Description
Delicious and easy-to-make smoked mackerel maki rolls featuring perfectly cooked sushi rice, fresh vegetables, and flavorful smoked mackerel wrapped in nori sheets. These maki rolls are ideal for a light lunch or appetizer and come with soy sauce for dipping.
Ingredients
Scale
Sushi Rice
- 150g sushi rice
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
Fillings
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and cut into matchsticks
- ½ carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- ¼ cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 100g smoked mackerel, skin removed, torn into small pieces
Other
- 4 nori sheets
- Soy sauce, for dipping
Instructions
- Prepare the rice: Place the sushi rice in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Massage the grains gently with your hands to remove excess starch, then drain the water. Repeat this rinsing process until the water runs clear to ensure perfectly sticky rice.
- Cook the rice: Transfer the rinsed rice to a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add enough cold water to cover the rice by approximately 2.5cm. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes with the lid on, then remove the saucepan from the heat and let it sit, covered, for an additional 15 minutes to finish steaming the rice.
- Season and cool the rice: Stir the cooked rice gently to fluff it and mix in the rice wine vinegar evenly. Allow the rice to cool completely before assembling the rolls for best texture.
- Set up the sushi roll station: Fill a small bowl with cold water to wet your hands, preventing the rice from sticking. Lay out a sushi rolling mat and place a nori sheet shiny-side down on the mat.
- Assemble the rolls: Spread one quarter of the cooled sushi rice evenly over the nori sheet, leaving a 1cm border at the top edge. Arrange one quarter of the chilli and carrot in a horizontal line at the bottom edge of the rice. Add one quarter of the cucumber and smoked mackerel pieces in a strip along the center of the rice.
- Roll the sushi: Lightly dampen the top border of the nori with water to help seal the roll. Fold the bottom edge of the nori over the fillings, then use the sushi mat to tightly roll the maki from bottom to top, forming a compact cylinder. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients to make four rolls total.
- Slice and serve: Using a sharp serrated knife, cut each roll into eight equal rounds. Serve the smoked mackerel maki rolls immediately with soy sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Rinsing the sushi rice thoroughly removes excess starch and helps achieve the ideal sticky but separate texture.
- Cool the rice completely before rolling to prevent the nori from becoming soggy and tearing.
- Use a sharp serrated knife and wet the blade between cuts for clean slices.
- Feel free to adjust the chili quantity to taste for more or less spice.
- A sushi rolling mat can be found inexpensively at many supermarkets or online retailers.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: smoked mackerel maki rolls, sushi rolls, easy sushi recipe, Japanese sushi, smoked fish sushi, homemade sushi, sushi rice, healthy lunch
