This uramaki sushi is a Japanese-American creation that is as fun to make as it is to eat! The inside of your sushi will be filled with crab, avocado, and cucumber, and then wrapped in seaweed and sushi rice. Your roll will be topped with mango slices, avocado, salmon, and tuna to achieve a beautiful rainbow effect.
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Why Make this Recipe
- At Home Sushi Night: It’s so much fun to go out for sushi, but making this recipe was my first time trying it at home! It’s awesome for a unique dinner, especially when you can turn it into a social event!
- Colorful: The best part about this Rainbow Roll is the beautiful colors on the outside! It’s so pretty, you just have to dig in.
- Customizable: There are so many different ways to customize your rainbow roll. If you want to change up the additions, you absolutely can!
What Do I Need to Make this Recipe?
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Nori Sheet: You can buy this from any Asian grocery store. If your sheets aren’t cut in half already, you’ll want to do that before you start rolling your sushi.
- Sushi Rice: Cook the sushi rice according to the instructions on the package. Don’t forget the sushi vinegar to make the sushi rice (you can also make a homemade sushi vinegar by heating rice vinegar, sugar, and salt together)! Do not use another type of rice for this recipe.
- Crab Stick: I cut my crab sticks in half so that they fit into the roll better.
- Salmon: I bought pre-sliced sushi-grade salmon from my local Asian market. You can slice the fish yourself if need be, but make sure it is sushi-grade.
- Tuna: I bought pre-sliced sushi-grade tuna from my local Asian market. You can slice the fish yourself if need be, but make sure it is sushi-grade.
- Mango: Cut the cheek off of one side of your mango, then carefully use a paring knife to remove the peel from the mango. Then you can cut the fruit into thin slices!
- Avocado: To get good avocado slices, remove the pit from the avocado. Then, use a butter knife to scoop vertical slices of avocado out of the shell.
Tools
- Plastic Wrap: Because the sushi is rolled with the rice on the outside, the plastic wrap is used to protect the mat and keep it from getting dirty.
- Sushi Mat: The bamboo sushi rolling mat makes it far easier for you to roll your sushi. I definitely recommend using a sushi mat for this recipe.
How to Make this Recipe
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Step 1: Prep the Seaweed & Rice
Wrap your sushi mat in plastic wrap so that the rice does not stick to the bamboo.
Put the ½ seaweed sheet on the mat with the rough side up.
Lay the rice across the entire roll (you may not need to use all the rice), then flip the seaweed over so the smooth side is showing.
Step 2: Fill the Sushi
Cut the avocado into thin strips and place the strips lengthwise in the center of the seaweed.
Cut the imitation crab meat into thinner slices if needed. Place them on the seaweed next to the avocado.
Add a few slices of cucumber on top of the avocado and crab, lengthwise.
Step 3: Roll the Sushi
Place your thumbs under the sushi mat. Then lift the edge of the mat closest to your belly up and over the filling in the center.
Use your hands to press the length of the log, making sure that all of the sushi ingredients are staying together. Continue lifting and rolling the edge of the sushi mat until the sushi is in one roll. Gently press with your hands again to make sure that the rice on the outside edge is sticking together.
If you need visual instructions for this process, I enjoyed watching this video.
Remove the roll from the mat. Remove the plastic from the mat.
Step 4: Add the Toppings
Lay the thinly sliced fish and fruits over the top of the sushi roll with the edges slightly overlapping. Go in this order: tuna, salmon, mango, avocado, repeat.
Lay plastic wrap over the sushi roll and place your mat on top. Squeeze the mat over the roll so that the toppings stick to the rice.
Remove the plastic and use a knife to cut the sushi into 8 pieces. Serve and enjoy!
Additional Toppings You Can Use
The inside of this rainbow roll is very similar to a California roll, but the toppings are very different. There are so many variations of rainbow rolls, which means that you have so many choices when it comes to toppings! If you don’t like the topping options I picked out, you can also choose from the following options:
- Yellowtail
- Snapper
- Flounder
- Sea bass
- Shrimp
- Masago
- Tobiko
Remember, the most important part is choosing ingredients that form a rainbow pattern when laid across the top of your sushi!
Now that you’re an expert on rolling sushi, have fun trying a few more flavor combinations – more than 16 different sushi recipes to try! Plus, check out this amazing list of different foods to pair with sushi when you’re serving guests. Your mouth will be watering for sure!
Serving Options
Some things I like to have on the table when I am serving my rainbow roll are:
- Eel Sauce
- Japanese Mayo
- Soy Sauce (be careful, as the rice on the outside of the roll does tend to make the soy sauce flavor very strong)
- Wasabi
Expert Tips
- When shopping for sushi-grade salmon, please note: some packages will say sashimi-grade instead of sushi-grade on the package. These terms are interchangeable, and it means the fish is safe to eat raw.
