Cucumber-Wrapped Sushi Rolls
Sushi night. No rice, no mat, no culinary degree.
- Time
- 25 MIN
- Serves
- 2 (DOUBLE FOR 4)
- Skill
- PARING KNIFE
- Tools
- KNIFE, BOARD, BOWL, PEELER
- Heat
- Warm
- Protein
- No cooked protein
In Japanese restaurants this style is called naruto: the filling is wrapped in a thin sheet of cucumber, not rice and seaweed. Here a peeler makes long cucumber ribbons, which overlap into a wrapper. The rolls are crisp, cold and naturally low in carbs. They are a little fiddly the first time and easy by the third roll.
The lineup
- 1 English cucumber, peeled into long wide ribbons
- 1 package (8 oz) imitation crab, shredded
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp sriracha, or to taste
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced thin
- 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Soy sauce, for dipping
The chop
- Stir the imitation crab, mayonnaise and sriracha together in the bowl.
- Lay 3 cucumber ribbons on the board, overlapping along their long edges to make one wide sheet. Pat dry with a towel.
- Spread a line of crab across one short end. Lay avocado slices and carrot matchsticks on top.
- Roll up snugly from the filled end. Set seam side down.
- Repeat until the ribbons run out. Cut each roll in half with a gentle sawing motion.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with soy sauce.
The extras
Dodge the Carbs
Already there. For the lowest count, swap the imitation crab for a package (4 oz) of smoked salmon.
Beef It Up
Use a package of smoked salmon plus 2 oz of cream cheese, or a bag (6 oz) of cooked salad shrimp, chopped.
Future You
Make the filling a day ahead. Roll just before eating; cucumber weeps as it sits.
Show Off
Tuck in a strip of mango, or a few leaves of cilantro or mint.
Flavor Bomb
Top each piece with a dot of chili crisp, or serve with Yum Yum Sauce and Spicy Mayo side by side for dipping.
Heat Dial
Mild: leave out the sriracha and dip in Yum Yum Sauce. Warm: 1 tsp of sriracha, as written. Hot: Spicy Mayo made with 2 tbsp of sriracha, plus wasabi in the soy sauce.
Psst
The seedy core of the cucumber is the cook's snack. Allergy note: imitation crab is fish and usually contains wheat and egg.
