You've Heard Of Sushi Burritos. Now Get Ready For Sushi Pizza

If you like sushi, you're going to love sushi pizza — though the opposite might not be true. There isn't any pepperoni or melted cheese on a sushi pizza. Instead, it's usually topped with a layer of nori, raw salmon, spicy mayonnaise, and sometimes other ingredients common in the traditional sushi you know and love. Sushi pizza is really just sushi served creatively in the shape of a pizza instead of as a cut roll or a hand roll. That's about the only defining quality, but the landscape of sushi pizza has a lot to offer.

Sushi pizza is taking off like sushi burritos did in 2020. (Those oversized sushi rolls are still ultra-popular!) Its origins are in Toronto, Canada sometime in the late 1990s or early 2000s. The exact date or era is unclear because several people lay claim to creating the Japanese-inspired dish. The version you'll see served in Toronto restaurants has a fried rice patty for a crust, topped with spicy mayonnaise, salmon sashimi, flying fish roe (tobiko), green onion, and optional avocado slices. But that's just the beginning for sushi pizza — there are tons of ways to make it.

Sushi pizza is lighting up its own corner of the internet and people have created a few different riffs off of the original style. Some versions are built on fried rice patties, others on deep-fried nori. Some drizzle the sauce on top as a garnish and others dip the sushi pizza slice in a ramekin of spicy mayo, like you would with regular pizza and ranch dressing.

A fried rice patty is a great option for sushi pizza crust, especially if you want something fun for meal prep this week. Build the crust with sushi rice pressed into a circular shape, like a regular pizza crust then flatten it out on parchment paper or a silicone mat for easy transfer to wax paper. Wrap the flattened discs of sushi rice in wax paper and then stack them in a bad in the freezer so you can make sushi pizza any time.

Crispy nori is another great option for the crust on a sushi pizza. Just cut the nori sheet into triangles and coat one side in a light tempura batter, then deep-fry it. Build the sushi pizza with the breaded side of the nori facing down. Top your crust with a deconstructed California roll for a beginner-style sushi pizza. Or, create your own style with fresh, raw fish fillets (here's how to choose sushi-grade fish), fresh veggies, and maybe even some caviar or wasabi for extra flavor.