Killer Crack Salmon Muffins
These little sushi style salmon cups are a killer recipe for your next together. Very addictive.
This is definitely my most favorite way to make salmon – the flavor is THE BEST I’ve every tried. I kid you not. The beauty of this recipe is that you don’t have to make these muffins, you can use the marinade and glaze for large pieces of salmon to serve however you please.

After my Spicy Salmon Sushi Rice Muffins went viral, I knew I had to create a runner up with salmon but I think this is better by far. The flavor combination is exceptional to say the least.

Thank you for swinging by Hungry Happens! If you try this recipe or any other from our site, we would greatly appreciate you taking the time to comment and rate the dish! LOVE YOUR LIFE!

Killer Crack Salmon Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 sheets nori paper
- 1½ cups cooked sushi rice, fully cooled
Killer Crack Salmon:
- 1 lb salmon, skin removed + cubed small
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs sesame oil
- 1 tbs low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbs unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tbs honey
- 1 tbs ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbs sesame seeds
- 2 scallions, diced
Glaze:
- 1 tbs toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbs honey
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sriracha sauce
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Optional Toppings:
- sliced scallions, shredded carrots
Instructions
- Preheat your oven 400℉. Grab a scissor and cut your nori sheets into 4 equal squares.
Salmon:
- In a large bowl, whisk the olive, oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds and scallions. Add in the cubed salmon and marinate for an hour or up to overnight.
- To each nori square, add about 1 heaping tablespoon of rice and spread out slightly. Transfer the square to your muffin slot, pushing down gently to center the rice in the middle with the edges coming up along the sides of the slot. Grab out 4-5 salmon cubes and fill each muffin slot. Transfer the pan to your oven and bake for 15 minutes. Broil, if needed, at the end, to get a little tan on the salmon .. 1-2 minutes.
Glaze:
- Whisk together all the ingredients for the glaze. Taste and adjust if needed.
Notes
Special Note: I find my Silicone Muffin Tray to keep them from getting soggy the best (as compared to my metal muffin tray).
Make sure your rice is fully cooled prior to adding to the recipe.
And don’t over fill with salmon.
Nutrition
Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
I am not a fan of nori do you have another suggestion?
PS love your recipes
HI Barbara, how about a wonton wrapper? Thank you also!!
I am definitely doing this recipe. Also sent it to my son-in-law who’s a great cook. Thank you. Have most of the ingredients at home, not the salmon or Nori though.
Hi Kate, you guys will love these salmon muffins! ENjoy!!
is the sushi rice mixed with vinegar and sugar? Thanks
I love all your recipes!!! Thank you!!
I do love my life 😉
Hi Sari, I appreciate your kind message!
Looks divine! Can’t wait to make
made it for supper tonight for Mother’s Day. very good. also made it with chicken for my wife’s lunch the next couple of days.
Hi Richard, glad it was such a win for the family! Thanks for trying it and the kind rating!
I’m making these right now! 5 more minutes in the oven.. I’m so excited, they look and smell absolutely delicious and they’re so easy!!! I literally love every single one of your recipes!! Thank you!! How did we ever cook before the internet?? Lol
Just put them in the oven 🙌🙌 I can’t wait to eat dinner 🍽
Hi Viola, bon apetit!! enjoy!
I literally can’t wait to make this. But why can’t I pin it? I don’t see that option anywhere.
I haven’t even made it yet and I’m giving it a five star because I know that this is going to be fantastic.
Hi Sofia! I don’t blame you for being excited! You’re gonna love these!! To pin the recipe, just tap on any picture in the post and the Pinterest ‘SAVE’ icon will appear in the upper left hand corner. There is also a SHARE button within the recipe ‘box’ – tap it and you will see an option to Pin the recipe. There is also a PIN button a little below the recipe box too. Hope this helps! 💙
these are amazing. i ran short on filling so made a few veggie ones with asparagus and mushroom. the posibilities are endless. the nori got a bit soggy, any tips to get them crisp like yours?
Hi Sue, thanks for trying them out! For the nori to stay firm, I made sure my rice was fully cooled. Also don’t over load the muffins with too many fish cubes. And lastly, I used a silicone baking muffin tray and that works better than the steel one I used.
thank you! i did use hot rice! i wondered if that was a big part of it! will make again for sure!
I only have here the smallest muffin
Pan, how many minutes ahould i
Cook them? Thank You!:)
I would do 12-15 minutes
This looks wonderful! Should the ginger in this recipe be grated fresh or powdered ginger?
Hi Michelle, thanks so much! I would recommend fresh ginger or ginger paste here. But you can use ground ginger in a pinch. – just a lot less of it because it is very pungent!
Why the hell do you not mention at the beginning of the recipe that you need to marinate the salmon? To say I’m upset right now is an understatement! My oven is supposed to stay on for an hour?! This should have been made clear in the video and the recipe.
