Sushi might just be my favorite kind of food. My favorite Japanese restaurant is pretty amazing...but I can't afford to dine out all the time. That's why I've collected this super awesome list of different sushi recipes you can make at home!
Grab a bamboo mat and a sharp knife and let's get started.
There are so many types of sushi! Cooked and raw sashimi are traditional starters to whet the appetite. Nigiri, pieces of fish on rice vinegar seasoned rice, comes next. Nigiri includes pressed oshi sushi and torched fish topped rice known as aburi.
Familiar maki rolls and hand rolled cones also known as temaki wrap up a variety of tasty fillings with rice in nori seaweed. There are delicious seafood salads, baked sushi, crispy sushi and even dessert sushi too!
Rice and seaweed are vegan so there are lots of vegan and vegetarian sushi recipes to choose from if required.
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In Japanese sushi bars, you'll start with the delicate sashimi and other small bites. These highlight the freshness and high quality of the seafood. Rice is saved for later.
When serving sushi at home, make sure to serve small dishes of soy sauce, wasabi paste and pickled ginger. If you like spicy mayo dip, mix ½ cup of kewpie mayonnaise with 1-3 teaspoons of sriracha and serve that in a small bowl too.
Sashimi
Made with premium quality sushi grade fish, sashimi is served raw and thinly sliced. Occasionally sashimi is cooked. Examples of cooked sashimi are unagi (eel), tako (octopus), squid and sometimes prawns (ebi).
Red meat is not traditionally in sushi but there is a fun twist including venison here. It's a Japanese version of an Italian crudo! (Check out Salmon Crudo for Italian style raw seafood.)
Nigiri
Nigiri stars a single, perfect piece of fish. They are bite-size morsels of seasoned seafood or a slice of Japanese omelette (tamago) on pressed rice. I've included 2 versions here but have fun topping rectangles of rice with your favorite ingredients.
Another style of nigiri is gunkan, which has the nori wrapped around the rice like a little boat. This style of nigiri is built to hold loose fillings like tobiko (flying fish roe), ikura (salmon roe) or other chopped fillings.
Japanese Appetizers & Salad
Miso soup, gomae, sunomono salad, gyoza and tempura are classic starters in Japanese cuisine. Here are a few of my other favorite sushi restaurant style appetizers.
Chirashi or Chirashizushi (Sushi Bowls)
Meaning scattered fish, these yummy bowls are full of seafood and vegetables. Chirashi Kashi is artfully arranged over rice and chirashi barra scatters the ingredients evenly over top of the rice. Traditional on rice but you can build yours over salad if you prefer.
Temaki (Hand Rolls)
Temaki were created as an easy to eat, fast food in 19th century Japan. Nori sheets roll diagonally into a cone shape that holds all the ingredients (including soy sauce) inside. It is easy to eat with your hands and is a popular street food in Japan.
Maki Rolls
Sushi rolls can vary from simple avocado or cucumber rolls to elaborate futomaki (picnic rolls) and everything in between and sometimes on top too! Choose from vegan, vegetarian, raw seafood or cooked fish to fill your own homemade sushi rolls.
Hosomaki are the smallest, simplest rolls usually filled with just one star ingredient and a little seasoning. Uramaki are the popular inside out rolls (like the California roll) with the rice on the outside.
Futomaki means picnic roll and are the largest rolls with a variety of fillings often filled with bits of fish, prawns, tamago (egg), Japanese plum, avocado, cucumber and more. These are usually 5-7 cm wide!
Top Tips
- Use a bamboo sushi rolling mat to tightly roll maki. For inside out rolls, cover your sushi mat with plastic wrap so the rice doesn't stick to the bamboo and make a mess.
- When slicing your rolls, use a sharp knife and slice across gently without pushing down too much. Dip or rinse your knife in cold water between slices to keep your cuts clean.
- Sushi presses are traditional square or shaped containers with a lid that presses down. Line the press with nori, rice and fillings, then fold the nori over and press until firm and well stuck together. A sushi press is fun and can make it easier for kids making sushi. You can find them in many Asian grocery stores or online. (The photo below shows sushi made in a square press.)
Creative, Non-Traditional Sushi
Here are some Japanese and sushi inspired recipes that are super fun. 2 of these are Hawaiian recipes. With a huge Japanese influence there are many traditional Japanese-Hawaiian recipes.
Sushi Bakes
Gaining popularity from Tiktok, sushi bakes are quick and easy with no rolling required. They are cooked so they are great for buffets or those who don't care for raw fish.
Sauces
Dessert
While a dish of green tea or mango ice cream may be more common, these sushi desserts are a lot more fun. Try one of these creative recipes for your next Japanese themed party!
Related Recipes
I hope you've found something fun and delicious in this collection of different sushi recipes. Staying in can be a lot of fun and sometimes homemade is best <3
Kanpai (Cheers in Japanese), Sabrina
For more on what I'm cooking up, follow me on Instagram or Facebook. You might also like my FREE printable weekly meal planner.
Cheers friends! Sabrina
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