California Rolls
Updated Oct. 1, 2025
- Total Time
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup sushi rice
- 4large rectangular nori sheets, see Tip
- 1tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
- 1cup finely chopped kanikama (imitation crab sticks; 5 ounces), see Tip
- 1½tablespoons mayonnaise, plus more as needed
- ½Persian (mini) cucumber, seeded
- ½avocado, pitted and peeled
- Masago (fish roe), for rolling (optional), see Tip
- Soy sauce and wasabi, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the sushi rice: In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the rice under cold running water for 30 seconds. Drain completely. Add the rice and 1¼ cups water to a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Set aside to soak for at least 10 minutes. Place the pot over medium-high heat, uncovered, and heat until the water bubbles vigorously around the edges of the pot. Cover, reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cook, without lifting the lid, until all the water is absorbed, about 17 minutes. Remove the pot from the burner and let the rice rest, still covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover, then gently fluff the rice with a fork or paddle. Cover and set aside to finish steaming and cool slightly until ready to use.
- Step 2
While the rice cooks, prepare the nori: Cut the nori into 8-by-5-inch rectangles using a sharp knife or kitchen shears.
- Step 3
Prepare the fillings: Fold the vinegar into the sushi rice. In a small bowl, stir together the kanikama and mayonnaise until evenly coated. If the mixture seems dry and crumbly, stir in more mayonnaise, a little at a time, until moist. Slice the cucumber into 4 long, thin spears. Cut the avocado lengthwise into 8 thin slices.
- Step 4
Roll the sushi: Wrap a bamboo mat in plastic wrap. Lay a nori sheet on the mat and cover its surface with a thin layer of the cooled sushi rice. Flip the rice blanket over so the nori is facing up. In the center, lay a horizontal row of the kanikama, then place a cucumber spear on one side of it and two upturned avocado slices on the other. Lift the edge closest to you over the filling, then start rolling, using the bamboo mat to pack the roll tightly at each 90 degree turn. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Step 5
Add enough masago to a plate or shallow dish to cover completely, then roll each finished roll in the masago to coat the outsides generously.
- Step 6
Using a very sharp knife, slice each roll into 8 even pieces. Serve with soy sauce and wasabi.
- At Yanagi Sushi in Honolulu, the California rolls are filled with fresh cooked snow crab. If you have that, you can use it. Otherwise, imitation crab tastes fabulous here; you can usually find it in the freezer section of a Japanese supermarket.
- Nori, the unseasoned toasted seaweed sheets used in sushi, can be found in grocery stores, often in the international aisle. Gently waving the nori over a low open flame results in crispier seaweed, which is easier to slice.
- Masago are the sweet, savory and bright orange roe of capelin, a type of smelt fish. Tobiko would also work. Both are available at Asian supermarkets, sometimes in the freezer section. Or, in place of roe altogether, you could coat the outside of your California rolls with sesame seeds for a nuttier taste.
Private Notes
Comments
Instead of flipping nori mat over (step 4), wouldn't it be easier to lay the nori on a flat surface like a cutting board, spread the rice as directed, then lay the plastic wrapped bamboo mat on top and flip the entire thing?
Wet your hands before tamping rice down and run your knife under hot water before slicing.
@Melanie the recipe does call for “seasoned rice vinegar” (which has the salt and sugar already incorporated). If you only have plain rice vinegar on hand you can gently warm it with salt and sugar (warm just to dissolve) to make it “seasoned”.
Can I substitute cream cheese for the kanikama? Ten year old grandson prefers cream cheese.
Found some kanikama at a local Asian market. The package was about the size of a bathmat, weighing in around 2 pounds and cost a little over $4. The only ingredients listed said: “shellfish”. I made as directed, taking out the 5 ounces and vacuum sealing and refreezing the rest. The rolls turned out exactly like what you takeaway from a store. Anyway, I feel like I have imitation crab to last the rest of my life but after reading some of these comments, not sure I want to use it again!
If you ever watch a video on YouTube of how "imitation crab" is made in the factory, you will never eat it again.