You should always read a recipe in its entirety before you start cooking. Second, you can skip marinating all together. It will still be great.
Newbie.
Your attitude is so off putting! I know I shouldn’t be surprised but some people are so ungrateful and easy to anger; please simmer down before responding like that!
Second what Stephen said! So much nicer if you might point out that the prep time might be changed to include an hour to marinate.
Whoa.. easy there, sister. While I agree that the method might have been clearer if steps 1 and 2 in the instructions had been swapped (prepare the fish, marinade, *then* preheat the oven), the fault is yours for not reading the recipe through in its entirety. Surely the creator doesn’t deserve this kind of abuse! Live and learn. I hope your next meal is stress-free and delicious.
Be nice Jane.
Hi Stella ! can you eat it cold or room temperature ?
Hi Lucille, its all a matter of personal preference. But yes, absolutely you can eat these cold
Going to make this today, my family loves sushi type foods. How do I keep leftovers fresh? Assuming there are any – LOL Sushi rice usually turns hard once refrigerated
Do you think these would hold well? I was thinking to make ahead, refrigerate, and then bring out an hour before serving (to bring to room temp) at a cocktail party…
Hi Kara, I personally enjoy fish warm but know many are not as picky as me. Its a personal preference.
How would this work if we used brown rice?
Same recipe.
My husband kept exclaiming, “Oh. My. Gosh!” after every bite. I think we have found our new favorite way to make salmon! The marinade and glaze recipes are spot on. I substituted gochujong for the spice, and it was incredible.
I wish I could post a photo. They turned out gorgeous!
HI Christine, MMMMM that sounds amazing! Glad it was approved by hubby and I thank you for the sweet feedback!!
Made these today and came out lovely! Delightful and light! Thank you!
Hi Karen, glad you enjoyed the salmon muffins! THanks for trying them!
This was really good. I’m glad I stumbled upon your recipes. Looking forward to trying more of them.
HI Mickie, Thanks for trying these out! Glad they were enjoyed!
Is the nutritional info for 1 muffin?
Hi Cher, yes its for one muffin.
hi Stella – first of all love these! Just want to add one comment. The lady at the Asian store where I went to get Nori Sheets suggested I use the precut ones. Since I had those I thought ok. Well don’t!! They’re too small for regular muffin tins. So I ended up using my small muffin tin. They came out ok but next time I’m sticking with the recipe!!
Hi Karen, thanks so much for sharing your feedback with us – its super helpful!
PS for small muffin tins, 12 min was perfect
Made these last night. They tasted really good but when I make them again, I will use way less oil! I would also reduce the glaze by cooking it to a thicker consistency so it doesn’t clings more. I seasoned the rice as if for making sushi rolls and the flavours really worked well. In general, oh yeah! I will make them again, Hubby loved them 😋
Hi Donna, glad you tried it and thank you for sharing your feedback with us – super helpful!
We have sesame allergies in our house. What can you suggest to add a boost of flavour instead? Many thank.
Hi there, do you spray the muffin tins first?
Hi Cheryl, I do not spray the tray!
These are amazing and reheat well in an air fryer for just a couple minutes!! Yum 😋
Hi Mia, glad you enjoyed and thanks for the rating!
so good! my only problem was the nori didn’t crisp up to make a cup. I sprayed the pan worried they would stick. could that be the problem?
Hi Karmen, my main suggestion for this is to use fully cool rice and not over load your cups with salmon either. I also have a silicone muffin tray and that seems to help too!
So delicious I cubed the salmon marinaded then broiled it by it self. Put over white rice with broccoli topped it off with the glaze.OMG so good my family loved it. Thank you for the great recipes 😊
Hi Sofia, that sounds amazing! Glad it was a win with everyone!
This was so good! I think the only thing I did wrong was I sprayed my tin with cooking spray so my nori didn’t crisp 😕 it was still delicious though!
The flavors are great, so we enjoyed eating these for that reason. But the recipe didn’t work for me structurally. The salmon and rice created too much moisture so the nori got soggy and they just fell apart. The rice on the bottom also hardened from the high heat. I used cooled rice, but rice emits steam when reheated. Next time I’ll do a deconstructed version, with the hot cooked rice plated and the marinaded cooked fish and nori on top.
HI Sandy, I’m sorry the cups didn’t hold up. I do not spray with oil but what I recommend is making sure the rice is fully cooled and not to overload the cups with salmon. Also, I use a silicone muffin tray and that seems to help tremendously.
Thanks for the tips, but I didn’t oil the cups, I fully cooked and cooled the rice, and I placed just a few cubes of fish on the rice. I’ve used nori often to make sushi rolls, and it will not stay crispy once it’s in contact with anything moist. There’s also the problem with rice hardening at the bottom when baked on high heat. I think it will work better for me to make sushi rolls or temaki with this tasty recipe. Keep sharing your great ideas!
I have made this twice now and OMG…. So amazing! Whole family loves them! I did use a cheat, 90 sec microwave jasmine rice…. Was delish! Ty Stella!
Hi Christina, Thanks so much for trying them and coming back for more!! Glad everyone enjoyed them too!