skinny sushi

Well we're definitely seeing some sushi weather (def: that which makes you think of getting into the yellow polka dot bikini) going on here this summer which is great! Here is a shot from a disc I got in the post this week from the lovely Paul Sherwood. We worked on BIM's cookbook 'From Tide to Table' early last year (more about it on a previous post here) so I am finally getting some images from it up on my website today now too. Here's the recipe to go with it if you're dreaming about that bikini...

SMOKED SALMON SUSHI

This sushi is actually very easy to make and is far simpler to assemble than it sounds. Most large supermarkets now stock all the ingredients you'll need.

350g sushi rice
50ml mirin (japanese rice wine)
6 nori sushi sheets (seaweed)
4 tsp wasabi paste
400g smoked salmon, cut into long thin strips
6 spring onions, trimmed
1 cucumber, cut into 6 long pieces
1 small ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and cut into long strips
light soy sauce, wasabi and japanese pickled ginger, to serve

Place the rice in a sieve and rinse very well under cold running water. Drain thoroughly and put into a large pan that has a lid. Pour over 600ml of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 25 minutes or until all the water has been nearly absorbed. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and leave to stand for 10 minutes.

Tip the rice onto a large flat clean tray, preferably metallic, as it will help the rice to cool down more quickly. Dress the rice with the mirin, turning frequently as this helps the rice to cool, and then wave with a fan or magazine until the rice is at room temperature (this is not essential but quite authentic).

To make the sushi, take a japanese bamboo sushi mat and place a sheet of seaweed on top. Have a small bowl of water to hand. Dipping your fingers in the water before you touch the rice, spread it over half of the seaweed, taking a little rice at a time and pushing it to the edges leaving a layer about 1cm thick.

Next, smear a little wasabi in a line a little off centre on the side nearest to you. Follow with a layer of smoked salmon, some spring onion trimmed down to fit, a piece of cucumber and some of the avocado. Roll up the bamboo mat slowly, tucking in the closer end of the sushi to start a roll and press lightly with both hands. Remove the roll from the mat and leave to sit with the joining edges downwards. You can wrap in clingfilm and keep in a cook place for up to 1 hour until you are ready to serve. Dont place in the fridge as this dried out the rice. Repeat until all of the ingredients have been used up.

To serve, use a sharp lightly moistened knife to trim the ends, and then cut each roll into 4 pieces - you should ahve 24 pieces in total. Arrange on plates and serve with tiny mounds of the pickled ginger and wasabi with dipping bowls of the soy sauce.

VARIATION:
You can use a wide variety of fillings in the sushi. Try smoked tuna or mackerel, for example, or fresh crab meat; cooked peeled prawns with avocado and rocket or chives also work well.