Salmon and Avocado Maki Rolls

Ingredients

• 250 g sushi rice
• 3 dl water
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 nori sheets
• 200 g salmon fillet, sushi-grade and skinned
• 1 avocado, sliced
• ½ cucumber, cut into thin batons
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 4 tbsp soy sauce

Method

1. 1.

   Rinse the rice — Rinse the sushi rice in a bowl of cold water, swirling and pouring off the cloudy water four or five times until it runs nearly clear. Drain it in a sieve for 15 minutes so the grains cook evenly.

2. 2.

   Steam the rice — Tip the rice into a heavy pan with the water, bring to a boil, then clamp on the lid and cook on the lowest heat for 12 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave it, lid on and untouched, for 10 minutes more.

3. 3.

   Season and cool the rice — Warm the rice vinegar with the sugar and salt until both dissolve. Spread the hot rice in a wide dish, pour the seasoning over and fold it through with a cutting motion of a spatula while fanning, until the rice is glossy and cooled to body temperature.

4. 4.

   Cut the fillings — Cut the salmon along the grain into strips about 1 cm thick, slice the avocado and cut the cucumber into thin batons. Keep everything cold until the moment you roll.

5. 5.

   Spread the rice on the nori — Lay a nori sheet shiny side down on a rolling mat. With wet hands, spread a quarter of the rice over it in an even layer about 1 cm thick, leaving a bare 2 cm strip along the far edge. Scatter over a few sesame seeds.

6. 6.

   Roll and seal — Lay salmon, avocado and cucumber in a line a third of the way up from the near edge. Lift the mat and roll away from you, tucking the filling in tightly with your fingertips, then dab the bare nori strip with water and press to seal.

7. 7.

   Slice with a wet blade — Wipe a sharp knife with a damp cloth and cut each roll into eight pieces, cleaning the blade between every cut so the rice does not drag. Pack them upright in a box with the soy sauce in a small pot and eat within a day.