The Futomaki it is one of the variations of Japanese sushi, together with hosomaki and gunkanmaki. The futomaki variant features an interior based on 4 ingredientsthe. We used cucumber, blanched carrots, raw salmon and avocado, wrapped in a rice wrapper and, on the outside, nori seaweed, that is the typical Japanese seaweed for sushi. However, you can also use other ingredients: tuna or sea bass, cooked or grilled, or surimi or fish roe, raw courgettes. Prepare it it’s really simple and you can thus enrich the tray with mixed pieces of sushi to present to your guests. For the preparation of sushi rice, we refer you to the uramaki recipe. Read our tips for preparing a perfect Futomaki and for handling raw fish, in line with the Ministry of Health’s guide to the consumption of raw or partially cooked fish.

Preparation

1

Peel and cut the two ends of the carrot. Put a pot of water on the fire and wait for it to boil. Dive the carrot and let it boil for 10 minutes, then drain it and let it cool.

2

Cut it in half and then into sticks of about ½ cm each, trying to get similar sticks.

3

Peel the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise and then into ½ cm sticks.

4

Cut the avocado in half using a knife. Remove the inner seed by scooping it out with a spoon. Peel it (if the avocado is ripe enough, just pull the peel from top to bottom) and cut it into ½ cm slices.

5

Cover the bamboo mat with cling film and arrange the nori on the mat lengthwise. Take 100 g of cooked rice and place it on the seaweed.

6

Spread the rice over the seaweed using the wooden spoon, leaving a 1cm space on the wide sides, top and bottom.

7

Spread ½ teaspoon of wasabi in the center and start placing 2 cucumber sticks on it.

8

Also add 2-3 slices of carrot, 2 slices of avocado and a strip of salmon about 1 cm thick.

9

Wrap the roll using the mat: take the lower edge of the mat and press with your hands to roll it all up like a roulade. Press lightly on the roll.

10

Continue to roll up the mat so that the strip left free from the rice can adhere to the rest of the seaweed and seal your roll, thanks to the humidity of the rice. Press the whole mat well again lengthwise, so as to shape the roll.

11

Futomaki is ready. At this point you will have to cut it, wetting the blade of a sharp knife in a mix of water and vinegar and cutting the roll into 1 cm slices.

12

Arrange on a tray together with the other pieces of sushi. Serve with a small bowl of soy sauce, a sprig of wasabi and marinated ginger.

Advice and tips

If you want to avoid the process of blast chilling the fish, you can buy it already blast chilled in the best-stocked fishmongers, or buy frozen fish and let it thaw completely. However, we advise you to use excellent quality fish.

Even the rice for sushi, the nori seaweed and the other ingredients for the filling must be of good quality: buy the vegetables and the avocado, making sure they don’t have any blackened parts, and that they are firm and fresh.

The bamboo mat for preparing sushi, as well as the appropriate wooden spoon, can be found in specialized kitchen stores or online. The mat is essential to roll the rushi correctly.

Do not fill the sushi roll with too many ingredients, otherwise you will not be able to roll the nori well and it may break. Find the right balance between rice and stuffing.

Do not wet the nori seaweed before using it: the seaweed must remain dry. Eventually you can wet with your fingertips only the centimeter of seaweed that will close your futomaki once rolled up.

Wasabi is a root with a rather strong and spicy taste. Find wasabi paste in supermarkets, in the ethnic section. If you don’t like the taste, you can omit it. The marinated ginger it serves to refresh the mouth between bites. But if you don’t find it, you can serve slices of fresh ginger or omit it.

Unleash your creativity! You can use your favorite ingredients to customize the sushi. For example, you could make delicious tempura prawns to combine and delicate pumpkin slices cooked in the oven for a different sushi with an exceptional flavor!

storage

You can keep the futomaki in the refrigerator, covered with cling film, for 1 day maximum. We advise against consuming them more than a day after preparation. They cannot be frozen.