Sushi is not hard to make. If I can do it, anyone can. I make the easy sushi, not so fancy, but very tasty. You can make it too, but feel free to experiment with ingredients. There is no wrong way.
Here are the ingredients I use. You can see them on the island, ready to be put together. The rice is Arborio, a short grain (sticky) rice named after the town in Italy where it is grown. It’s usually used for risotto, but it works well in sushi, too. There are several other brands of sticky rice (look for short grain). I add a tablespoon of rice vinegar and stir it around after the rice is cooked. The rice should be made ahead and then chilled. One generous cup of raw rice grains, once cooked, will yield about five rolls of sushi.
The blue dish next to the rice has cold water for dipping very clean or gloved hands in so the (sticky) rice won’t stick to the hands.
I have a dish of mayo on hand and a spatula for spreading it on the Sushi Nori (seaweed sheets).
You’ll see some asparagus and carrot strips that I heated in a tiny bit of water in the microwave for about 2 minutes. They are now drained and chilled.
And most importantly, we have cold-smoked salmon (coho in this case) which will give the ultimate flavour thrill to the sushi. The salmon needs to be sliced into strips before putting into the sushi, of course.
So here we go.
Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the sheet of dried seaweed. I have it sitting on a bamboo mat for rolling it up later.
Put a generous (HUGE) tablespoonful of rice onto the seaweed and with wetted hands, pat it into a thin layer.
My layer of rice is not yet evenly spread. I don’t go right to the top end, wanting some seaweed for sealing the roll. Make the rice layer as thin as possible.
At the end closest to you, make a little ditch in the rice and place the carrot sticks, asparagus, and salmon strips in it. Then, using the end of the mat to help start a firm roll, fold over the seaweed, press it down gently and roll it up. You can drape the mat over it loosely and then press the roll together evenly if you like.
Put the finished roll aside on a small cutting board and get the next sheet of seaweed ready for loading up.
With a VERY sharp knife, cut the roll in the middle, as shown below. Then place the two halves side by side and cut each in half again.
You should have eight pieces when you’re finished.
Eating the sushi…. There are as many ways as there are mouths in the world. I like to put a tiny dab of wasabi (Japanese horseradish) on a piece of sushi, spoon over some soya sauce, and top it with a thin slice of pickled ginger. Not shown in the photo is my favourite “condiment,” which I remembered to put on the table later, black roasted sesame seeds. Sprinkle these on and it adds a nutty crunch to the already fabulous variety of textures and flavours.
You can vary the foods you put in the sushi rolls. I’ve heard of cantaloupe being used, as well as mushrooms, avocado, and lettuce. I just googled sushi ingredients and was bowled over by the huge list of possibilities. Just pick some of your favourite foods and give it a try.
October 11, 2017 at 5:42 pm
I’ve never tried Sushi for fear of sickness. It’s raw fish. I like your presentation. 💕
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October 11, 2017 at 5:45 pm
No. Not raw. I don’t like the idea of eating raw fish. I think it’s sashimi that has raw fish. We use smoked salmon which has been deep frozen (sushi grade) to make sure there is nothing in it to make a person sick. I don’t care for the idea of eating raw fish either.
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October 14, 2017 at 12:27 pm
I assumed all Sushi is raw! My local grocer was giving away free samples the other day. Perhaps I should try some since it’s not raw…
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October 14, 2017 at 1:20 pm
I don’t eat raw fish. Pickled or smoked fish is always processed in a way that breaks down the cell structure so it’s no longer raw. You could always ask at the store if the fish is raw, or if it’s pickled or smoked. I think it’s sashimi that uses raw fish, but there may be some crossovers so ask to be sure. That’s the beauty of making it at home. You know what’s in it.
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October 11, 2017 at 5:54 pm
I haven’t tried fish in my sushi. I tried the “California” sushi with avocado and cream cheese. It didn’t seem to be “real” sushi and someday I will try the “real stuff,” Anneli.
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October 11, 2017 at 6:03 pm
Thank you for demonstrating the steps to make this, Anneli. It looks delicious! If I ever eat sushi I will always remember your showing how to make the sushi rolls!
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October 11, 2017 at 6:15 pm
I used to think it was so hard to do but a friend showed me how, years ago, and I’ve made it many times since.
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October 12, 2017 at 7:33 pm
This is really a great post since I never knew much about sushi. The guy I have stayed friends with after dating, likes Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, Polynesian . . . I have enjoyed so many dishes and will eventually try sushi. 🤗
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October 12, 2017 at 7:35 pm
It’s great to have variety in your life.
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October 15, 2017 at 3:56 pm
Variety in tastes really is fun and special. His parents came from Italy so I only hope someday to eat one of his mother’s delicious Sunday dinners. If not, I will just have to try a “real” Italian meal. 😊
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October 11, 2017 at 6:10 pm
Impressive! I’m not a huge sushi fan, but these look and sound delicious.
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October 11, 2017 at 6:15 pm
You could go fishless if you don’t like fish.
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October 11, 2017 at 6:19 pm
I love sushi too, we make it once in a while.
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October 12, 2017 at 7:34 pm
That’s good to hear, Arlene.
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October 11, 2017 at 6:41 pm
I love Sushi..!! mouth watering,..!!
