California Roll Sandwiches

California Roll Sandwiches

Making sushi at home

For our 12-year wedding anniversary, we spent the day in the kitchen making sushi. It was so much fun! We made one roll. Ate it, then went back in the kitchen to make more. Eating each roll as we finished making it. It wasn’t difficult, just something that we spent all day playing with.

Man, were we full by the end of the day! If you want to play around with making sushi yourself, check out the website Use Real Butter (link, link, link), she has great instructions and beautiful inspiring photos.

For our sushi making experiment, we had sushi rice, spicy crab salad, shrimp tempura, carrot slaw, Nori, avocado, and sesame seeds, basically all your pretty normal sushi ingredients.

Now, one thing I did change-up was the cucumber. Dan isn’t a fan of cukes, something about their smell turns him off of them. I don’t really get it either, but cucumber just isn’t his thing. So, I’ve learned that I can replace cukes with jicama or Sliced Water Chestnuts and he’s a happy camper. In this case, I used jicama which was delish, crunchy, and fresh.

The Dan Roll

So, we were almost ready to start the sushi process when he decided he wanted to try something that he’s been thinking about for a long time. Teriyaki Steak Rolls.

We make homemade Teriyaki sauce (delish!) that one day I’ll have to post the recipe for.

It’s easy and much tastier than the bottled stuff. So, he grilled up a steak and made some teriyaki and used those for one of his sushi rolls. Well, he LOVED the Teriyaki Steak Roll. I’m guessing he would say it was his favorite of the day.

He even gave it the name of The Dan Roll! The Dan Roll is an inside out roll, meaning that the sushi rice is outside the nori. Inside, it had grilled medium-rare steak, crab salad (recipe below), carrot slaw (recipe below), and teriyaki. It was then topped with sesame seeds and sriracha mayo that was thinned with a little toasted sesame oil.

A twist on the California Roll

All this sushi making didn’t make my sushi craving go away, it just changed it a little. And, I decided I wanted to do a little twist on the California Roll. So, I give you, the California Roll Sandwich.

Spicy from the Sriracha. Creamy from the crab salad and the avocado. Crunchy from the carrot and jicama slaw.

Just all around yummy! And, perhaps a bit less intimidating than rolling your own sushi.

To mayo or not to mayo

Now, I like my sandwiches a bit on the drier side, so you may want more mayo than I’ve suggested here. Also, I’ve found that if you replace the mayo with all sour cream, it’s a bit less salty than most people want. So, add a pinch of salt to the sour cream. Or, try half sour cream and half mayo. Or, give in and just do all mayo, it is just this once.

California Roll Sandwiches Recipe

California Roll Sandwiches

Debi

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Servings 2

Ingredients

  

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Crab Salad

• 8 ounces cooked crab meat or krab surimi, shredded
• 1-3 tablespoons mayonnaise or sour cream
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha

Carrot Slaw

• ¾ cup shredded carrot
• ¾ cup julianned jicama
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoons water
• ¾ tablespoon sugar

Sandwich Ingredients

• 4 slices sourdough bread toasted
• Shredded green cabbage
• Sprouts
• ½ Avocado sliced
• Toasted sesame seeds* for garnish

Instructions

 

Crab Salad

• Mix the mayonnaise or sour cream into the shredded crab, one tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistency. Feel free to taste along the way.

Carrot Slaw

• Place shredded carrot and jicama in a large bowl and set aside. Combine vinegar, water, and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly; pour cooled dressing over carrots and jicama. Let stand 15 minutes; drain.

Make Sammies

• Top one toasted sourdough slice with half of the crab salad. Top with ½ of prepared carrot slaw, cabbage, sprouts, avocado slices, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Top with second slice of sourdough. Cut sandwich in half for easier eating. Repeat with second sandwich and remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

Notes

*Sesame seeds may be toasted on the stove or in the oven. Personally, I prefer the stovetop method, it’s easier for me and I can keep a better eye on them so I know they don’t burn. But, either way works.
Stovetop toasting: In a large dry frying pan over medium heat, toast seeds until they brown and become fragrant, about 3-5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.
Oven toasting: Preheat the oven to 325° F. Spread the seeds onto a baking sheet, and bake until the seeds brown and become fragrant, about 15 minutes.

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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