Salmon HQ: Find out why I am never making my own sushi bake again!

November 02, 2020

Salmon HQ: Find out why I am never making my own sushi bake again!

The sushi bake is one of my favorite lockdown food trends. However, I ended up just making my own because I was always left disappointed by those that are being sold by the vendors that I’ve tried. Initially, most sushi bakes were filled with rice, kani, Japanese mayo, furikake, ebiko and sometimes mangoes. Sadly, most versions had way too much rice. Later on, some vendors developed other varieties with more toppings. But at this point, I was more than happy to just eat my own creations.

Enter SALMON HQ. Before I tell you all about how this vendor completely changed my mind about commercially-sold sushi bakes, Let me first show you a picture:

Salmon HQ’s Premium Salmon Cake and Poke Sushi Bakes

Is your mouth watering yet? If not, let me tell you about each item that I tried.

Tuna Poké Bake

Salmon HQ made the perfect marriage between the Hawaiian poké bowl and the sushi bake. Beautiful cubes of fresh tuna is marinated in a special sweet/savoury shoyu sauce before a generous amount is layered on top of kani salad. Then, a layer of my favorite chuka wakame and cucumber salad rests underneath the seafood before I even get a hint of seasoned sushi rice. The whole thing is topped with ebiko, sesame seeds and green onions.

This is a creamy, decadent delight but the wakame and cucumber salad gives it a fresh crunch that really speaks to my palate.

Aburi Salmon Poké Bake

Next on the menu is the Aburi Salmon Poké Bake. This version has the same thin layer of sushi rice topped with crunchy fresh cucumber and wakame before a creamy kani salad layer rests just below the salmon. As the name suggests, the salmon is torched on top to get that unique aburi smokiness.

This is a great dish to order if some dining companions are not too keen on eating raw fish. The salmon is still fresh and raw inside, but the texture is altered by the torched top layer. That makes it a safe bet even for those who, for whatever reason I can’t fathom, are unable to eat raw fish. This is the seafood equivalent of a perfectly seared medium-rare steak.

The tuna poke bake is also available in an aburi version and you can also get the salmon raw. The serving is very generous, and there is no way you will be left with a bite that does not have a piece of tuna or salmon. That’s exactly why I love the sushi bakes from Salmon HQ. Remember to order extra packs of seasoned nori because you will need them! Luckily I always have a large stash at home.

Okay, it’s time to talk about the elephant in the room. I know you noticed something else in the pictures. We’re not here to just talk about sushi bakes. What about that amazingly eye-catching salmon cake?

Premium Salmon Cake

Yeah, that’s how I want to celebrate special occasions from now on. I can have a sweet chocolate cake alongside a Premium Salmon Cake every single time. Just take a look at this beauty! The top tier is composed of a flower crafted entirely from juicy, firm slices of salmon sashimi.

The bottom tier of the “cake” is similar to the sushi bake. There’s a thin layer of sushi rice, chuka wakame and cucumber salad, and creamy kani kama with ebiko. The whole thing is hugged by another layer of salmon sashimi! That’s a total of 600 grams of salmon in this cake. For just Php1,200, that’s a real treat!

Frankly, I don’t even want to wait for a special occasion. I can always find something to celebrate if it means ordering a salmon cake!

If you want to go traditional, Salmon HQ also offers the classic sliced salmon and tuna sashimi. You can also get your fish served as a spicy salad with crunchy tempura flakes, Japanese mayo and togarashi.

Here are some of the Sushi Bake varieties you can try: