Experience the art of sushi-making with this step-by-step guide to crafting Salmon Maki, an ideal recipe for sushi beginners.

What is sushi?

Sushi is a dish that involves combining vinegar-seasoned rice with various ingredients, including fish, seafood, or vegetables. When the rice is wrapped in nori seaweed and rolled, it is specifically known as Makizushi in Japan.

Types of Maki

There are different types of maki:

• Hosomaki: Small rolls with nori seaweed on the outside, typically filled with a single ingredient.
• Chumaki: Medium rolls with nori seaweed on the outside, filled with 2-3 ingredients.
• Futomaki: Large rolls with nori seaweed on the outside, usually filled with 4-5 ingredients.
• Uramaki: Rolls made backward, where the nori seaweed is wrapped by the rice. A popular example is the California roll.
• Temaki: Sushi rolled by hand, shaped into a cone.

What do I need to make maki sushi at home?

Sushi rice

Rice is a crucial element for good sushi. If you’re unsure how to prepare it, you can watch a tutorial video or refer to a detailed recipe post for guidance.

Filling for the maki

For the maki filling, today I’ve focused on making salmon maki, but you can customize it with your preferred ingredients. Some popular choices for maki fillings include tuna, cucumber, avocado, or tamagoyaki, among others.

Nori Seaweed

You’ll also need nori seaweed to prepare makis at home. This roasted seaweed is similar to paper and is typically used in 1/2, 3/4, or whole sheets. If you’re making makis with just one ingredient, a 1/2 sheet of nori seaweed will be sufficient.

Sushi mat and hangiri

To roll the maki, you’ll need a sushi mat. If you don’t have one, you can improvise with a kitchen towel, or alternatively, consider making temaki (hand rolls) at home, which doesn’t require a mat.

If you plan on making sushi regularly, investing in a hangiri (a traditional wooden sushi rice mixing tub) is recommended for preparing the sushi rice.