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October 11, 2017 at 9:12 pm
Me too!!
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October 11, 2017 at 6:52 pm
My favourite type of sushi is “dynamite rolls”. Instead of the smoked Salmon, use tempura dipped prawns. And I love love LOVE inside out sushi rolls too, with all of the above condiments, and including a bit of sweet red chili sauce or chipolte aioli lightly spread on top. YUM! So next time I come for a visit, it will be sushi making and EATING night! 😀 Woo hoo!
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October 11, 2017 at 9:10 pm
Oh dear! Now YOU have MY mouth watering! That sounds SO good!
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October 11, 2017 at 7:07 pm
Making sushi looks so easy but I’ve never tried it. Our son-in-law and grandson are awesome sushi makers. Someday I’ll give it a try. Thanks for the encouragement.
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October 11, 2017 at 9:09 pm
Good. I’m glad I have some influence….
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October 11, 2017 at 9:27 pm
Never tried it, but your version… maybe! Looks good!
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October 12, 2017 at 6:35 am
Very easy and you can put in what you like. And it is very good.
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October 12, 2017 at 3:30 am
I’ve never tried sushi, Anneli. You make it seem easy to make though.
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October 12, 2017 at 6:36 am
If you have the rice cooked ahead, and you have the ingredients available, the rest of it takes about 15 minutes to make up.
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October 12, 2017 at 6:21 am
Never tried Sushi. I t seems to have a certain smell that upsets my olfactory nerves! Yours look great!
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October 12, 2017 at 6:36 am
It should only smell good. Depends on what you put in it.
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October 12, 2017 at 8:00 am
It was at a grocery store so probably not the best.
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October 12, 2017 at 8:05 am
One thing about making it at home, you know exactly what’s in it, and you only need to put in what you like.
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October 12, 2017 at 9:00 am
I’ll have to share this recipe with my friend. She loves sushi. Thanks. 🙂
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October 12, 2017 at 9:23 am
A lot of the books and TV instructions say to use a special mayo with fish flavour in it but I’ve found that plain mayo works well, and I don’t care for the old fish juice fermenting my mayo anyway. Beyond that, you can use a lot of different foods to make the sushi be just what you like. It sure was good.
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October 12, 2017 at 9:34 am
Looks good to me, even if I’m not a sushi-fan. But smoked salmon: YES! And pickled/marinated herring. 🙂
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October 12, 2017 at 9:59 am
Yes, to smoked salmon and YES to pickled herring.
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October 12, 2017 at 10:14 am
I never made sushi because my husband wouldn´t touch it. But yours would probably water his mouth too. Love it how you demonstrated the “how to do” – should be easy enough too do – even for myself. Thanks for sharing.
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October 12, 2017 at 10:55 am
I think a lot of people think it is always with raw fish and they are afraid of parasites in the fish. I don’t eat it raw for that reason, but deep frozen and then smoked and cured is a different thing altogether. If you love smoked fish, you’ll love sushi – at least this one with these ingredients. You could make it without the smoked fish too and maybe put in some crab meat or some other cooked fish – tuna flakes – or just forget about the fish altogether.
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October 12, 2017 at 12:11 pm
You are right, we could use a big variation of ingredients, thanks again for the big show of “how to make Sushi.
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October 12, 2017 at 1:29 pm
Good luck.
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October 13, 2017 at 4:42 am
It looks just fabulous, Anneli. Really yummy. We love Sushi and feel inspired to give it a go now. 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend,
The Fab Four of Cley
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October 13, 2017 at 12:12 pm
Surprisingly easy to make, and oh so delicious.
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October 16, 2017 at 1:21 pm
You do make that look so easy! We have sushi on grocery shopping day – it’s our reward for finishing the chore. I’ll have to try make some. 🙂 Thanks for the instructions.
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October 16, 2017 at 4:11 pm
If you like sushi already, there’s no reason not to make it any time. Very easy. And tasty.
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October 16, 2017 at 1:25 pm
You make me laugh. You’re like my friend who is an artist and she says “you can do this, it’s easy to paint a watercolor.” Haha. Looks like quite a process to make that delicious looking sushi. And I do enjoy sushi and like you I like the kick of the wasabi.
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October 16, 2017 at 4:10 pm
Really! It IS easy! And so good. Wasabi and pickled ginger! Yowser!
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October 17, 2017 at 4:04 am
🙂
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October 16, 2017 at 4:59 pm
Looks and sounds delicious.
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October 16, 2017 at 7:46 pm
Thanks, Belinda. It is. Have you tried eating sushi?
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October 17, 2017 at 4:44 am
Yes I have, the less exotic variety mainly vegetarian.
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October 17, 2017 at 9:36 am
It makes a nice change from the usual menu.
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October 26, 2017 at 11:10 am
They are beautiful. We allow ourselves some sushi time to time.
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October 26, 2017 at 11:15 am
It’s one of our favourite treats.
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October 26, 2017 at 11:21 am
I agree, but my favorite treat is Tiramisu. I have a secret sweet tooth.
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October 26, 2017 at 11:22 am
It’s not a secret anymore!
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December 25, 2017 at 1:58 pm
Yummy 😊
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