California Roll
Inside-out sushi roll with crab, avocado, and cucumber, wrapped in seasoned rice and nori.
Seafood
⚠ Contains: Egg, Sesame, Shellfish. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sushi rice (short-grain Japanese rice)
- 2 cups water
- 1 piece (2-inch) kombu (optional)
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 sheets nori, cut in half
- 200g imitation crab (kanikama) or real crab meat, shredded
- 1 avocado, sliced thin
- 1 cucumber, seeded and cut into thin sticks
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise (optional, for binding the crab)
- Toasted sesame seeds, for coating (optional)
- Soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi, to serve
Steps
- Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs mostly clear, then cook with the water and kombu (remove kombu before it boils) using a 10:9 rice-to-water ratio, either in a rice cooker or covered pot.
- While the rice cooks, warm the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan just until dissolved; do not boil. Let cool.
- Turn the hot cooked rice into a wide, non-metal bowl (a wooden hangiri is traditional). Pour the vinegar mixture over and fold it in with a cutting motion, fanning the rice as you go to cool it to room temperature and give it a glossy sheen.
- Place a half-sheet of nori, shiny side down, on a bamboo mat covered with plastic wrap. With wet fingertips, spread a thin, even layer of rice over the entire sheet, then flip it over so the rice faces down onto the mat.
- Lay strips of crab, avocado, and cucumber across the center of the nori. If desired, mix the crab with mayonnaise first.
- Using the mat, roll the nori tightly over the filling, pressing gently to compact it into a firm cylinder. Optionally roll the finished log in toasted sesame seeds.
- Slice the roll into 6-8 pieces with a sharp, wet knife, wiping the blade between cuts. Serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi.