Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
For 8 rolls
- 50g (¼ cup) short-grain sushi rice (see basic recipe)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tbsp sugar
- pinch of salt
For the filling
- several spoonfuls of cream cheese
- 1 fresh salmon fillet
🍣 🥢 For more sushi ideas, check out my article on sushi variations.
Preparing the Sushi Rice
Whatever quantity of rice you make, keep the classic proportions in mind - 1 volume of rice to 1.3 times that volume in water. If using cups, for example, 1 cup rice to 1⅓ cups water.
Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear (at least 4 times). In a saucepan, combine rice with water, cover and bring to a boil, stir once then reduce to medium heat and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off heat without opening the lid and let rest for 10 minutes.
While the rice is resting, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil to dissolve everything.
Transfer the rice to a bowl and pour the still-hot vinegar over it, mixing gently to season the rice. Let cool to room temperature (never in the fridge), covering with a kitchen towel so it doesn’t dry out.
Shaping the Roll
- On your bamboo mat covered with plastic wrap, spread a thin layer of rice (0.5cm/¼ inch thick) in a rectangle as you would if there were a seaweed sheet. Add a fairly thick line of cream cheese in the middle, then using the bamboo mat, roll tightly, enclosing the cream cheese in the center so it doesn’t escape from the rice.
- Arrange thin slices of salmon all around, cut into 8 pieces and arrange on a serving platter.
Tips and Variations
You can vary this salmon roll by adding a strip of avocado or cucumber alongside the cream cheese.
If you have leftover rice, you can make salmon sushi 🍣.
It’s probably possible to line the bamboo mat with salmon first then add the rice on top to roll, but I haven’t tried it.