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Salmon Sushi Bundt Cake is the raw fish version of my viral sushi bundt cake. Buttery sushi-grade salmon slices line the pan, a spicy hand-chopped salmon mixture takes the place of the crab tampico, and seasoned Calrose rice, Persian cucumber, and avocado fill out the layers. Flipped, topped, and served cold with a citrus tamari sauce.
Table of Contents
What Makes this Salmon Sushi Cake Different
The original is built around creamy crab tampico. This one swaps the crab for salmon twice over: thick sushi-grade slices arranged in the bottom of the pan so every slice of cake gets a ribbon of fish on top, and a spicy chopped salmon mixture seasoned with sriracha, sesame oil, and Japanese mayo where the tampico used to live. The result is a richer, silkier cake that eats more like sashimi than a roll, which makes it my pick for the table that takes its raw fish seriously.
One honest warning before you commit: this version is the least forgiving of the family on timing. Raw chopped salmon starts curing the moment it meets the rice vinegar, so the assembly window is real. The Prep section breaks down exactly what to do ahead and what waits until the last minute. If raw fish is not your crowd’s thing, the shrimp sushi bundt cake is the fully cooked member of the family.
About the Taste
Rich is the headline. Salmon brings fat that crab simply does not have, so every bite is silkier and more rounded, with the sriracha cutting through and the serrano landing late. The rice carries its quiet vinegar tang, the cucumber does the crunch work, and the avocado blends in so smoothly you mostly notice it went missing when someone makes a cake without it. The citrus tamari sauce is the brightness, and serving it on the side is deliberate. Pour it over the top or dip each slice, whatever your table prefers.
Required Equipment
6-Cup Bundt Pan: You cannot make this without one, and the 6-cup is the size the ingredient amounts are built for. If you size up or down, recalculate the ingredients to match. The final rice layer needs to sit flush with the rim so the cake lands flat and stays together when you flip it.
Rice Cooker (Highly Recommended): A rice cooker takes the guesswork out of getting the rice starchy and tacky enough to hold the layers. The stovetop works, but mine always come out better when the rice cooker does the thinking.
Chef Nadia’s Sushi-Grade Tips
- What to Ask the Fishmonger: Skip the standard display case. Go to a reputable seafood counter and ask directly whether their salmon is flash-frozen for raw consumption.
- The Best Varieties: Farm-raised Atlantic or King salmon are my picks here. Their controlled diet keeps parasite risk low, and the fat content gives you the dense, silky texture this cake depends on.
- Trusted Online Suppliers: If you cannot source it locally, order from the experts. Catalina Offshore Products, Yama Seafood, and Riviera Seafood Club all ship pristine sushi-grade seafood with mandatory overnight shipping. Specific handling instructions vary by supplier, so verify before you order.
Prep the Ingredients
This is a dish you assemble right before serving. The chopped salmon mixture cannot be made ahead, because the rice vinegar starts curing the fish on contact and finely minced salmon cures fast and turns rubbery. Here is what you can do ahead so the final assembly takes minutes.
Seasoned Calrose Rice: Make this 1 to 2 days ahead. The rice needs a minimum of 3 hours in the fridge to develop the dense, tacky texture that holds the salmon and avocado layers in place.
Citrus Tamari Sauce: Whisk it up to 24 hours before serving. The cilantro and scallion greens steep in the citrus as it sits.
Spicy Salmon Mixture: Whisk the Japanese mayo, sriracha, sesame oil, and serranos together up to 24 hours ahead, covered and refrigerated. Slice and chop the salmon ahead too, but do not combine the fish with the mixture until right before you assemble.
Avocado and Persian Cucumber: Slice the avocado 30 to 60 minutes before serving and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. It starts visibly browning around the 2 to 4 hour mark, so do not push it. The cucumber can be sliced up to 24 hours ahead, stored airtight with dry paper towels to catch the moisture, though it gives up a little of its crunch overnight.
Storage & Raw Fish Safety
Sushi-Grade Salmon Only: To meet FDA guidelines for eating raw seafood, the salmon must have been commercially flash-frozen at -4°F (-20°C) or below for at least 7 days to destroy parasites. Always verify the fish you are buying meets that standard before it goes anywhere near this recipe.
