California Roll Recipe
With this easy recipe for California Roll, you can enjoy the best fresh sushi whenever you like! Sliced avocado and imitation crab salad are rolled up in vinegar seasoned rice and a sheet of roasted nori seaweed.
Ingredients
- 4 cups seasoned sushi rice cooked
- 8 oz. imitation crab meat 8 sticks
- ¼ cup mayo regular or Japanese-style
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- 1 small cucumber julienned
- 4 sheets nori roasted
- Salt optional
- Toasted sesame seeds black, optional
Instructions
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Prepare the seasoned sushi rice, julienne the cucumber, and cut the avocado into slices.
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Add the crab meat sticks to a large bowl and cut into smaller pieces. Shred the meat with two forks. Add mayo and mix until well combined.
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Place one sheet of nori on a bamboo sushi mat rough side-up.* Add 1 cup sushi rice on the rough part of the nori. Spread it out as much as you can with a rice paddle. Then, get your fingertips wet with a little water and lightly spread out the rice to all of the edges.
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Sprinkle on some toasted black sesame seeds, if desired. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the rice and flip the nori over onto the bamboo mat.
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Slightly off-center and close to you, place ¼ of the crab mixture (about ⅓ cup), ¼ of the avocado slices, a few pieces of cucumber, and a sprinkle of salt, if desired.
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Starting from the end by you, lift up the mat and begin rolling, pushing back in the filling as you go. Make sure the plastic wrap isn’t getting wrapped up in the roll. Repeat with the remaining nori and filling ingredients until you have 4 rolls.
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To Cut the Sushi: You can either cut it with the plastic wrap still on (the easiest way!) or remove the plastic and then cut. Either way you’ll want to run a sharp chef’s knife under cold water and cut 2-3 slices at a time. Repeat this until you have cut each roll into 8-10 pieces.
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If you left the plastic wrap on, remove it before serving. Finish the California roll with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and serve with a side of wasabi, sushi ginger, and soy sauce. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- If you don’t have a bamboo mat, a dish or tea towel will also work great for rolling!
- Learn how to julienne cut and cut an avocado if you don’t already know.
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: California Roll is best if eaten within the first few hours of making, but can be prepared up to 24 hours ahead of time if kept tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.
- To Store: Keep rolls uncut and tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, and they will last for up to 2 days. After that avocado will brown and the rice will harden.
- To Freeze: It is not recommended to freeze California Roll.