Ingredients Print

Check off ingredients as you go

• Makes 8 large maki rolls
• 50 g (1/4 cup) short-grain sushi rice (see the basic recipe)
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 pinch salt

For the filling

• 2 large lettuce leaves
• about 10 mint leaves
• 1 slice (1 cm / ½ inch thick) fresh salmon fillet
• 1/4 avocado

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

These maki are the Japanese cousins of the famous Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, and they’re usually a big hit!

🍣 🥢 For more sushi ideas, I’ve written an article on sushi variations that I invite you to check out.

Preparing the sushi rice

Quick recap: whatever amount of rice you make, keep the classic ratio in mind, which is 1 part rice to 1.3 parts water. If you’re using glasses, for example, that’s 1 glass of rice to 1 + 1/3 glasses of water.

1. Rinse the rice well until the water runs clear (at least 4 times). Put the rice and water in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil, stir once, then lower to medium heat and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat without lifting the lid and let rest for 10 minutes.

2. While the rice rests, put the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil to dissolve everything.

3. Transfer the rice to a large bowl and pour in the still-hot vinegar, mixing gently to season the rice. Let cool to room temperature (never in the fridge), covered with a kitchen towel so it doesn’t dry out.

Preparing the filling

1. Cut the lettuce leaves to the same size as your rice paper. If the center rib is too tough, remove it gently. Wash and dry the mint leaves.

2. Cut the salmon and avocado into thin strips (sprinkle the avocado with a little lemon juice so it doesn’t turn brown).

Rolling the maki

3. Dip the rice paper in warm water and lay it on a cutting board, textured side up. Cover with lettuce, then the mint.

4. Spread a thin layer of rice (about 0.5 cm / ¼ inch) without going all the way to the top edge (leave 1 cm / ½ inch). Lay one or two strips of salmon and a strip of avocado in the middle.

5. Roll up tightly, holding the filling in the middle with your fingers. This is the trickiest part, I have to admit. I tried using a bamboo mat and the rice paper stuck a little, which is why with a plastic cutting board, rolling tightly by hand, you won’t have that problem.

If your rice paper tears slightly, don’t panic: just finish rolling, then wrap the roll in a second sheet of rice paper dipped in warm water.

Using a sharp, straight-edged knife, cut into 8 pieces (wiping the blade between cuts if needed) and arrange on a serving plate.

You can serve these spring roll maki with soy sauce and wasabi, or with my spring roll dipping sauce.

Tips and variations

When in season, if you like it, you can swap the avocado for mango.

If you’re worried the roll will tear, you can roll it again in a second sheet of rice paper that you’ve moistened in warm water.