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
Hi-
I’m going to make these tonight and have two questions. Should the rice be seasoned with sugar and rice vinegar or plain and about how many cups should I figure per person as an entree. Thanks
We used phyllo dough and it was amazing! We also talked about using a wonton wrapper or even creating an empanada version.
I love all your recipes!!! Thank you!!
I do love my life 😉
Hi Sari, I appreciate your kind message!
Quick question. Plan to make the recipe. When does the glaze go on?
Looks divine! Can’t wait to make
Wow, a crowd pleaser for sure!
Delish, the glaze really adds to it, and it didn’t get soggy, crisp.
Garnish is very pretty too
Thanks H.H.
Hi Terri, I’m so glad they worked out for you! Thank you for the glowing review!
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.
Don’t be a bonehead Jane. She says to wait for rice to cool before putting into the nori sheets. Don’t blame her for your not reading the entire recipe. Love you Stella!
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!
Easier for some people to make less of others rather than making less of himself
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.
Of course you should marinate if you can. Stella says it also in the instructions.
Be thankful for the recipe instead of complaining! And yes it’s great even without marinating!
It’s mentioned in step 1:
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.
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
You can wet a piece of paper towel lightly. Place it on top of your food for reheating. I always do this for rice and chicken.
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.
Is there a low carb version? I don’t want to use rice
Hi Paloma, you can try cauliflower rice! But make sure there isnt too much liquid in it or they will be soggy
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!
What temp on air fryer to reheat? Thanks in advance 😊
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!
Would like to incorporate a tbsp or so of Sake. What recipe adjustments would be best?
I tried this for a small number of people, as an appetizer. It could have been the meal! This is SO good! I will make it for a large dinner party next Friday–gonna serve it with Bok Choy and Soba noodles with mushrooms! Miso soup with tofu to start! Thanks for this great recipe.
Was worried about jamming the fragile nori into the cups, but with the cold sticky rice in the center it drops right in and stays easily. What a clever recipe :). Love it!
this looks so good, awesome idea!
Fiz essa receita e ficou delicioso. Amo suas receitas. 🫶
love this! my kids went crazy!
When do you use the glaze?
Is it 141kcal for 1 muffin ?
Tried this recipe tonight. Couldn’t get the normal Japanese nori, so had to use the Korean variety.
The taste was terrific but the nori was so soggy we couldn’t get it out of the pans.
I used sushi rice and made sure it was well drained and dryish…. So l don’t know what went wrong. Any suggestions? If not the next time l make it, l will have to use cup cake papers so that we can get it out of the pans.
Thank you for the receipe, it tastes fantastic.
Only difficult thing is to find a toasted sesame oil.
Have you tried it with other types of rice: regular white rice? brown rice (pressure-cooked)?
I love how the salmon turned really tasty. My family loves salmon and my son loves Nori (seaweed) for snack. This recipe is the best combo for their favorite are all here. Thank you for sharing♥️
This was is the best new recipe I have tried recently! May have knocked my Hoisin Salmon out of our top ten.
Hi . My 10 yr old and I just made this.
So yummy. It was a little dry.maybe next time 12 min instead of 15 and i think next i will make some extra marinade for dipping.
Thank you
Made these tonight for my “no salmon please,” husband! He LOVED them! Will look for silicon muffin pans, amazon? Mine turned out really well, not too soggy, still able to pick up with fingers and didn’t fall apart….will make more glaze next time, as everyone wanted to pour additional on top or dip. Great, fun recipe! Thank you!
I never used a silicone muffin tray before. It probably made all the difference. The nori held together and I used a tray with 20 muffin slots. 1 piece of salmon per. I’ve got lots of leftovers! I used sweet chili sauce instead of siracha. Yummy!
