Want to make your own sushi but haven't done it before? Then start by making temaki sushi, these hand rolls with salmon and avocado are not difficult to make and are wickedly delicious!
It has been on my bucket list for years: making sushi. But honestly? What a hassle! Boiling rice, having a hard time with a bamboo mat…. Temaki sushi however, are super easy to make! Because these hand rolls - the name says it all - are rolled by hand. No hassle with a mat, just you and your hands.
Well, I'm sold! I am going to make my own sushi more often! These temaki with salmon, avocado and carrot have it all. The salmon, avocado and Japanese mayonnaise are super creamy, then a little crunch from the carrot and sesame seeds, and the saltiness from the nori and soy sauce. These were gone before I could say "hand roll party"! Today I'll explain how to make your own temaki sushi, because you'll want to try this yourself!
Ingredients temaki sushi
For this recipe you will need:
Sushi rice - regular rice will not work if you are making sushi, get your hands on some sushi rice. Sushi rice gets quite sticky after cooking and therefore holds the dish together well.
Rice vinegar - you season the sushi rice with rice vinegar. This is the only seasoning for the sushi rice, so don't leave it out! You also use rice vinegar to marinate the salmon.
Nori sheets - the outside of the temaki sushi consists of a halved, rolled-up nori sheet.
Japanese mayonnaise - optional but very, very tasty. I put a little Japanese mayo on the inside of the temaki, this provides creaminess and extra flavor. This mayonnaise is readily available in more widely stocked supermarkets.
Salmon - always use "sushi grade" salmon. That means super fresh. You eat the fish raw so it is incredibly important that it is fresh.
Carrot - adds a nice crunch to the temaki sushi. You can chop up a fresh carrot or use a bag of grated carrots to save time.
Avocado - it's always a challenge to find the perfect avocado, haha! For this recipe, the avocado must be well ripe, but not overripe.
Soy sauce - soy sauce is used for marinating the salmon and as a dip for the temaki sushi. Choose your favourite brand!
Sesame seeds - optional but they give a nice nutty flavor to the sushi, as well as some bite, so I do recommend to use them.
Leftover tip: you can't store temaki sushi so eat it right away. Do you have leftover carrots? You can make a delicious carrot salad by grating them and combining them with feta & raisins. Use a little Japanese mayo as a base for a dressing, yummy!
Preparing temaki sushi
This is a dish that you can partly create ahead:
- Cook the sushi rice earlier in the day or even the day before. The rice should be completely cooled before you can use it in your hand rolls.
- Marinate the salmon earlier in the day; this gives a lot of flavor to the salmon.
- Cut the carrot into fine strips earlier in the day.
In this way, you have basically done your complete "mise en place" and are immediately ready to roll the temakis when you want to eat them! After you roll them, they will stay good for as long as other fresh sushi. About an hour of two, I wouldn't want to keep them outside the fridge for much longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Temaki is a hand-rolled sushi in a cone shape. It is rolled without a mat and is therefore easier to make than other sushi that is rolled tighter, using a mat.
No, you really need sushi rice because it is sticky enough to hold the temaki together well. Regular rice does not have the same sticky texture and the temaki may fall apart.
Yes, you can use other fish like tuna or sea bass, as long as they are sushi quality and fresh. You can also use surimi to make these hand rolls.
Soy sauce for dipping! Pickled ginger and wasabi are also nice sides for hand rolls. In addition, you can serve miso soup or edamame as side dishes.
Temaki sushi
Ingredients
- 150 gr sushi rice
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 nori sheets
- 75 gr salmon (raw, sushi quality)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce + extra for dipping
- 1 carrot
- 0,5 avocado
- Japanese mayo
- sesame seeds
- poke sushi and salad sprinkle (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the sushi rice according to the instructions on the package. Drain and stir in the rice vinegar. Let the rice cool completely.
- Cut the salmon into very small cubes (about 0.5 x 0.5 cm) and marinate in the remaining rice vinegar, soy sauce and a tablespoon of olive oil. Stir well and place in a sealed container in the refrigerator until use.
- Cut the carrot into superthin strips (or use a food processor) and thinly slice the avocado. You'll probably need somewhere between half and a whole avocado.
- Halve the nori sheets so that you are left with square pieces of seaweed. Lay the nori with the shiny side down. Spread the rice over half of each nori sheet, keeping a corner of about 1.5 x 1.5 cm at the bottom left.
- Spread some Japanese mayonnaise over the rice and distribute the avocado slices, carrot strips and cubes of salmon diagonally over the rice (placing the filling from top left to bottom right).
- Now roll up the temaki by folding the empty corner inward and then folding the right side of the nori to the left over the filling. Tighten fairly tightly. The video at the bottom of the recipe explains in a minute how to put down the filling and roll the temaki.
- Sprinkle the temaki sushi with some sesame seeds and poke sprinkles as desired. Serve with soy sauce.
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