Homemade sushi platter

Have you ever tried making sushi at home? I’ve been always intrigued trying to make it at home so two years ago I made my first sushi platter for Christmas dinner. It was a real success, I never thought my kids were going to love it and ask me to do it frequently.

Of course I have to admit that it is not an easy job making sushi at home, but if you can find a good quality sushi grade fish or really fresh shrimps why not give homemade sushi a try at home? It may result that you may be a sushi master and don’t know it ☺☺

Beside sushi ingredients I suggest you to buy a bamboo mat- It makes rolling pretty easy. You can find it at specialized stores or at supermarkets, plus it is not expensive.

Serving 4

Cooking time 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

For the sushi rice:

• 3 cups short grain rice
• 3 cups water
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Filling:

• 4 nori sheets
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 small courgette
• 8 shrimps
• 200 gr salmon fillet
• 2 tsp black sesame seeds or nigella seeds (I used the second one since it gives a smoky flavour)
• 2 tsp of sesame oil to sprinkle
• dipping soy sauce (recipe here)

1. Start with the sushi rice. Rinse the rice under running water until the water comes clean. Leave it to drain for about 30 minutes. Mix together the rice vinegar, sugar and salt and set aside
2. In the meantime start preparing the veggies and fish using two different chopping boards.
3. Remove the heads of the shrimps and insert a skewer from heat to tail as shown in the picture. It keeps the shrimp from taking a round shape after boiling. Insert the shrimps into slightly salted boiling water and let them boil for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. Peal the shrimps to have them ready.
4. Slice the salmon fillet in thin slices (about 0.5cm of thickness) and the rest of fish cut into strips of 1 cm of thickness. We’ll be using the strips to fill the sushi rolls while the slices to make Nigiri.
5. Cut the courgette in thin strips lengthwise. Half the avocado and remove the pit. Remove the pulp using a spoon taking care not to ruin the avocado shape. Slice on half in very thin slices and cover immediately with a cling film to prevent from browning and the other one in strips.
6. Let’s get back to sushi rice. Pour the rice and cold water in pot, stir carefully and let it boil covered in low-medium heat for 12 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE THE COVER in the meantime. Use a see-through glass cap if you have one.
7. After the rice is cooked, let it cool slightly and transfer it to a glass bowl. Add the seasoned vinegar over the rice and mix using a spatula as you were cutting the rice. If you mix in round movements the rice will not be seasoned well and not be sticky.

Assembling the sushi rolls:

1. 1. Line a bamboo mat with cling film.
   2. Put a nori sheet on it. With your wet hands take a handful of the sushi rice and pat it in a very thin layer over the nori sheet, leaving 1 cm of nori on top without rice. It will help seam the roll very well. Dip your fingers in sesame oil and season the rice.
   3. Arrange 2 strips of avocado and 2 strips of salmon on the side facing you. Roll carefully and cover it with a cling film.
   4. Repeat the same with a second nori sheet, but fill with two shrimps and some courgette strips.
   5. Now, to make Uramaki, repeat step 2 , sprinkle with sesame oil and some nigella or black sesame and turn the nori sheet on the inside (Uramaki is Rice and filling wrapped in seaweed, but the rice is on the outside of the roll). Line two avocado strips and two salmon strips. Roll carefully and cover with a cling film.
   6. Repeat the same as above, but top the roll with the avocado slices. Final result is a beautiful green log ready to be sliced.
   7. Nigiri: this one is fish served on top of sushi rice. Take the shrimps and using a very sharp knife cut the shrimp lengthwise from the bottom taking care not to cut in half. Devein the shrimp and set aside
   8. With wet hands take some rice (about a tbsp.), roll and squeeze it together until it rolls into a firm “log” sized rectangle. Top with a shrimp on top.
   9. Repeat this step but topping with salmon fillets.
   10. Continue until all rice is finished.

karkalecat para zierjes

To serve:

Slice all sushi rolls with a very sharp knife and arrange them beautifully in a serving plate. Serve with dipping sauces and some Sriracha hot sauce.

If you’ll end up with leftover fish, do not worry, just make a simple dressing with lemon juice and olive oil and top the fish. Sprinkle with red peppercorns to add sweetness and a bit of crunchiness to your crudité.