Wow! I made them last night and they were a HUGE hit! I tried to find silicone muffin tins at the last minute, couldn’t, and they were still fine. One stuck, I left it in the tin until the rest were gone (I made the recipe larger and made 16 in the big muffin tins) then by popular demand, dug that one out and gave it to one of the guests. Still have enough salmon marinating, so our guest is coming back tonight to help us polish off the rest.
HI Natalie, That’s so awesome you got a repeat party tonight! Happy they were a big hit with eveyrone and thanks for the kind feedback and rating!
These were so good and a big hit with my family!!! The only adjustment I made was to glaze before broiling and it was delicious!
What sides would you recommend with this??
Do you know if soy paper works well for this?
Amazingly wonderful! I love all your recipes. I’ve made the crack salmon muffins numerous times. Tonight, I’m trying left over brown rice because I don’t have time to make sushi rice. Keep sharing!!!!
Thank you, Diane
What size muffin pans? Will mini muffins work?
Hi Julie I would do the muffin pans that have 12 slots in them. I don’t think the mini muffin tray would work here in my opinion
Absolutely fab, we just loved the of taste of nori and baked salmon.
Mine stuck to the muffin tin. I tweaked the recipie to add more Sriracha. The salmon didn’t have much flavor (to my liking) so may add some sea salt to marinade. If I’d let it cook the whole 15 the salmon would’ve been super dry. Overall decent just frustrated that nori stuck. I’ll make it again. It’s easy and can personalize flavor.
Thank you so much! This is so delicious and easy to make!
This will be on my favorites list for sure 🙏🏽
made it once for a big day .Doing it Tuesday for late Birthday .Sooo easy at party time .Even the “ewww sushi “ guy ate it happily and took a few home for later ! A winner !
Hi, I cannot wait to cook these up! They’re marinating and ready to cook tomorrow.
I have a question and hope this isn’t too dumb: Do I add the glaze after I take them out of the oven? I’m not clear about this part.
Thanks!
A friend of mine introduced me to this recipe not knowing I had all the ingredients in my pantry and she had the salmon. We took it down to the Shore House and made it together. Oh boy, I must say, what a delicious, tasty, finger-lickin, mouth watering outcome. Everyone was super-duper pleased. I’m always on the lookout for “out of the box” recipes; this has been one of my favorites. Yummers! and Thank you! 🙂
the best salmon!!!!!
12 servings? I’d say 1 as my teenage son devoured all of them as soon as they came out of the oven. Guess that means they were good!
Hardest part of the recipe was removing the skin. I did it, but next time I’ll ask the butcher to remove it.
Soaked the salmon in marinade for about 2 hours. Used silicon muffin tray with no oil (however my nori sheets came flavored with avocado oil/salt) and had no probelm with sticking or them being soggy. I only put 4 chunks of salmon per, next time I would fill them up with more. Also would check for doneness at about 10-12 minutes.
Making the shrimp muffins next!
Insanely good and so addictive!
It’s true. I can’t stop making and eating these !!! delicious. 😋
Love this recipe! So quick to put together and tastes like a million bucks!!! Loving my life♥️✨. Merci
Made them last night. AMAZING.
Would canned salmon work?
These were delicious !!!! I ended up getting 30 muffins and since I didn’t have a silicone pan I just lined my regular pan with cupcake liners which worked out perfect to serve and eat. Definitely keeping this recipe ❤️
you can not pick these up and bite them. its impossible to bite thru the seaweed. the flavor was ok, but honestly I could have done alot better things with my salmon. takes alot of time to make too. marinate over night, cook rice and cool it…
A bit of work, but worth it. Very good. Mine were not soggy whatsoever. I used a nonstick pan. And i did use sushi rice, much more expensive than traditional white rice. I think if I make these again, I will use regular rice, and I do think that it will teach you anything negatively to the recipe.
