The trick with this is to prepare the rice in advance. Although it’s traditionally made with raw fish, pickles, fresh vegetables and herbs, don’t be afraid to mix it up. Other great toppings include finely shredded carrot, mushrooms, sautéed onion, salmon roe, cooked spinach, hard-boiled eggs and bamboo shoots, but really the options are endless. Just use your favourite fish and veg and you’re good to go. Here’s mine.
Ingredients
- 1 lb 2 oz 2¼ cups (500 g) sushi rice
- 3¾ fl oz scant ½ cup (115 ml) sushi vinegar
- 10½ oz (300 g) sashimi-grade salmon, cut into thin strips
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce, plus extra to serve
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar
- ½ teaspoon wasabi paste, plus extra to serve
- 1 hass avocado
- 4 large radishes, thinly sliced
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
- 1 spring onion (scallion), thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons pickled ginger, drained
- 3 sheets nori seaweed, cut into fine strips, plus extra to serve
- 4 crab sticks, shredded – optional
- bunch of coriander (cilantro), leaves picked
How to Make It
- Start by thoroughly rinsing the rice in cold water. Place the rice in a rice cooker or saucepan, then cover with 580 ml (20¼ fl oz/21/3 cups) of water and leave the rice to soak for 30 minutes. Either turn on the rice cooker or place the pan over high heat and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat as low as possible, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 12–15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and leave to stand, still covered, for 10 minutes. Add the sushi vinegar to the warm rice and mix together thoroughly.
- Lay the salmon strips on a plate. Combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar and wasabi and pour over the salmon, then cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate for 5–10 minutes.
- When you’re almost ready to serve, slice the avocado and arrange on a platter, along with the radishes, drained salmon, eggs, spring onion, ginger, nori and crab sticks, if using. Place small bowls of coriander leaves, plus extra soy sauce, wasabi and nori on the table.
- Spoon the rice into individual serving bowls and let people help themselves to the toppings.
