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Spicy Salmon Uramaki Roll

Japanese

Spicy Salmon Uramaki Roll

Intro:

Uramaki is a sushi roll that’s basically inside out compared to the usual maki sushi that you usually see. I wanted to create one of my favourite uramaki rolls and share with you all how easy it is to make. I get it, many people are intimidated when it comes to making sashimi, nigiri or maki as they imagine it can only be made by a professional sushi chef. Although sushi chefs spend decades learning how to perfect the skill it’s still very manageable to create for yourself. Sushi is by far my favourite thing to eat as it’s so simple yet complex and also incredibly healthy to eat. With all that said let’s get to it.

Method:

  1. Begin with the rice, first step is to wash the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. Next place into a rice cooker and add approximately 170ml of cold water to the rice and cook. If you don’t have a rice cooker then add the same quantity of water and washed rice to a pan and bring to a boil. When the water comes to the boil immediately turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer with a lid on until cooked.
 

2. Whilst we are waiting for the rice to cook we can now prepare the sushi vinegar, in a small pan add 50ml rice vinegar, 18g sugar and 7g of salt and simmer until the sugar dissolves. When ready place the sushi vinegar to one side and allow to cool.

 
3. When the rice is cooked remove from the rice cooker and place into a large mixing bowl. Gradually add some of the sushi vinegar to season the rice by mixing thoroughly with a spatula. Cover the rice with a damp cloth and allow to sit for 30 minutes to allow the rice to absorb all of the seasoning.

4. Now to prepare the salmon, the most important thing is to source a fresh piece of salmon beforehand. To tell if salmon is fresh the colour of the flesh should be dark in colour, have a pleasant seafood smell and be firm to the touch. If buying a whole salmon then you could also check that the gills are dark red in colour, clear eyes and sea slime over the flesh. Now to prepare the fillet, remove any pin bones that are in the salmon and remove the skin. Next using a sharp knife slice thin strips of salmon going against the grain. Place 6 of the strips of salmon to one side as we will use these for our garnish. Cut the rest of the strips into a small dice and place into a bowl.

5. To make a spicy sauce for the salmon and to go with the sushi, in a bowl add 5 tbsp of Japanese mayo, 4 tbsp of sriracha and 1 tbsp of Shichimi pepper and mix together. Add 2-4 tbsp of the sauce to the salmon and carefully mix. Reserve the remaining sauce in a small bowl to go with with sushi.

6. The last ingredients to prepare are the vegetables, finely chop the chives, slice the spring onion and cucumber into a julienne, and if you want to add avocado then peel the skin and slice into thin strips.
 
7. Now to roll the uramaki, Best thing to use is a bamboo rolling mat. Place the mat onto a chopping board and place 1 nori sheet on top. Add a thin layer of rice onto the nori leaving a small gap free at the top and bottom of the nori. Next pour black sesame seeds evenly over the rice.
8. To make a uramaki roll, flip the nori over so that the rice is now against the bamboo mat. Add a generous amount of the salmon towards the middle of the nori then place some cucumber and spring onion along the side.
 

9. To roll, gently pull the roll over the filling by using the bamboo mat and ensure the fist roll is nice and tight (almost like rolling a cigar).

10. Compete by rolling again to seal the roll. Then a final roll with the bamboo mat to ensure the roll is tight and nicely shaped and when ready place onto a chopping board.

11. To garnish our roll add two pieces of the salmon strips over the top of the roll and cover with clingfilm. Using the bamboo mat, gently shape the roll again so that the salmon is nicely moulded over the roll. Leave the cling film over the roll and slice into 8 equal pieces.

12. Now to serve, add a small drop of the spicy mayonnaise that we made earlier on top of each piece of sushi. To add another dimension to the sushi lightly blow touch over the top of the roll to char the salmon and the mayo (or you could use a salamander).

13. When ready arrange the uramaki onto a plate and add a touch of sliced chives over the top. Serve with a small bowl of soy and wasabi and enjoy.

Additional notes

This recipe works great with fresh tuna, also you can play around with whatever fillings you like. If eating raw seafood isn’t for you then alternatively you could lightly fry the diced salmon before hand. This recipe is there for you to flip, as long as you can get the roll technique the possibilities are endless. Have fun creating uramaki!

Ingredients

To make 3 rolls (for 3 people)
 
1 side of fresh salmon
1/2 cucumber or 1 avacado
2 spring onions
chives
5 tbsp Japanese mayonaise
4 tbsp siracha
1 tbsp shichimi pepper (or chilli powder)
black sesame seeds
nori sheets
 
Rice:
180g sushi rice (short grain)
170ml water (approx)
50ml rice vinegar
18g sugar
7g salt