How to Make Sushi Without Seaweed

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12 Recipe Ratings | Success Stories

Co-authored by Daniel Siriban and Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: October 27, 2022

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When most people think of sushi, they usually picture the rice filled seafood rolls wrapped in seaweed. If you're looking for sushi that doesn't contain the seaweed wrapper at all, try something a little more unique. You can thinly cut a cucumber to use as a wrapper for delicious sushi fillings. Or you can use a soy wrapper that comes in a variety of fun colors. Either way, you're sure to create memorable sushi that doesn't rely on the standard seaweed.

Ingredients

Tuna Roll with a Cucumber Wrapper

1 cucumber
1 small piece of fresh tuna
2 slices of avocado
1 dab of wasabi
1/2 teaspoon of mayonnaise, yogurt, OR mascarpone cheese
Garnishes (shredded daikon and carrot, baby salad greens, soy sauce, salmon roe)

Avocado Roll With a Soy Wrapper

1 soy wrapper
5 ounces (150 g) of cooked Pink Himalayan rice (or white sushi rice)
4 to 5 slices of avocado
Garnishes (sliced carrots and cucumber, wasabi, pickled ginger, and soy sauce)

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making a Tuna Roll with a Cucumber Wrapper

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Wash the cucumber in cool water. Take a vegetable peeler or cheese knife and carefully peel the entire cucumber. Take a sharp knife and trim off the ends of the cucumber. You can discard the ends. ^{[1]
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Always use caution when handling sharp knives. Work on a stable surface, like a cutting board to prevent the food from slipping as you prepare the cucumber.
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2
Cut the cucumber. Insert a sharp wet sushi knife just 1/4 of a centimeter (1/10th of an inch) into the cucumber. Slowly slide the blade around the cucumber so you're continuously cutting a thin layer of cucumber. Continue cutting until you reach the center part of the cucumber that contains the seeds. Lift the knife away and your thinly cut cucumber should fall away from the core of the cucumber. ^{[2]
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- The layer of cucumber should always be 1/4 of a centimeter thick (so you can just barely see the sushi knife through it).
- Keep a bowl of water on the counter so you can keep the knife wet as you cut. This will help it slide through the cucumber easier and make the slicing neater.
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3
Slice the tuna. Take a small piece of fresh tuna and slice it thinly. You should insert the heel of the knife into the fish and slice down towards you in one fluid movement so the tip of the knife ends up on the board as you finish the slice. Continue slicing the entire piece of tuna. ^{[3]
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- Each slice should be about 1/4 to 1/2 of a centimeter thick.
4
Place your ingredients on the cucumber wrapper. Lay your sliced cucumber so that it's completely open on your cutting board. Place your sliced tuna on one end of the cucumber. Lay the tuna next to each other so they don't overlap. Lay 2 slices of avocado on the middle of tuna and smear a dab of wasabi on a piece of tuna next to the avocado. ^{[4]
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- The tuna should take up about 1/3 of the total cucumber wrapper.
5
Roll the tuna cucumber roll. Start at the end of the cucumber wrapper that has the tuna and avocado. Fold the cucumber wrapper over the tuna and avocado using the fingertips of both of your hands. Continue rolling and compressing the roll.
- Since there isn't any rice in this roll, you don't really need to use a sushi mat.
6
Seal and cut the roll. When you've almost finished rolling the cucumber wrapper, spread about 1/2 of a teaspoon of mayonnaise, yogurt, or mascarpone cheese on the last inch or two of the cucumber. Finish rolling the cucumber wrapper so it's completely sealed. Set the roll so the seal is on the bottom of your board. Trim and discard the ends. Slice the cucumber roll so that each slice is about 1/5 of an inch. ^{[5]
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- The mayo, yogurt, or spreadable cheese will help keep the cucumber sealed closed once you've wrapped and cut it.
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7
Garnish and serve the roll. Place your slices of tuna cucumber roll on a plate. You can dab salmon roe on top of each slice for an extra pop of color. Consider using these garnishes for your tuna cucumber roll: ^{[6]
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- Shredded daikon
- Shredded carrot
- Baby salad greens
- Soy sauce

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making an Avocado Roll With a Soy Wrapper

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Place a bamboo sushi mat flat on a cutting board. Lay one soy wrapper directly on the mat. Wet your hands and scoop 5 ounces (150 grams) of cooked Pink Himalayan or plain sushi rice onto half of the soy wrapper. Use your fingertips to gently spread the rice evenly on the half nearest to you. ^{[7]
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Avoid pushing down on the rice. Instead, just ensure that the rice is evenly distributed.
2
Lay avocado across the rice. Cut an avocado into thin slices. Lay 4 or 5 slices of the avocado on top of your rice. The avocado should be spread across the length of the wrap so that each bite of sushi gets a little avocado. ^{[8]
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- You could also substitute any of your favorite sushi fillings like seafood, cucumber, tamago, or crispy seafood skin.
3
Roll the sushi. Hold the side of the bamboo sushi mat that's closest to you with your fingertips. Lift the bamboo mat up and over the avocado roll. The avocado roll will now be cylindrical inside the bamboo mat. Press the mat down firmly so the roll is compressed and lift back the bamboo mat. The sushi roll with the soy wrapper will now be in the middle of the mat. ^{[9]
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- Soy paper doesn't seal as well as seaweed (nori) wrappers do.
You should see the end of the soy wrapper sticking out from under the roll. Dip your fingertips in water and spread them across this end of the soy wrapper. Roll the sushi to the end of the roll so that the moistened end of the wrap seals to the roll. ^{[10]
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You can lift the sushi roll away from the mat at this point and set it back onto your cutting board.
5
Slice the sushi roll. Take a sharp sushi knife and carefully trim off the ends. You can discard them. Cut the sushi roll into 8 even slices. It may help to slice the roll in half and continue slicing the halves in half until you get 8 pieces. ^{[11]
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- Be careful when cutting the soy wrappers. Soy wrappers tear more easily than seaweed wrappers.
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6
Garnish and serve the sushi roll. Set your avocado roll slices on the serving plate. Consider placing sliced or curled carrots and cucumber next to the pieces. Place a dab of wasabi paste and a bit of pickled ginger on the serving plate. ^{[12]
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- Offer soy sauce along with the sushi roll.