What's Cookin' - Andy Carson Sushi Roll Recipe

Sushi Recipie

This is a five-part process. So be prepared. And know it will be well worth your effort!

Part One: Herbed Cream Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1/4 block cream cheese
• 1/4 cup fine herbs
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Using a paddle attachment, soften the cream cheese in standing mixer. Add herbs while mixing. Season with salt.

Part Two: Smoked Salmon Cure (for 4 sides salmon)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fennel seed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curing (pink) salt
• 1 teaspoon red chile flake
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
• 12 ounces honey

Preparation:

• In a spice grinder, grind fennel seed and chile flake. Add to combined salts. Pour honey into a stainless steel bowl and warm through on a hot surface. Add salt and spice mixture to honey. Use a pastry brush to coat cleaned, ready-to-smoke salmon.

Part Three: Smoked Salmon

Ingredients:

• Smoked salmon cure
• 4 sides salmon
• Large pan – similar to a 4' hotel pan
• 4 foil packets, each containing 1 1/2 cups wood chips
• Large sheet pan, lined in parchment, large cooling rack

Preparation:

• Remove salmon skin. Pin bones and spinal cartilage from salmon. Cut into square portions to make easy to cry-o-vac and store. Place on rack over parchment-lined full sheet pan. Using pastry brush, coat salmon heavily (top and sides) with warmed cure. Set oven to 200 degrees with the fan on low. Place one foil packet in hotel pan. Using pastry torch, light woodchips until smoky. Close oven door and allow to build smoke. Once smoke starts escaping the cracks in the doors, place in sheet pan of salmon and maintain smoke with the other foil packets and pastry torch until outside of salmon flesh smells and tastes lightly smoked. Remove hotel pan of chips when smoked enough and allow salmon to slowly cook at 200 degrees until white fat starts to just seep out the sides of the salmon. Cool in the refrigerator and store.

Part Four: Salmorejo Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh Roma tomatoes
• 3 slices of sourdough bread (no crust); slightly dampened with water
• 4 cloves garlic
• Blend oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Puree romas and garlic in blender on high until you start to feel the blender getting warm. Slowly add the bread bit by bit. Once all the bread has ‘taken,’ start to drizzle in the oil. (It should take about a cup.) Season with salt and chill.

Part Five: Sushi Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 quart washed sushi rice
• 1 quart water

Preparation:

• Cook in rice cooker until done.

Seasoning Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation:

• Mix well with cooked rice. Do not put in refrigerator or rice will crystallize. You are then ready to assemble!

Assembly

• Place 1/2 cup cooked sushi rice on a full sheet of nori. Spread evenly over the entire sheet. Sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts. Flip the entire sheet over. Now the nori is facing you (rice and hazelnuts on the bottom). Spread with herbed cream cheese, 4 ounces smoked salmon, and 2 ounces julienned cucumbers. Roll tight with a Bamboo Sushi Matt. Slice with a sharp damp knife into 8 even pieces. Serve with salmerjo sauce.

Enjoy!

Open and print this version of this recipe for ease of use in the kitchen.