baked salmon roll with a sweet ponzu sauce
wash rice before cooking to remove as much of the starch as possible
water should run clear
cook your rice first i use my hand to measure the water but you can also just follow the direction on the package
after rice is done add 1 / 4 cup mirin , 1 / 4 cup sugar , 1 / 4 cup rice vinegar to the rice
mix well set aside to cool till touchable
while rice is cooling prep your filling and start your sauce
combine all sauce ingredients in small sauce pan
simmer till the liquid is reduce by half
remove from heat and place aside to cool
sauce should thicken while cooling
cut your cream cheese into strips generally i use half of a 8oz block cut into 4 1 / 2 inch strips
i usually keep the cream cheese strips in the fridge till ready to use
peel and deseed your cucumber
cut into long slices
i feed the extra to my kids or make a asian cucumber salad
shredd your crab and set aside
it is a plus to have a sushi mat most can be bought at any asian market
i got mine for $2
99 very inexpensive
if you don't have one though use saran wrap
i take my sushi mat and place a piece of saran wrap on top of it
now take 1 sheet of your nori and place it one the saran wrap
place a handfull of rice on to of your nori
make sure to keep some cool water running to keep the rice from sticking to your hand
smooth rice all over your wrap just enough to cover try to make it as even as possible
now pick up your rice covered nori and flip it so the rice is now on the saran wrap
on the side closest to you place your filling
i generally start with the cream cheese 2 slices , then cucumbers 4 - 6 slices and enough crab to line the roll
for a person who likes spicy i sometimes add a few drops of a chili sauce
now its time to roll
the sushi mat does help to make a seamless roll but you can cheat with the saran wrap it just not as perfect
pull the mat or saran wrap to cover the filling
give it s slight squeeze to make sure everything is tighly sealed
continue rolling the roll and squeeze again when you get to the end
make you the seam side is down
repeat with your second roll
make sure not to removed the saran wrap yet set your rolls aside
preheat oven to broil
make sure your salmon has no skin on it
i have my local store remove the skin i suggested a whole foods store if you have one
your fish monger will also tell you the best cuts he has currenly if you ask
cut into 1 1 / 2 to 2 inch strips
remove the top of your saran wrap on the roll but don't remove
place your salmon on top of the roll
place your saran wrap bake on the roll
squeeze the roll with your sushi mat or squeeze your saran wrap
this is the help the salmon form to the roll
using a very sharp knife with the saran wrap cut the pieces in the roll but still maintain its shape
spray a cookie sheet with pam
transfer roll to cookie sheet with saran wrap on to maintain shape
remove saran wrap it should come off easy after slicing through it
place cookie sheet in oven and broil for 3 to 5 mins to cook salmon and melt cream cheese
remove from oven and immediatly transfer to a plate or serving dish to not brown the bottom of the roll
pour sauce over the roll to your liking
you may want to wait a couple of minutes to eat as filling maybe very hot
garnish with some thinly sliced green onions if you like
sit back and enjoy
don't forget your chopsticks