Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
- Makes 8 maki
- 50 g (1/4 cup) short-grain sushi rice (see the basic recipe)
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp sugar
- a pinch of salt
For the filling
- a few spoonfuls of cream cheese
- 1 fresh salmon fillet
🍣 🥢 For more sushi ideas, I’ve written an article on sushi variations that I invite you to check out.
Preparing the sushi rice
Whatever amount of rice you make, keep the classic proportions in mind: 1 part rice to 1.3 parts water. If you use glasses, for example, that’s 1 glass of rice to 1 + 1/3 glasses of water.
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.
While the rice rests, put the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil to dissolve everything.
Transfer the rice to a large bowl and pour in the still-hot vinegar, stirring 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.
Shaping the roll
- On a bamboo mat that you’ve covered with plastic wrap, spread a thin layer of rice (about 0.5 cm / 1/4 inch thick) in a rectangle, just as you would if there were a sheet of nori. Add a fairly thick line of cream cheese down the middle, then, using the bamboo mat, roll up tightly, enclosing the cream cheese in the center so it doesn’t escape from the rice.
- Lay thin slices of salmon all around the roll, cut into 8 pieces and arrange on a serving platter.
Tips and variations
You can vary this salmon roll by adding a sliver of avocado or cucumber next to the cream cheese.
If you have a little rice left over, you can make some salmon sushi 🍣.
It’s probably possible to line the bamboo mat with the salmon and then put the rice on top before rolling, but I haven’t tried it.