5-hand Roll Recipe

Prepare seasoned sushi rice

Warm the cooked sushi rice to near room temperature. In a small saucepan, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt and warm gently until sugar dissolves. Fold the vinegar mixture into the rice with a cutting motion until evenly coated. Fan the rice while mixing to cool to body temperature (about 20–25 minutes). Keep covered with a damp towel.

Prepare nori

Cut each full nori sheet in half crosswise to make two shorter sheets for hand rolls if desired, or leave full for larger cones. Lay out 5 pieces of plastic wrap (one per roll) and place a nori sheet on top of each. Keep a small bowl of water nearby to wet your fingers to prevent rice sticking.

Slice the fish

Using a very sharp knife, slice the yellowtail, akami, and toro into long thin strips about 1/4 inch thick and 1/2–3/4 inch wide, lengthwise for easy rolling. Reserve on a chilled plate.

Prepare bay scallops

If scallops are large, slice in half horizontally. If using small bay scallops, leave whole. Pat dry. For a touch of sweetness and texture, you may briefly marinate scallops in 1 tsp soy sauce + 1/2 tsp mayo for 5 minutes, then drain.

Prepare crab

If using real picked crab, shred into bite-sized pieces. If using kanikama, flake the sticks. Mix crab with 2 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise and a pinch of salt to create a creamy crab filling.

Optional torching (for toro or scallops)

If desired, brush a light film of neutral oil on toro or scallops and very briefly sear with a kitchen torch (5–10 seconds) to render fat and add smoky flavor. Let rest 30 seconds.

Portion rice

Wet your hands lightly. For each hand roll, take about 1/2 cup of seasoned sushi rice and form it into a compact oval mound about 3 inches long. Do not overpack; rice should hold shape but stay tender.

Assemble 5 hand rolls

Place a nori sheet on the plastic wrap with the shiny side down. Position the rice mound toward one corner of the nori. Spread a small strip (about 1 tbsp) of crab-mayo filling on top of the rice for the crab roll. For the other rolls, place appropriate filling on the rice: 1) yellowtail strips with a dab of wasabi, 2) bay scallops (raw or lightly torch-seared) topped with a sprinkling of scallion, 3) akami strips with a little soy brushed on, 4) toro slice optionally torched briefly. Add a shiso leaf to any roll you like. Fold the nori into a cone around the rice and filling, using plastic wrap to help shape and press gently so the cone holds. Repeat to make five cones: Yellowtail roll, Bay Scallop roll, Akami roll, Crab (crab-mayo) roll, Toro roll.

Finish & garnish

Open each cone slightly and garnish each roll: sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on the crab or akami, thinly sliced scallion on the scallop roll, microgreens or tobiko on the toro, and a small smear of Japanese mayo and a dot of wasabi inside the yellowtail roll if desired. Wipe any excess rice from the nori edges so the cone seals.

Serve the five hand rolls immediately on a platter with small dishes of soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger. Hand rolls are best eaten fresh so the nori remains crisp. Provide chopsticks or serve for hand-eating.