Dinner · From Adam's kitchen

Hand-Rolled Shrimp Sushi

Name: Hand-Rolled Shrimp Sushi
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 pack nori seaweed sheets; 2 cups cooked brown rice; 10-15 large shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1 cucumber, peeled; 2 carrots, peeled; ½ red cabbage, thinly sliced; 2 avocados, thinly sliced; ½ bunch cilantro; 2 tsp toasted sesame oil (for cooking the shrimp); 3 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 2 tbsp ginger, grated; 1 tbsp garlic, grated; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

No bamboo mat and no rolling skills needed. Hand rolls (temaki) are the easiest way to make sushi at home. Everyone builds their own cone at the table.

Dairy-free
Fun for a group

Serves: 4
Skill: Intermediate
Prep: 25 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 40 min

Nori hand rolls filled with rice, avocado and colorful vegetables on a plate

Method

Plan ahead
Cook the brown rice first (about 45 minutes). Frozen shrimp needs about 20 minutes to thaw in a bowl of cold water.
Make the sauce (3 min)
Grate the garlic and ginger into a small bowl and stir in the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.
Prep the vegetables (10 min)
Cut the peeled cucumber and carrots lengthwise into ⅓-inch sticks. Thinly slice the cabbage and avocado.
Cook the shrimp (4-5 min)
Heat the sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the shrimp about 2 minutes per side. Let them cool, then chop into bite-size pieces.
Ready whenThey are pink and opaque all the way through and curled into a loose “C” shape. A tight “O” means overcooked.
Build the roll (1 min each)
Lay a nori sheet shiny side down. With damp hands, spread about ¼ cup of rice in the top-left corner. Arrange the vegetables, shrimp, and avocado diagonally from that corner toward the center.
Roll into a cone (1 min each)
Starting from the bottom-left corner, fold the nori up and over the filling, then keep rolling into a cone. Press a few grains of rice on the edge to seal it.
Ready whenThe cone holds its shape when you pick it up.
Serve
Eat right away, while the nori is crisp, with the dipping sauce on the side. Or set everything out and let everyone roll their own.

Make it cheffy

Season your rice like a sushi chef

How

Warm 2 tbsp rice vinegar with 1 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp salt until dissolved, then gently fold it into the warm rice.

Why

Seasoned rice is what makes sushi taste like sushi. It adds a light sweet-tangy flavor and helps the rice stick.

Swaps

Brown rice → white sushi rice.
Shrimp → smoked salmon, crab, or baked tofu.
Nori tearing? Use less filling, and wet your hands, not the nori.

Make ahead & storage

Make ahead

Prep the vegetables, rice, shrimp, and sauce ahead and keep them in the fridge. Roll right before eating.

Storage

Rolled cones get soggy, so store the fillings separately.

Macros per serving

Estimate

Calories: about 360
Protein: about 15 g
Carbs: about 47 g
Fat: about 15 g

Per serving, based on 4 servings and 10 large shrimp. Includes the dipping sauce.

Back to the recipe box

Hand-Rolled Shrimp Sushi

Method

Plan ahead

Make the sauce (3 min)

Prep the vegetables (10 min)

Cook the shrimp (4-5 min)

Build the roll (1 min each)

Roll into a cone (1 min each)

Serve