Tasty Rainbow Inside-Out Rolls

As pretty as they are scrumptious, the Rainbow Inside-Out Rolls are ambitious to make at home. But the effort is worth it if you love raw seafood like millions of other people do. Inside is kani kama (imitation crab) and crisp cucumber.

Covering the outside of our version of this roll are slices of ruby red tuna, creamy white red snapper, and coral-colored salmon, alternated with slices of green avocado for a change in taste, texture, and color.

Making this type of roll for the first time can be fun but challenging, so be sure to read the insider details leading to success when making inside-out rolls in Chapter 6.

The selection of fish is entirely up to you, but remember to select different colors for looks and taste. (See Chapter 4 for information on sashimi-grade fish.) What’s important is that you wind up with 16 slices of raw fish (4 slices per roll), each slice about 1⁄2 ounce and measuring 1 inch x 2 inches x 1⁄8-inch thick. To get this amount, you need to buy a little more of each fish than is actually used in the recipe. Special sushi tools: Bamboo mat covered in plastic wrap, sashimi knife (seeChapter 2)

Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus 1 1⁄2 hours to prepare the sushi rice

Yield: 4 inside-out rolls (24 pieces)

4 ounces sashimi-grade tuna

2 ounces sashimi-grade salmon

2 ounces sashimi-grade red snapper

4 ounces kani kama (imitation crab), preferably leg-style

1 Japanese cucumber, salt-scrubbed (see Chapter 3)

2 sheets nori

4 cups prepared sushi rice (see Chapter 5)

8 teaspoons roasted white sesame seeds (see Chapter 3)

2 teaspoons wasabi paste, or to taste (see Chapter 3)

1 avocado, peeled and sliced length wise into thin (1⁄8-inch) slices

Soy sauce

Pickled ginger

1. Slice the tuna at an angle (see Chapter 7) into eight 1⁄8-inch-thick slices.
2. Slice both the salmon and red snapper at an angle into four 1⁄8-inch-thick slices each. Cover and refrigerate the slices until needed.
3. Split the kani kamainto strips. Trim the cucumber’s ends, making it 7inches in length. Cut it into quarters, lengthwise (see Figure 8-1).Refrigerate the kani kama and cucumber quarters until needed.
4. Cut each sheet of nori in half, making each sheet 4 inches x 7 inches. Place a plastic-wrapped bamboo mat in front of you, with its slats parallel to the edge of the table or countertop. Place a trimmed sheet of nori lengthwise, shiny side down, on the edge of the bamboo mat closest to you (refer to Figure 6-7 in Chapter 6). Dip your hands in a bowl of vinegared water and then tap your finger tips on a damp towel to remove the excess water. Press 1 cup of the sushi rice evenly over the nori. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds over the rice.
5. Pick up the nori, turn it over, and place it rice side down, lengthwise, on the edge of the bamboo mat closest to you.
6. Fill the roll in this order: Spread 1⁄2 teaspoon of the wasabi paste across the length of the nori, not in the exact center, but a little closer to you. Cover the wasabi with a slice of cucumber. Bunch one-fourth of the kani kama next to the cucumber. (Bunching makes it easier to roll up the sushi roll.)
7. Lift the edge of the mat closest to you with both hands, keeping your fingers over the fillings, and roll the mat and its contents until the edge ofthe mat touches straight down onto the nori, enclosing the fillings completely. Lift up the edge of the mat you’re holding, and continue rolling theinside-out roll away from you until it’s sealed (refer to Figure 6-7 in Chapter 6). Tug on the mat to tighten the seal. Place the roll on a damp, clean, smooth surface.
8. Gently place 2 slices of tuna, 1 slice of salmon, 1 slice of red snapper, and up to one-fourth of the avocado in an alternating, diagonal pattern, over-lapping each other, across the length of the roll. Lay the bamboo mat over the completed roll. Squeeze gently to give it shape (see Figure 8-2).
9. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the roll. Slice the roll into 6 equal, bite-size pieces, wiping your knife with a damp paper towel between each slice. Discard the plastic wrap. Make 3 more rolls, following these steps. Serve immediately, accompanied by soy sauce as a dipping sauce, and pickled ginger to cleanse the palate.