- You can sprinkle sesame seeds on the rice if you want before flipping it over.
- You can make a spicy tuna roll by adding spicy mayo or sriracha.
- Use a sharp knife to cut your sushi into pieces. Use a quick back and forth motion to make the initial slice through the nori, then a slower sawing motion to finish the cut.
- I like adding a bit of cream cheese to the center of my roll, which makes it more reminiscent of my favorite– Philadelphia Rolls!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, in this recipe, you will be using raw fish. This dish calls for raw tuna and raw salmon. You can also add imitation crab sticks to the center. If you want a completely vegan option – try Gobo sushi!
Uramaki Sushi is a type of sushi roll where the rice is on the outside of the roll instead of inside the nori.
In this case, having the rice on the outside of the seaweed helps the fish to stick to the top of the sushi roll!
It is most common to cut a rainbow roll into 8 pieces.
If you need to slice your tuna and salmon into pieces at home, follow these instructions:
Cut the fish against the grain at a 45 degree angle. Make sure the slices are very thin so that they will drape over the top of the rice.
Did you enjoy this Rainbow Roll Sushi Recipe? If so, check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Instant Pot Salmon with Lemon and Dill
- Mango with Sticky Rice
- Easy Fried Tuna from Cote d’Ivoire
- Indonesia: History, Background, Culture and Food
Rainbow Roll Sushi Recipe
Equipment
- Sushi Mat
- Plastic Wrap
Ingredients
- 1 Nori Seaweed Sheet, cut in half
- ¾ cup Cooked sushi rice
- ½ Avocado
- 1 Imitation crab stick
- 2 Cucumber, thinly sliced pieces
- 3 Sushi-grade salmon, sliced
- 3 slices Sushi-grade tuna
- 1 Mango, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Wrap your sushi mat in plastic wrap so that the rice does not stick to the bamboo.
- Put the ½ seaweed sheet on the mat with the rough side up.
- Lay the ¾ cup rice across the entire roll (you may not need to use all the rice), then flip the seaweed over so the smooth side is showing.
- Cut the ½ avocado into thin strips and place the strips lengthwise in the center of the seaweed.
- Cut the crab stick into thinner slices if needed. Place them on the seaweed next to the avocado.
- Add a few slices of cucumber on top of the avocado and crab, lengthwise.
- Place your thumbs under the sushi mat. Then lift the edge of the mat closest to your belly up and over the filling in the center.
- Use your hands to press the length of the log, making sure that all of the sushi ingredients are staying together. Continue lifting and rolling the edge of the sushi mat until the sushi is in one roll. Gently press with your hands again to make sure that the rice on the outside edge is sticking together. If you need visual instructions for this process, I enjoyed watching this video.
- Lay the thinly sliced fish and fruits over the top of the sushi roll with the edges slightly overlapping. Go in this order: tuna, salmon, mango, avocado, repeat.
- Lay plastic wrap over the sushi roll and place your mat on top. Squeeze the mat on top of the roll so that the toppings stick to the rice.
- Remove the plastic and use a knife to cut the sushi into 8 pieces. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Nori Sheet: You can buy this from any Asian grocery store. If your sheets aren’t cut in half already, you’ll want to do that before you start rolling your sushi.
- Sushi Rice: Cook the sushi rice according to the instructions on the package. Don’t forget the sushi vinegar to make the sushi rice (you can also make a homemade sushi vinegar by heating rice vinegar, sugar, and salt together)! Do not use another type of rice for this recipe.
- Crab Stick: I cut my crab sticks in half so that they fit into the roll better.
- Salmon: I bought pre-sliced sushi-grade salmon from my local Asian market. You can slice the fish yourself if need be, but make sure it is sushi-grade.
- Tuna: I bought pre-sliced sushi-grade tuna from my local Asian market. You can slice the fish yourself if need be, but make sure it is sushi-grade.
- Mango: Cut the cheek off of one side of your mango, then carefully use a paring knife to remove the peel from the mango. Then you can cut the fruit into thin slices!
- Avocado: To get good avocado slices, remove the pit from the avocado. Then, use a butter knife to scoop vertical slices of avocado out of the shell.
- When shopping for sushi-grade salmon, please note: some packages will say sashimi-grade instead of sushi-grade on the package. These terms are interchangeable, and it means the fish is safe to eat raw.
- You can sprinkle sesame seeds on the rice if you want before flipping it over.
- You can make a spicy tuna roll by adding spicy mayo or sriracha.
- Use a sharp knife to cut your sushi into pieces. Use a quick back and forth motion to make the initial slice through the nori, then a slower sawing motion to finish the cut.
- I like adding a bit of cream cheese to the center of my roll, which makes it more reminiscent of my favorite– Philadelphia Rolls!
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