Smoked salmon and avocado maki rolls
Learn step by step how to make classic maki and California rolls. With our detailed recipe and illustrated photos, discover all our tips and tricks. And for folding techniques, check out our video recipe at the end! Here we made them with salmon and avocado, but feel free to mix it up with different ingredients (tuna, chicken, cucumber, carrots...)
Ingredients
For sushi rice:
For vinegar preparation:
For makis:
For filling:
Materials
- Plastic wrap
- Bamboo mat (optional)
- Rice spoon (optional)
- Baking tray (to cool rice)
- Sharp knife
Preparation
Prepare the sushi rice.
First, wash it to remove the starch. Rinse the rice several times until the water runs clear.
Next, cook the rice.
In a pot, place the rice and cold water. Cover. When the water boils, cook on low heat and covered for 10 to 15 minutes. (When the rice has absorbed all the water, it's ready). Turn off the heat and let it rest covered for 10 minutes.
Prepare the vinegar mixture:
To dissolve the sugar well in the vinegar, gently heat the vinegar in a saucepan (be careful, it should not boil). Add the salt and sugar and mix.
Incorporate the mixture into the rice. Mix gently.
Finally, cool the rice.
To cool it faster, spread it on a baking tray.
While the rice cools, cut the salmon and avocado into slices.
Make the classic makis:
Cut the nori sheet in half and place it on a bamboo mat covered with plastic wrap. Prepare a bowl of water to moisten your hands before handling the rice. Spread the rice on 3/4 of the nori, leaving a 1 cm empty strip at the top of the sheet.
Place the filling in the center of the rice. Moisten the empty strip of nori.
Roll the makis:
Bring the nori edge closest to you to the line between the rice and nori. Press on the mat to form the roll. Remove the mat and roll again to close.
Moisten a sharp knife. Cut the roll in half and then cut each half into three pieces.
Make the California makis:
Take half a nori sheet and place it on a bamboo mat covered with plastic wrap. Moisten your hands before handling the rice and spread it over the entire surface of the nori. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and then cover with plastic wrap. Flip the nori sheet.
Place the filling in the center of the nori and moisten the top of the nori.
Roll the California makis:
Bring the nori edge closest to you to the 3/4 mark of the sheet. Press on the mat to form the roll. Remove the mat and close the roll by rolling it again.
Moisten a sharp knife. Cut the roll in half and then cut each half into three pieces.
And there you have it, your sushi rolls are ready to be devoured. Serve them with sweet or salty soy sauce!
Observations
A little tip for quantities: 1 cup of rice cooked with 1.5 cups of water.
You can use your choice of filling: raw salmon, cooked or raw tuna, shrimp, cucumber, or cream cheese. You can also sprinkle fried onions on top!
Always keep a bowl of water with you (you can add a teaspoon of rice vinegar), it will help to moisten your hands to spread the rice on the nori, the edge of the nori to make it stick better, and your sharp knife to cut your makis more easily.
If you want to achieve perfectly square rolls, when closing the roll, wrap the mat around it and press down to shape it well.
It is best to heat the rice vinegar before mixing it with sugar and salt. Place it in a saucepan and heat it carefully so that it does not boil, then mix in the sugar and salt.
If you have leftover filling, don’t throw it away: take your California makis and place them vertically.
Cut small pieces the width of the maki and place them on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds for an extra delicious California maki!
Sushi and makis are usually enjoyed at room temperature, but you can chill the rolls as you prepare them before cutting them all. Leave the plastic wrap on the California makis before refrigerating.
You can enjoy the makis with wasabi: place a small amount of wasabi on top of your maki.
You can also accompany your makis with pickled ginger. It is traditionally eaten between two makis or sushi with different fillings to reset your palate.
