Chapter 06 · Bring Your Own Carbs
California Roll Bowl
Sushi for people who cannot roll sushi. So, people.
- Time
- 15 MIN
- Serves
- 2 (DOUBLE FOR 4)
- Skill
- PARING KNIFE
- Tools
- KNIFE, BOARD, BOWL
- Heat
- Warm
- Protein
- No cooked protein
The California roll was invented in North America in the 1970s for diners nervous about raw fish: crab, avocado and cucumber, with the seaweed hidden inside. Unrolled into a bowl, it needs no mat and no skill. Everything in it is cooked or raw-vegetable safe, which makes it the right first sushi for kids.
The lineup
- 2 cups cooked rice, seasoned with the sushi rice seasoning
- 1 package (8 oz) imitation crab, shredded and rough chopped
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp sriracha, or to taste
- 1 Persian cucumber, diced small
- 1 ripe avocado, diced
- 2 sheets nori, cut into ribbons, or 1 snack pack roasted seaweed, crumbled
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Soy sauce, for serving
The chop
- Season the rice and divide it between two bowls.
- Stir the imitation crab, mayonnaise and sriracha together in the mixing bowl.
- Top the rice with the crab, cucumber and avocado in separate piles.
- Scatter the nori and sesame seeds over the top.
- Serve with soy sauce.
The extras
Dodge the Carbs
Swap the rice for raw riced cauliflower, seasoned the same way, or serve everything over chopped romaine.
Beef It Up
Add a bag (6 oz) of cooked salad shrimp or 1 cup of shelled edamame, thawed.
Future You
The crab mix keeps 2 days. Cut the avocado and build the bowls just before eating.
Show Off
Add pickled ginger, a little wasabi, and diced mango.
Flavor Bomb
Drizzle with Yum Yum Sauce, Spicy Mayo or store-bought eel sauce, or all three in stripes, the way the sushi bar does.
Heat Dial
Mild: leave out the sriracha and use Yum Yum Sauce. Warm: 1 tsp of sriracha, as written. Hot: Spicy Mayo made with 2 tbsp of sriracha, plus wasabi.
Psst
Allergy note: imitation crab is fish and usually contains wheat and egg. Check the label.
