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Spicy Salmon Hand Rolls

spicy salmon hand rolls
Photograph by Heami Lee, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarco

Hand rolls are versatile—they make a great work-from-home lunch or a build-it-yourself dinner for a crowd. While you definitely don’t need a recipe to make them (part of the fun is using whatever toppings you want), this version features one specific add-in that might inspire the rest of your spread: spicy salmon salad. Various brands sell tinned salmon (or tuna) flavored with chile, like the Fishwife x Fly By Jing smoked salmon or Dongwon hot pepper tuna; mashing either of these with a bit of mayo (and a bit of the hot oil from the can) creates a punchy, creamy spread for scooping onto nori sheets, along with cooling additions like cucumber and avocado.

Cook's Note: If you don’t want to bother with the hand roll wrapping technique, swap in a pack of seasoned seaweed snacks for the plain nori sheets; build bites right in your hand by piling everything on top of the piece of crisp seaweed, then fold and eat them like tacos.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    15 minutes

  • Yield

    Makes 10

Ingredients

5 square toasted nori sheets
1 3.2–4-oz. can spicy salmon or tuna (such as Fishwife)
¼ cup mayonnaise
Cooked sushi rice (for filling)
1 avocado, thinly sliced
½ medium cucumber, cut into matchsticks
Gochugaru (coarse Korean red pepper powder) or other mild red pepper flakes (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut 5 square toasted nori sheets in half to make 10 rectangles. Place one 3.2–4-oz. can spicy salmon or tuna in a medium bowl, reserving any oil in can. Stir in ¼ cup mayonnaise and 1 Tbsp. reserved oil with a fork, breaking up and coating salmon.

    Step 2

    Working one at a time, set nori sheets, shiny side down, on a surface with a long side facing you. Place a spoonful of cooked sushi rice on left side of nori; spread evenly into a square to fill the left third of sheet. Top rice with a small spoonful of dressed salmon, then a few slices from 1 avocado, thinly sliced, and pieces from ½ medium cucumber, cut into matchsticks, arranging in a diagonal line that points up to the upper left corner of nori. Fold bottom left corner of nori up and over fillings, then continue to roll up to form a cone. Pat edge with a bit of water and gently press to seal. Sprinkle exposed filling with gochugaru.

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