Grilled Wild Salmon Sushi Rolls
·
YIELD:6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
·
Vegetable oil for
grilling
·
1 pound Alaskan wild
salmon fillets, skin on, steaks, or tuna steaks
·
1 1/4 cups soy sauce
·
2 cups short- or
medium-grain sushi rice
·
4 tablespoons rice
vinegar, plus more for forming rice
·
4 tablespoons sugar
·
1/4 cup wasabi powder
·
2 tablespoons spring
or filtered water
·
6 sheets nori
·
18 fresh purple or
green shiso leaves
·
1 small seedless
cucumber, julienned
·
1 cup clover sprouts
or arugula
DIRECTIONS
Brush oil on the skin
of the salmon and place the fillet skin side down on a plate. Brush with some
of the soy sauce on the flesh side. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
In a medium pot,
combine the rice and water to cover. Stir to level. Cover the pot and cook over
medium-low heat until the rice has absorbed all of the water, about 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and fluff the rice with a spoon. Allow to rest, covered, for 10
minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small
bowl, whisk together the 4 tablespoons rice vinegar and the sugar until the
sugar has completely dissolved.
Transfer the cooked
rice to a Japanese round wooden rice container and spread it out in a thin
layer. While fanning (using a traditional bamboo paddle, a hand held fan, a
card, or anything that works) the rice to cool it, work in the vinegar mixture.
Moisten hands with rice vinegar to keep the rice from sticking to them while
dividing it into 6 equal portions. Let stand at room temperature, covered with
plastic wrap.
Prepare an indirect
fire in a charcoal or gas grill. Grill the salmon, skin side down, on the
cooler side of the grill until the skin is golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, brush some oil on the flesh side. Turn and grill on the other side
for 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
Mix the wasabi powder
and 2 tablespoons water until well combined. The wasabi should not stick to
your hands when rolled into a ball.
Cover a bamboo sushi mat
with a layer of plastic wrap. (This will help keep the mat clean and make it
easier to remove the sushi roll.) Place a sheet of nori on top of the covered
mat, shiny side down. Take 1 portion of rice and spread it evenly over
two-thirds of the nori sheet closest to you.
Next, smear a thin
layer of wasabi paste in a single line along the width of the roll.
Next, overlap 3 shiso
leaves on top, then some cucumber and sprouts.
Finally, flake about 2
tablespoons of salmon with skin and add it across the top. Using the bamboo
mat, grab hold of the thick end of the roll and roll it over the ingredients
tightly. The last third of the nori sheet should be left. Roll the ingredients
all the way to the end of the nori sheet. Remove each nori roll from the
plastic and cut crosswise into 6 equal pieces. Serve with soy sauce and wasabi
paste on the side.