Room Temperature Limit: Raw salmon and cooked rice cannot sit out longer than 2 hours. Above 90°F, the limit drops to 1 hour.
Raw Unmixed Fish: Keep it at 40°F or below at all times. Once thawed, keep it refrigerated in its original packaging and use it within 24 hours, and follow any specific handling instructions from your fishmonger or supplier.
Assembled Cake: Do not refrigerate leftovers. The vinegar keeps curing the salmon and the avocado browns, so this is a serve-and-eat dish. Discard anything that has been out past the 2 hour limit, or 1 hour in heat.
Freezing: Vacuum-sealed sushi-grade salmon from online suppliers keeps in a standard freezer for up to two months, and once thawed it can never be refrozen. The assembled cake itself should never see the freezer under any circumstances.
What to Serve with Salmon Sushi Bundt Cake
Start the night with a milky dirty martini. The salty brine and creamy Humboldt Fog olives hold their own against the rich salmon. For an appetizer, salmon crispy rice brings the crunch this cake skips, and you are already buying the sushi-grade salmon anyway. Miso soup or sesame handheld salads cover the sides, and a passion fruit panna cotta closes the meal on a silky, tart note.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Only if it is labeled sushi-grade. Standard grocery fillets are usually not treated to eliminate parasites. Ask the seafood counter specifically for sushi-grade salmon, and see the Storage and Safety section for what that label has to mean.
This is not a leftover dish. The rice vinegar starts curing the chopped salmon immediately. The silky texture begins fading around 30 minutes and turns rubbery within the hour, so make what you plan to serve and serve it fresh.
No. Overnight, the acid in the spicy salmon mixture would fully cure the fish and the avocado would brown. Almost everything else can be prepped ahead though, and the Prep the Ingredients section has the exact breakdown.
Not to me, but the heat is easy to control. The serranos and the sriracha are the only sources, so deseed, swap in jalapeños, drop the sriracha to a teaspoon, or push everything the other direction if your crowd likes it hot.
Yes, for this exact ingredient amount. The layers need to be pressed firmly and the final rice layer has to reach the rim, so a different pan size means recalculating the ingredients to match. If what you actually want is individual portions, the mini sushi bundt cakes are already scaled for that.
Equipment
- rice cooker, (optional)
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 1/2 cups calrose rice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 tbsp black and toasted sesame seeds
Citrus Tamari Sauce
- 1/2 orange, juiced
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 3 scallions, dark green tops only, chopped, white and light green parts reserved
- tamari, to taste
Spicy Salmon Mix
- 1 lb sushi-grade salmon
- 1/4 cup japanese mayo
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tsp tamari
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 serrano, finely chopped
- 3 scallions, reserved white and light green parts, chopped
Salmon Sushi Bundt Cake
- cooking oil spray
- 2 persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 2 avocados, sliced
- shichimi togarashi, for topping
- toasted nori, crumbled, for topping
- 1 serrano, thinly sliced, for topping
Instructions
- Rice: Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Cook in a rice cooker or according to package directions. Stir the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt together, then fold into the cooked rice along with the sesame seeds. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
- Citrus Tamari Sauce: Combine the orange juice, lemon juice, cilantro, and dark green scallion tops in a small bowl. Add tamari to taste and mix.
- Spicy Salmon Mix: Cut 8 thick slices from the salmon and set aside. Finely chop the remaining salmon and combine in a bowl with the Japanese mayo, sriracha, tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar, serrano, and the reserved white and light green scallion parts. Mix well.
- Assemble: Spray the bundt pan with cooking oil spray. Arrange the 8 reserved salmon slices in the bottom of the pan. Press half of the seasoned rice firmly over the salmon. Layer the cucumber slices, slightly overlapping, then the avocado, then the spicy salmon mixture. Press the remaining rice on top until it sits flush with the rim. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to set.
- Serve: Place a serving plate upside down over the pan and carefully flip both together so the cake is upright. Tap the top of the pan until the cake releases. Top with crumbled nori, shichimi togarashi, and sliced serranos. Serve with the citrus tamari sauce.
Kitchen Cam
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you so much for this recipe. It was a hit at my supper and I gave the recipe to a friend who served it at her book club. The members said she just raised the bar. It is so impressive and no one knows how easy it is too make. I