Sushi at Home

Jan 3, 2019

By Fran Hill

If you know me at all, you know that I love sushi. A lot. South Dakotans are lucky that sushi dining options have expanded in recent years. No longer relegated to the extreme eastern or western more densely populated areas of the state, small, family-run sushi restaurants are popping up in medium-sized towns in central South Dakota, as well. It is easier than ever to get a sushi fix with just a short road trip.

When a road trip doesn’t fit my schedule, I have a plan that fits my land-locked kitchen: a Cucumber Roll Salad. Fresh fish in my prairie home is more likely to be bass or walleye, not sushi grade tuna or salmon. Thankfully, even a small town grocery carries the imitation crab that my favorite Sioux Falls sushi stop uses in their Special Cucumber Roll.

I love the tang of the vinegared dressing in combination with crisp cucumbers, sweet imitation crab, crunchy carrots and creamy avocado. A sprinkle of sesame seeds provides just a hint of nuttiness.

While the word sushi actually refers to vinegar-seasoned rice and not the fish, this salad (and its Special Cucumber Roll inspiration) does not contain rice. Of course, if you want to make a heartier salad, the ingredients could be served over a bed of chilled sushi rice. That would be a delicious way to roll, as well. (Pun intended.)

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Cucumber Roll Salad

(inspired by the Special Cucumber Roll at Sushi Masa in Sioux Falls)

 

Cucumber Roll Salad is a perfect sushi fix when you can't get to your favorite restaurant.

For the Dressing:

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

 

For the Salad:

1 English cucumber

1 medium carrot

1 cup flake imitation crab meat

1 sheet nori

1/2 medium avocado

sesame seeds

 

Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a salad bowl.

Thinly slice the cucumber into about 1/8-inch slices (or thinner). (I use a mandoline slicer for uniform slices. Watch your fingers.) Grate or shred the carrot into long thin strips. (Some spiralizers can make this easier. I don’t use one, though.) Flake the imitation crabmeat into manageable chunks. Cut nori into 1/8-inch by 1- to 2-inch strips. (Use kitchen shears or scissors for this step.) Peel, pit, and slice the avocado.

Toss all vegetables, imitation crab and nori with the dressing.

Sprinkle salad with sesame seeds. (Serves 2.) 

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.