National pizza day was yesterday (February 9) and I had to celebrate. I eat regular pizza all the time, so I thought it would be fun to go a little out of the box.

Are you ready for this? I made sushi pizza. There is no dough, no tomato sauce and definitely no cheese here. I used typical sushi ingredients presented in a really cute way!

So a sushi pizza is essentially a sticky rice patty that’s breaded and fried, and then topped with whatever sushi ingredients you choose. I have made maki rolls many times (and you can check out my post here) but turning that into pizza was a first for me! I used pretty much the same ingredients I would for sushi rolls – avocado, carrot, radish – I just cut them differently (slices vs sticks).

I also put some spicy mayo which helps all the toppings stick to the rice patty. The other new item I used here is fresh tuna – usually I would put canned tuna in my rolls. I got this seared tuna from Costco, it comes seasoned and sliced, just needs to be thawed and then it’s ready to use. This was a really nice addition to these pizzas. Obviously you can leave out the fish if you wanted to make it vegetarian.

This turned out so well. It was a really fun twist on classic sushi rolls and I love how pretty they are. You can use your ingredients and make any designs you wish, you can see my variations in the picture.

My favourite part of this pizza was the rice patty. Because it’s breaded and fried, the outside gets so crispy but the inside stays soft and almost fluffy. It was a really nice texture contrast with some of the softer toppings. Another cool thing about these pizzas is that there is no seaweed (nori) so it’s perfect for people who don’t like that.

I can’t say enough about these adorable pizzas, so make sure you check out the recipe down below and let me know your thoughts! 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sushi (or short grain) rice, raw
• 1 tbsp plain rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup flour (GF: use GF flour)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (GF: use GF bread crumbs)
• 1/4 cup canola oil, for frying
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• Variety of toppings: carrot, radish, avocado, tuna (vegetarian: omit tuna)

Directions:

1. Cook sushi rice according to package directions. (I cooked mine in the instant pot – high pressure for 5 minutes, then natural release for 7 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure). When finished, fluff the rice and let cool a few minutes.
2. In small bowl, combine rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Pour over warm rice and gently stir until fully coated. Set aside until rice comes to room temperature.
3. Once rice is cool, take 1/4 or 1/3 cup scoops and put on sheet pan covered with parchment paper or silicone sheet. Flatten each mound of sticky rice and form into 3″ circles, about 3/4″ high. Repeat with all rice. Place pan in fridge and let rice patties firm up, about 30 minutes.
4. Prepare breading stations by putting flour, eggs and bread crumbs in their own bowls. Take rice patties, one at a time and dip into flour, then egg and then panko.
5. Pour oil in a large frying pan, just enough to barely cover the bottom, and heat over medium. When hot, place breaded rice patties and cook 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel to remove excess grease.
6. In small bowl, combine mayonnaise and sriracha. Spread thin layer onto each fried patty then decorate with desired toppings.
7. Serve immediately. Enjoy.