Soft salmon-avocado maki and salmon nigiri, prepared in the classic Japanese spirit with shiny, slightly warm vinegared rice. A precise recipe for clean, balanced sushi served just like at the counter.
Ingredients
- 500 g short-grain Japanese sushi rice
- 850 ml water
- 100 ml Japanese rice vinegar
- 30 g white sugar
- 10 g fine salt
- 400 g fresh sashimi-grade salmon, or previously frozen according to food safety guidelines
- 2 pieces ripe but firm avocado
- 4 sheets roasted nori sheets
- 20 g wasabi paste
- 120 ml Japanese soy sauce
- 80 g pickled sushi ginger
Method
- Rinse the rice in a bowl, changing the water until it runs almost clear, then let it drain until the grains look matte and slightly plump.
- Cook the rice with the water, covered, first until simmering, then over low heat; let it rest off the heat without opening the lid, until the grains are tender, separate, and still hot.
- Gently heat the rice vinegar with the sugar and salt just to dissolve them, without boiling; the seasoning should smell sweet, tangy, and clean.
- Spread the hot rice in a large dish, drizzle with the vinegar seasoning, and fold with slicing motions using a spatula while fanning if possible, until the rice is glossy, warm, and uncrushed.
- Slice the salmon into long, even strips for the maki and soft slices for the nigiri; cut the avocado into sticks, then keep everything refrigerated while the rice comes down to a warm temperature.
- Place a sheet of nori on a bamboo mat, shiny side down, spread a thin layer of rice with slightly damp fingers leaving a free edge, then align the salmon and avocado in the center.
- Roll the maki firmly with the mat, squeezing without crushing, moisten the free edge to seal, then let rest briefly seam-side down before cutting with a sharp, damp knife.
- For the nigiri, shape small quenelles of vinegared rice in your damp palm, add a tiny smear of wasabi, then top with a slice of salmon, pressing it gently so it hugs the rice.
- Serve the maki and nigiri immediately with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi; the rice should remain soft and warm, the fish fresh and satiny.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 892 kcal
- Protein
- 33.32 g
- Carbohydrate
- 112.52 g
- Fat
- 29.75 g
- Fibre
- 5.14 g
- Calcium
- 25.04 mg
- Iron
- 1.88 mg
- Magnesium
- 78.11 mg
