Juicy Sushi goodness

December 12, 2006 6:40 AM

Sushi! Having read previous questions I'm full of enthusiasm for the end of my sushi-making virginity. To help make it a joyous occassion for all, what are you favourite sushi recipes?

I probably wont be doing a whole lot of raw fish, so any interesting recipes are much appreciated.

Also, how far can you go with sushi? If I was to make a nice Indian curry and roll that up in seaweed would it be delicious or a disaster?

posted by twirlypen to food & drink (15 comments total)

Not to be snarky, but you're going to make sushi without using a lot of raw fish? Then it ain't sushi...
posted by cklennon at 6:43 AM on December 12, 2006

Tempura rolls are crunchy and awesome. Just get some tempura batter and fry up long strips of your favorite vegetables and then roll them in rice and seaweed like regular sushi. Alternatively, you can coat the whole roll in batter and fry it up.
posted by Alison at 6:55 AM on December 12, 2006

Inari sushi is also delicious and easy to make.

Also, the curry rolls above sound great. I've had curry, seaweed and rice together, but not in roll form. However, I can imagine that it could be messy unless you have a sharp knife so that the curry doesn't ooze out when you cut the rolls.
posted by Alison at 6:59 AM on December 12, 2006

Sushi refers to the rice with vinegar. It can be topped or rolled with more than just raw fish and still be sushi. Sorry, cklennon.

As for what you want to make twirlypen it is up to you. The only requirement is that the ingredients should compliment the vinegared rice. The curry might, but it sounds like it would be too wet. Curried fish, meats or vegetables would probably work, just keep the liquid out. It wouldn't really be my taste in sushi, which is more traditional, and I am not a big fan of rolls. Just a slab of giant clam over a little ball of sushi rice please.
posted by caddis at 7:04 AM on December 12, 2006 [1 favorite]

If I don't have raw fish around, I like to make smoked salmon & cream cheese, avocado, and cucumber rolls. Toasted sesame seeds are always a good addition!
posted by Hermes32 at 7:10 AM on December 12, 2006

I've been too nervous so far to try the raw fish in my homemade sushi, but you can do great things with veggies. I usually end up with red and green bell pepper and carrots, mostly because those are the veggies that are constantly stocked in my fridge. You could also make a pretty classic california roll with mock crab, avocado, and cucumber.

I say go ahead and put whatever you want into the rolls, as long as it's not too runny. I was at a more modern (less traditional) sushi place a few weeks ago where one of their daily special rolls was a southwestern one - I forget what all it had inside, but there was definitely chipotle mayo in there. Yum.
posted by vytae at 7:24 AM on December 12, 2006

I make sushi about once a month or so, and I strongly agree that whatever you want to try (veggies, smoked salmon, imitation crab, etc.) is probably ok. As for the curry roll, keep it a bit dry, but try it. Rice and nori (seaweed) are both inexpensive, so if one roll goes bad, it's not the end of the Earth. I would recommend you stick to maki (rolls) your first time. I found that nigiri is a bit trickier to get right.

As for the rice, I usually use about 3 cups of short-grain rice, 1/3 - 1/2 cup of rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, and 1tsp salt.

And, last but not least, I want to recommend one of my house specialty rolls:

The Crispy Bacon Roll consists of crispy bacon (duh!) and cream cheese in a roll. It's delicious.
posted by JMOZ at 7:49 AM on December 12, 2006

Just to get you started, here are a hundred or so sushi recipes. Perhaps something there can stir your creativity.

By the way, skip the raw fish. You probably can't buy high enough grades (despite what some supermarkets allege) and you haven't been trained in safe preparation.
posted by caddis at 7:52 AM on December 12, 2006

Two things that'll help for your first time:
- Make the rice early. It takes longer than you'd expect, and sushi is best when the rice has cooled to room temperature.
- Use less rice in each roll than you think. Way less.

As for recipes:
- Anything with avocado.
- Salmon skin, briefly fried in a little oil and soy sauce
- I love spicy rolls. Preferably raw tuna with a healthy squirt of Rooster sauce, but spicy crab rolls work well too if you're avoiding fish.
posted by ParsonWreck at 7:54 AM on December 12, 2006

Another good source of ideas, the Sushi Competition.
posted by caddis at 7:55 AM on December 12, 2006

There was a sushi roll that I've had called a "forty niner roll" It was an inside out roll with cream cheese and smoked salmon inside and paper thin lemon slices on the outside.

If you trust your fishmonger and can get really fresh sushi grade fish, there should be no more fear of making raw fish sushi than getting it at a restaurant.

When we've made sushi at home, we make sure we have some good staples on hand: cucumber, shrimp, avocado, Krab (not to be confused with crab), toasted sesame seeds, carrots, wasabi, green onion, and so on. With that list you could make 256 different sushi types by running through the combinations.
posted by plinth at 8:15 AM on December 12, 2006

I enjoy chirashi sushi... more or less a rice salad with or without fish... served in individual bowls.

My recipe:

Steamed bismati (6 minute light boil + 30 minutes standing in a seal-able pot... the kind that has a tight fitting lid. 1 Cup rice to 1 1/3- or 1 1/2 cups water.)

Rice wine vinegar... about 1/4 cup,

Freshly toasted sesame seeds about 4 TBSP.

Diced avacado, diced tomatoes, diced cuke, shredded carrots, diced plumbs (looks like fish... sweet taste, vegan).

Ideally, hot rice + cool veggies for maximum thermal contrast. Sprinkle sesame seeds, tamari on top before serving.

And just find a trusted source for fresh fish if you wanna try that.

Great, but more of a springtime/summer dish.
posted by FauxScot at 11:28 AM on December 12, 2006

Recipe for Sushi:
1. Invite a bunch of friends over. Each has to bring a sushi ingredient or two (their choice), but not rice, and other fundamentals - you supply those.
2. Everybody gets to experiment, concocting their own custom rolls, making a mess, generally having fun.
3. Write down what ones tasted good, on a sheet of paper.
4. That sheet of paper is your recipe :-)
posted by -harlequin- at 11:31 AM on December 12, 2006

Seriously, but, the best recipe for sushi is "go to a japanese restaurant", especially if it's your first time eating sushi. If you're already a sushi afficionado, and want to try making it yourself for the first time, then by all means, go with some of the recipes above.

But if this is how you want to find out if you like sushi, don't make it yourself.
posted by Kololo at 11:41 AM on December 12, 2006

Yams - the sweet orange ones (or purple if you can find them). And yam with avocado is even better. If you have an asian supermarket nearby you may also be able to get fully cooked barbequed eel (unagi) vacuum packed and ready to go...yum.
posted by madokachan at 12:51 PM on December 12, 2006