This is a cross between your favorite Crab Sushi and California rolls made into sushi stacks for a fun and easy sushi recipe. Same ingredients but fun new way for crab sushi step by step.
Making sushi at home is something I’ve learned 10 years ago when I was pregnant and desperately craved sushi. Ever since then , I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t made them often.
There are lots and lots of sushi places near me to enjoy crab sushi and California rolls and more. However, I have made fun little tweaks to sushi at home.
One of them is this sushi stacks and the other is my all time favorite Sushi Burrito! You will absolutely LOVE them!
CRAB SUSHI
My daughter’s all time favorite is the California roll or as she calls it, the crab sushi.
We use imitation crab meat because that’s what she’s used to having at the sushi place.
Another few of the crab sushi favorites are cucumber and avocado. Both of which we certainly used here too.
To kick up the flavors slightly we added chunks of mango. So you can similarly think of this recipe as the mango sushi since it has all mango sushi ingredients.
So let’s get started.
Ingredients for Crab Sushi:
- Sushi Rice (more on that on the Sushi Burrito Post)
- Soy Sauce
- Imitation Crab meat
- Cucumber
- Avocado
- Mango Chunks
- Nori Seaweed or seaweed sheets
- Rice Vinegar
- Sesame Seeds
- Japanese Mayonnaise or any Mayo to make Spicy Mayo
- Scallions
SUSHI STACKS
So we’re making the crab sushi today into fun easy sushi stacks. To start off you’ll need a dry measuring cup. You can chose the size of your sushi stacks based on the size of the cup you use.
So if you use a half cup measuring cup, you’ll end up with that width of sushi stacks. Smaller will be smaller, and so on. I’ve used a 1/3 cup measuring cup today.
Here’s the Step by Step
Take your measuring cup and layer the mango chunks. The ingredient you start with is the ingredient that shows on the top.
So we chose mango because it’s colorful, sweet and we love mango sushi too!
Cucumbers go next. I’ve shredded them to make it easy to layer.
Avocados are added over the cucumbers. I love mashing the avocado here because it acts like a lie to help stick the sushi tack together.
Now add your crab meat and scallions.
Seaweed sheets go next, but you’ll need to cut them to fit the size of your cup. Feel free to add a double layer of seaweed if you want a stronger seaweed taste in your crab sushi.
Finally, the sushi rice. Make sure you really press down the sushi rice over your sushi stacks so it sticks well. More on how to make sushi rice in the Sushi Burrito post!
Now to unfold the sushi stacks, you’ll need to run a knife around the edges of the sushi. Make sure to run it all around and then flip the measuring cup over the serving plate.
And it’s ready!
Now sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top. Spoon some dreamy Spicy Mayo sauce. There’s a full video and recipe plus variations on making the BEST spicy mayo ever!!
Soy sauce can go right on top and scallions. Now it’s ready to enjoy! YUM!
CRAB SUSHI STACKS TIPS
- This crab sushi is easier than the classic way of making sushi where you roll the sushi and slice it. Also no sushi rolling matt is required here!
- The flavors here are similar to a california roll, except for the mango.
- Mango sushi is super flavorful because the sweetness compliments the spicy mayo, soy sauce, cucumber, crab meat and avocado so well!
- Choose the measuring cup you prefer, and remember the width will be the final size of your sushi stack. So a one cup measuring cup for example will need to be cut up, because it’s too big for a single bite.
- The best size for a single (huge) bite would be the 1/4 cup.
- The layering has to start with the ingredient you want to show first. So for this recipe we started with the mango and that’s why it showed over the top.
- Use mashed avocados here so that it acts as a glue to stick the ingredients together in the sushi stack.
- For the seaweed, cut it up roughly to the shape of your measuring cup. It doesn’t have to be perfect!
- For the sushi rice, I cook mine over the stove not using a rice cooker. It’s always best to start by preparing the rice, and while the rice is cooking you can start chopping and preparing your ingredients.
- The sushi rice has to be the final and last layer of the sushi stack so make sure to press it down very well.
- Use a knife and run it around the measuring cup to unmold the sushi stack. Flip the stack over a plate and then tap gently over the bottom of the cup to make sure the sushi stack falls smoothly over a plate.
- Dress up the sushi stack with some spicy mayo and soy sauce and sesame seeds.
- Enjoy!
ASIAN RECIPES
Thai Salad With Lamb And Peanut Dressing
Thai Style Rice Paper Rolls with Two Dipping Sauces
Easy Stir Fry Recipe with Lamb and Veggies
Thai Chicken Meatballs With Apple Peanut Sauce
Crab Sushi Stacks
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup crab meat
- 1/2 cup mango
- 2 avocados mashed
- 1/3 cup shredded cucumber
- 4 nori seaweed sheets cut up
- 2 tablespoons mixed sesame seeds
- 1 scallion chopped
- 1 1/2 cups sushi rice cooked
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
-
Cook the sushi rice and season it according to directions on the Sushi Burrito post.
-
Take a dry measuring cup (1/4 cup or 1/3 cup ideally) and start layering the sushi stack.
-
Start with the mango chunks, top that with cucumber shreds and a layer of the mashed avocados. The mashed avocado layers acts as a glue.
-
Top that with crab meat, scallions and seaweed. Press it down to stick it well to the ingredients.
-
Now the final ingredient is the sushi rice. You’ll need to really cover the surface and use about a quarter of an inch thick layer of rice.
-
Press down the rice as well as you can.
-
Now take a small pairing knife and run it around the sushi stack to release it from the cup.
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Flip the measuring cup on to a plate or serving platter and tap the cup to help release.
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Sprinkle sesame seeds and drizzle some spicy mayo and soy sauce over the sushi stacks and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
CRAB SUSHI STACKS TIPS
- This crab sushi is easier than the classic way of making sushi where you roll the sushi and slice it.
- Also no sushi rolling matt is required here!
- The flavors here are similar to a california roll, except for the mango.
- Mango sushi is super flavorful because the sweetness compliments the spicy mayo, soy sauce, cucumber, crab meat and avocado so well!
- Choose the measuring cup you prefer, and remember the width will be the final size of your sushi stack. So a one cup measuring cup for example will need to be cut up, because it’s too big for a single bite.
- The best size for a single (huge) bite would be the 1/4 cup.
- The layering has to start with the ingredient you want to show first. So for this recipe we started with the mango and that’s why it showed over the top.
- Use mashed avocados here so that it acts as a glue to stick the ingredients together in the sushi stack.
- For the seaweed, cut it up roughly to the shape of your measuring cup. It doesn’t have to be perfect!
- For the sushi rice, I cook mine over the stove not using a rice cooker. It’s always best to start by preparing the rice, and while the rice is cooking you can start chopping and preparing your ingredients.
- The sushi rice has to be the final and last layer of the sushi stack so make sure to press it down very well.
- Use a knife and run it around the measuring cup to unmold the sushi stack. Flip the stack over a plate and then tap gently over the bottom of the cup to make sure the sushi stack falls smoothly over a plate.
- Dress up the sushi stack with some spicy mayo and soy sauce and sesame seeds.
- Enjoy!
The combination of flavors in this dish is great! Love it!
Thank you Shadi
My daughter and I are going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to give this a try! So excited!
Thank you Beth
I adore sushi, and these sushi stacks look incredible.
They’re super easy too
I love imitation crab its so economical that you used that in this recipe plus it looks much easier!
It is totally!! Thank you