California Sushi Roll w/ Spicy Salad Microgreens

The mustard microgreens in Spicy Salad mix carry a close resemblance to wasabi. Wrapping up these little shoots in a sushi roll will add the perfect amount of spice to this iconic dish.

Ingredients (Makes about 5 rolls, 40 pieces)

• 1 batch sushi rice, cooled to room temperature

• 2 cups sushi rice

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

• 4 tsp sugar

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 5 sheets nori

• 1 English cucumber, sliced into thin strips

• 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced into thin strips

• 10 ounces imitation crab meat, sliced into thin strips

• Bunch of green onions

• sesame seeds

• spicy mayo

• soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi paste, for serving

• 1 cup spicy salad microgreens

Directions:

Sushi Rice (*You should cook the rice 1-2 hours ahead of time, so that it can cool to room temperature before assembling the rolls.)

1. Rinse the rice. Place the rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear and is no longer murky.

2. Cook the rice. Cook the rice in a rice cooker or in a pot on the stove

3. Make the sushi vinegar. While the rice is cooking, heat the vinegar, sugar and salt and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. You can either do this in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove.

4. Season the rice. Transfer the rice immediately to a large mixing bowl and drizzle it evenly with the sushi vinegar. Then use the spatula to very gently fold the rice.

5. Cool. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp towel so that it is touching the surface of the rice, which will help prevent the rice from drying out. Let the rice cool on the counter until it nearly reaches room temperature.

Assemble Rolls

1. Press the rice. Lay a sheet of nori on a sushi mat smooth-side-down, with the longer side of the nori facing you. Place a bowl of water nearby. Dip your fingers into the water (this will help the rice not to stick) and sprinkle approximately 1 cup of sushi rice evenly over the nori, leaving a 1-inch border open at the top. Using your fingers, gently but firmly press the rice onto the nori in an even layer, dipping your fingers back into the water as often as needed so that they do not stick. You want the rice to cover the nori as evenly as possible, all the way to the bottom, left and right edges of the sheet. (See photos above.)

2. Add the fillings. Place the fillings in long horizontal lines on top of the rice, layering the different fillings side by side instead of in one big pile. Sprinkle the toppings with spicy salad microgreens

3. Roll up the sushi. Lift up the bottom edge of the sushi mat and carefully fold it over the fillings until they are enclosed in a roll, yet still leaving the top 1-inch of the empty nori exposed. Use the sushi mat to squeeze the roll in as tightly as possible. (Although not too tight, as you don’t want all of the fillings to squish out!) Dip your fingers in the water bowl once more and use them to wet the remaining 1-inch of nori. Then use the sushi mat to finish rolling up the roll until it is completely enclosed. Give it a few extra squeezes all around so that it is nice and firmly-packed. Then transfer the entire roll to a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to form about 5 sushi rolls.

4. Cut the sushi. Using a very sharp knife, cut the each sushi roll into 8 equal(ish)-sized pieces. Transfer them to your serving plate.

5. Drizzle and garnish. Drizzle the sushi with the spicy mayo and/or sprinkle with sesame seeds.

6. Serve. Serve immediately, along with pickled ginger, wasabi paste, and soy sauce for dipping. And enjoy!