There are five basic types of sushi that you’ll find in restaurants, served at food carts, and found in new-fangled food kits: nigiri, sashimi, uramaki, temaki and maki, which is what this recipe is all about.
My nephew Justin is a huge fan of maki, which is essentially a seaweed wrapper called nori lined with seasoned rice and stuffed with savory filling, in most cases seafood, and served with a side of wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce. Sushi rolls is how they are often described.
This maki roll is one of my favorites, it uses classic ingredients that my family enjoys – salmon and avocado and is a good entry point for most. If the idea of eating raw fish is too adventurous, you can swap out the raw salmon for seared ahi tuna, tempura shrimp or surimi, which is a also known as imitation crab.
Mise en place is key for this recipe. Take the time to get your ingredients in order and you will be rewarded with a smooth maki-making process.
Ingredients
∙ Makes about 6 maki rolls∙
- 4 cups sushi rice, plus more as needed
- ½ pound salmon fillet, sliced thin into 12 pieces
- 1 medium ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
- 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
- 6 toasted nori sheets
- Serving suggestions: Soy sauce, pickled ginger, wasabi paste, sesame seeds
- Special equipment: Bamboo sushi roll mat, plastic wrap
Salmon maki featured image
Directions
Place the sushi mat on a flat surface and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Add a piece of nori and about ¼ cup of sushi rice, plus more if needed. With slightly moistened hands, spread the rice over the entirety of the nori.
Add 2 slices of the salmon, 2 slices of cucumber and 2 slices of avocado. Alternatively, you can make an inside-out roll by flipping the nori roll prior to filling so that the rice is on the outside.
Start to roll with your hands to get started, then use the mat to roll and squeeze the maki. Continue with the remaining nori and rice.
Use a sharp knife to cut the rolls into pieces and serve with the soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi paste. Garnish with sesame seeds.
2 thoughts on “Pescatarian Salmon Maki Roll Sushi”
Where I find surimi?
This recipe looks absolutely delicious! I love how you’ve made a pescatarian-friendly take on traditional sushi with the salmon maki roll. The step-by-step instructions are so easy to follow, even for someone new to sushi-making. The balance of flavors with fresh salmon, rice, and seaweed sounds perfect, and I appreciate the tips on using high-quality, sushi-grade fish. It’s great that you’ve shared a healthy, homemade option for sushi lovers, and I can’t wait to try this recipe for my next sushi night. Thanks for making this dish approachable and fun for home cooks!