Made this tonight and followed the directions to every detail (except cooking time). Added cooled, flavored sushi rice in square cut nori, only 4-5 small pieces of marinated salmon bits, 400 degrees for ONLY 10 mins. Added some sauce and served. EVERYONE loved it. Made in metal cupcake containers. One with liners (nori pushed into liners) and one without. Both came out fine. Great recipe. Makes a lot of “cupcakes.” We made 24 with this recipe.
Made these last weekend and they were awesome 🤍🤍🤍🤍 used the spicy mayo option but will do the glaze next time. Wish I could attach a picture as I am terribly proud of how they looked.
I’ve made a version of these a while back with my daughter. Although they were delicious, the Nori did get soggy, so I’m definitely going to try using the silicone muffin tray instead. Thank you so much for the tip! Sounds amazing and looks even better.
We loved these salmon / nori ‘muffins’. I also made them in mini-muffin size for a potluck, and they were very popular. In that case, I cut the salmon chunks very small. They did get a bit too dried out in cooking, probably because they were so small. Next time I’ll just reduce the cooking time a bit. QUESTION: did you use powdered or grated ginger? I only had powdered, but think grated might be good.
Hi Ann, yes i used ginger paste but i would recommend fresh grated ginger over powder. But i still use powder in a pinch too. I like to keep Trader Joes frozen cubes ginger in the freezer too!
Delicious. I’ve been making this recipe weekly because it’s soooo good
These are so delicious! I used tuna loin instead, but I’m sure either would be equally as addictive! I could literally drink this glaze. 10 stars ⭐️ I will definitely make these again.
Absolutely delightful! Tried it today and it was very easy to put together… goes great with a glass of chilled beer!
These were just OK. Wouldn’t call them killer.
Hello,
Is it powdered ginger or fresh ginger?
Thanks!
Hi Sarah, I used ginger paste here but would recommend fresh ginger vs powdered. Also, Trader Joes has frozen ginger mini cubes that are great
Absolutely as good as Stella claims and easy!
Hahahaha thanks Donna!!
It was pretty much work, but worth it!! So much flavor!!
Hi Mary, its definitely worth the extra effort!
Hi! I can’t wait to make these this weekend for a girls night! Was curious if I can prepare them ahead of time? Think would be best to freeze them?
Hi quick question can you use canned salmon for this?
They’re good. If I was to be critical, l’d say their okay. They’re nothing like what the name implies, though. If this recipe was tweaked some more, it could definitely get closer to that target.
This was incredibly good, thank you so much for giving this recipe out to the world! My daughter wondered why I hadn’t made this before, she loved it! But the Nori sheets got soggy, could it be because I didn’t use sushi rice?
Hi Eli, Glad your daughter loved them so much! My best recommendations for the sogginess is to make sure the rice is completely cooled and if you can, pick up a silicone muffin tray. That has always worked out amazing for me. I will link the one i use below:
https://amzn.to/45G4e5D
Thank you for the tip! I will try it out. ☺️
Very good. Made with tuna but think that salmon would even get a better result. Left it in longer than 15 minutes around 25min. Sauce was a must for the rounded feel. Added mirin to the rice. Will make again. Great finger food idea. Thank you!
Very good. Made with tuna but think that salmon would even get a better result. Left it in longer than 15 minutes around 25min. Sauce was a must for the rounded feel. Added mirin to the rice. Will make again. Great finger food idea. Thank you!
Hi Sarah, my daughter tried them with sushi grade tuna raw, and she loved them but I also prefer salmon here! Thanks for the rating!
It looks delicious
I’m going to make these on the weekend 😍
Hi Lorena – enjoy the meal and the weekend! Thank you!
Do I eat them warm or cold?
i prefer warm but you can eat them cold too
This is just so deliscious, I love the flavours! My 10 year old daugther often want me to make it for dinner, she loves them just as much as I do😋👌
Very Delicious! I will be making this recipe all of the time. The marinate was killer..I was eating the salmon right out of the bowl! You could eat this as a salmon bowl also over lettuce, etc
HI Nancy, i feel the same way. this sauce is everyhting!