How to Make Homemade Sushi: 8 Simple Sushi Recipes

Sushi is a collection of Japanese dishes featuring vinegared rice and ingredients like raw fish, vegetables, and cooked elements like tamagoyaki, sweet rolled omelet. Sushi rolls come in all shapes and sizes, from large, multicolored futomaki, to simple, elegant nigiri.

The seafood for sushi includes tuna, salmon, yellowtail, squid, or imitation crab meat. Wasabi paste, soy sauce, and pickled ginger also accompany a meal of sushi. Sushi is different from sashimi, which is thin slices of raw fish.

Sushi rice is plain short-grain Japanese rice that has been steamed and flavored with vinegar, salt, and sugar. Sushi can feature all different types of fish and vegetables, but it always contains sticky, chewy sushi rice. In fact, the word sushi, which means “sour-tasting,” originally referred to the fermented rice used in sushi-making. Nowadays, the subtle sourness of seasoned sushi rice typically comes from rice vinegar.

You can make sushi at home using sushi-grade fish, sushi rice, and vegetables. Sushi rolls can be a light appetizer or a filling dinner. Consider making the following types of sushi rolls:

1. 1. Nigiri: Nigiri is a type of sushi consisting of an oblong ball of sushi rice typically topped with wasabi and a slice of raw fish. Nigiri can include raw fish, cooked shrimp, and eel.
2. 2. Maki rolls: Maki refers to sushi rolls with sashimi, veggies, sushi rice, and other accompaniments rolled into a sheet of nori. You can make different kinds of homemade sushi rolls just by changing the ingredients inside, such as using cream cheese, smoked salmon, bell pepper, and shrimp tempura. You can also add sesame seeds, sesame oil, sriracha, or spicy mayo on top of the sushi roll.
3. 3. Temaki rolls: Temaki, which translates to "hand rolled," is a type of sushi consisting of rice, fish, vegetables, or other fillings enclosed in a nori cone. You can make specialized rolls such as a spicy tuna roll or salmon roll. Sushi chefs also cut veggies into thin strips as a garnish for the hand roll.
4. 4. Chirashi sushi:Chirashi translates to "scattered” in Japanese. Chirashi sushi, also called chirashizushi, is seasoned sushi rice topped with ingredients such as raw fish, omelets, and nori. In Japan, chirashi sushi, typically served in a bowl or lacquered box, is traditionally eaten for the annual celebration of Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day).
5. 5. Futomaki sushi: Futomaki, which translates to “fat rolled sushi,” and is a large type of maki roll. Futomaki are so popular that the word “futomaki” and “maki” are sometimes used interchangeably. Futomaki traditionally refers to a sushi roll that contains seasoned rice and multiple fillings. After rolling the sushi with a bamboo mat, slice the futomaki crosswise into rounds with a sharp knife and serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger.
6. 6. Hosomaki: Hosomaki means “thin rolls.” This type of maki roll is thinner than a futomaki roll. Make hosomaki with a half-sheet of nori (dried seaweed), rolling it on a half-size bamboo mat so it's more slender than a typical maki. It usually contains seasoned rice and only one or two fillings. After rolling using a bamboo mat, slice the hosomaki into rounds with a sharp knife and serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger.
7. 7. Inari sushi: Inari sushi, also known as inarizushi, is a Japanese dish consisting of sushi rice stuffed inside fried tofu pouches (also known as aburaage or fried bean curd) cooked in a dashi broth–forward mixture.
8. 8. Tamago sushi: “Tamago” means “egg” in Japanese. Tamago sushi features tamagoyaki (rolled omelet) on top of an oblong mound of sushi rice bound by a thin ribbon of nori seaweed.

If you are making any sushi other than temaki, which is hand rolled, you will need a sushi mat, such as a bamboo mat. The rolling mat will allow you to perfectly roll the sushi. You can also use plastic wrap if you do not have a rolling mat.

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