California Rolls

Eating California rolls when I eat sushi is just about paramount to sacrilege. Sushi, for me, is about showcasing the freshest, most beautiful, best fish you can get your hands on. So what was I doing playing around with imitation crab?

I don't really know what I was doing. For some reason, I wanted to get some while I was at the store. And then I had it, and the only thing I could think of doing with it was to make sushi. There are two options for a California roll, you can either make a crab-mayo mixture, or you can just put the crabstick into the sushi straight up. I went with the crab-mayo mixture, but next time it'll be just crabstick. If there is a next time... It was still good, though. Rolls of bite-size rice and stuff is always good. So, if you want to try eating sushi but you don't want raw fish, or you happen to have some imitation (or real!) crab to get rid of, here is an excellent way to do it.

California rolls

1C sushi rice
1/4C rice wine vinegar
1/4C white sugar
3 pieces of dried seaweed (nori)
3/4C diced crab meat
2 tbs mayonnaise
sesame seeds
1 avocado
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded

First make the sushi rice. Rinse your rice under cold water a couple times, until the water runs clear, not cloudy. Cook it according to the directions on the package, my rice says to cook 1C of rice with 1-1/3C of water. Once the rice is done, let it cool. Meanwhile, mix the vinegar with the sugar. If you don't have rice vinegar, you can use regular white vinegar, but it is much stronger so don't use too much. Start adding the vinegar mixture to the rice, and fold it in gently, preferably using a wooden spoon. Don't do this in a metal bowl, as the vinegar can react with the metal. Keep adding vinegar and sugar until it tastes about right (you be the judge). I used just about all of it.

Dice the crab meat and mix with the mayo. Stir it up and set it aside. Peel and take the seeds out of the cucumber, then cut into long, thin, slices. Slice the avocado into long, thin, slices. Tear each sheet of nori into half-sheets.

Set up your sushi-rolling station. The rice should be in a big bowl. You need a sushi rolling mat, although a dish towel will work. Since California rolls have the rice on the outside, and it is sticky, line your mat (or towel) with plastic wrap. Have a bowl of cold water to dip your hands in. Have your fillings assembled nearby.

Dip your fingers in water, and use them to spread some rice evenly over the smooth side of the seaweed. It will probably take about a quarter of a cup of cooked rice to cover the seaweed. Sprinkle this with sesame seeds. Flip the seaweed over, so that the rice is now on the downward side. Begin to fill the roll. Start with some crab, add a little cucumber and avocado, and then roll it up. Use your fingers to press the fillings into the roll and get the roll as tight as you can.

Once it is rolled, use a very sharp knife to cut the slices. I generally get six pieces out of one roll. If you dip the knife blade in cold water, it will cut better.

I ended up using half of the avocado, half the cucumber, and made six rolls.


Use about this much filling. Experiment to see how much filling you can get in the roll without overstuffing it.