Homemade Sushi with Surimi

It won’t be quite as nice as going out to a fancy sushi restaurant, but making simple sushi at home is actually easier than you might think. The sushi rolls described below include surimi, or imitation crab sticks, which are often made from Alaskan pollock and then colored.

It helps to use short-grained sushi rice, although I’ve used other styles of rice before.

Print Pin

Homemade Sushi with Surimi

It won’t be quite as nice as going out to a fancy sushi restaurant, but making simple sushi at home is actually easier than you might think. The sushi rolls described below include surimi, or imitation crab sticks, which are often made from Alaskan pollock and then colored.

It helps to use short-grained sushi rice, although I’ve used other styles of rice before.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup sushi rice (rinsed under cold water and drained)
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp Mirin (sweet rice wine)
• ¼ tsp Kosher salt
• 2 carrots (cut into thin julienne slices)
• 1 cucumber (core removed, flesh cut into thin julienne slices)
• 12 pieces surimi (or imitation crab stick)
• 2 Tbsp white and black sesame seeds
• 4 pieces dried Nori (or seaweed sheets for sushi)
• Soy sauce (for serving)
• Wasabi paste (for serving)
• Pickled young ginger (for serving)

Instructions 

• Rinse the sushi rice under cold water for roughly three minutes, until the water runs clear.
• Drain the rice, and mix with one cup of cold water.
• Bring the rice and water to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to low and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
• Cook the rice tightly-covered for roughly 15-17 minutes.
• While the rice is cooking, combine the rice vinegar, Mirin, and Kosher salt in a small bowl, and mix until the salt has dissolved.
• When the rice is cooked, add in the rice vinegar mixture, and stir to coat the sushi rice grains evenly with the liquid as best you can.
• Cover the warm rice with a lid until you are ready to use.
• When you are ready to roll your sushi and have all your ingredients prepared, lay a piece of Nori down on a flat surface.
• Add a very thin layer of sushi rice, pressing the rice until it reaches the edges of the Nori (seaweed).
• *Try to leave a half-inch strip of the Nori sheet that is furthest away from you free from any rice, as this will help seal the roll at the end.
• Add some julienne cucumber, carrot, surimi, and sesame seeds on top of the rice, with the ingredients concentrated in a one-inch strip closer to your body.
• Carefully roll the Nori into a cylinder, taking care not to tear the seaweed as you tightly roll the ingredients.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the sushi roll into eight equally-sized pieces.
• Serve with soy sauce, wasabi paste, and pickled young ginger.

Notes

Adding the sweetened rice vinegar to the rice after it is done cooking will help to make the rice sticky and impart a more traditional flavor to your sushi rice.
These sushi rolls are best eaten fresh, when the rice is still warm.