges of the plastic wrap to help press and shape the rice block more evenly and keep the grains packed together.
Seal and refrigerate: Once the rice grains are compressed into a big block and cool to room temperature. Seal the container and refrigerate overnight.
Slice the rice to squares: Lightly damp the chopping board with some water so that the rice won’t stick to the board. Carefully lift the rice block out of the container and remove the cling wrap. Slice the rice block into roughly 10 rectangular shaped and equal sized pieces. You can dip the knife in a bowl of water to help slicing.
Crisp up the rice squares:
To Air Fry: Preheat your air fryer. Spray the fryer basket with avocado oil. Spray the rice sushi pieces with another thin layer of oil then place the oiled-side down into the basket. Leave some space between the pieces. Air fry at 380F (193C) for 8 minutes. Spray another thin layer of oil and carefully flip them to air fry for another 8 additional minutes. The rice sushi should come out golden and a little crispy. Cool them down over a baking rack.
To pan fry: Preheat a frying skillet over medium heat until it feels quite warm. Add 3-4 tbsp avocado oil. Add the rice sushi squares. Leave some space between each piece. You should hear the sizzling sound. Pan fry for 4 minutes or until you see the bottom turns golden brown then flip to cook another 3-4 minutes. Add more oil, if needed. The texture should be crispy golden outside and soft and little chewy inside. Cool them down over a baking rack
Assemble:
Layer the rice sushi squares with a thin layer of cucumbers, avocado, and smoked salmon on top. Drizzle with the bang bang sauce and garnish with chive and furikake, if using. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
About the rice: Use short-grain white rice—Japanese or Korean rice that's often labeled “sushi rice” in Western grocery stores. For best results, use freshly cooked rice made at home, not pre-cooked or packaged rice.
About the baking dish (the mold): I use an 8x8 inch (20 cm) square baking dish, but any rectangular container with a wide, flat bottom will work well. Ideal thickness: In my tests, ½ inch (1.27 cm) thick rice squares give the best texture—crispy on the outside and tender inside.
Chill the rice block: Let the rice cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, though overnight is best. This helps the rice set properly—if it’s still warm when slicing, it’s more likely to fall apart.
Cool on a wire rack: After frying, place the rice pieces on a rack instead of a plate. This prevents the bottoms from getting soggy.
Make-ahead tips: You can make the bang bang sauce ahead of time. The rice block can also be made the day before and chilled overnight. When ready to serve, just slice, fry, top, and enjoy!
Storage & Reheat: Store the rice cakes separately from the toppings. Crispy rice tastes best fresh out of the fryer, so I recommend only cooking as much as you’ll eat. After re-frying, the rice squares can turn a bit firmer or harder to bite. It doesn’t bother me—but if you prefer a softer texture, try enjoying the leftovers chilled instead.