Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Rolls

My mother-in-law broke out a smoked salmon dip a little while back as an appetizer with some pita and crackers, and my sous chef liked it (much to my surprise given his distaste for salmon in general). So, the wheels in my little head started turning to capitalize on this newfound opportunity. Then, a few days ago, he mentioned not having made Sushi in a little while, and the idea fully formed.

Smoked Salmon is often paired with avocado, cucumbers, or even cream cheese when rolled into sushi, but our desire to try something different was strong this day, and we picked up a bunch of Asparagus on the hypothesis that the nutty/grassy flavours and little bit of crunch would go well with the salty smokiness of the salmon. It did!…and we also had the added benefit of an abundance of asparagus in our fridge for another meal too.

As a fun side note that may only interest me…my aunt works with fused and stained glass a lot, and she coached and guided me through making this plate, so there’s an additional homemade component here!

Time: 60 minutes (most of which is rice prep, which can be done ahead of time).

Ingredients:

• Sushi Rice (about 1/8-1/4 cup per roll depending on how much rice you want to eat)
• Rice Vinegar
• Water (2x your dried rice by volume)
• Seaweed Wraps…we like to use Nori.
• Asparagus
• Smoked Salmon
• Soy Sauce/Wasabi/Pickled Ginger (as you see fit)

Method:

• Make your rice.
  • Heat a little oil in a pot, and then add your rice.
  • Toss or stir to coat, and allow to cook until your rice begins to turn opaque.
  • Add in a little rice vinegar and your water.
  • Turn the heat to low, and cover until your water has all been absorbed.
  • When your rice is cooked, transfer to a bowl, and refrigerate to cool it down.
• As your rice cools, cut the bottoms off your asparagus, and sauté 1-2 stalks per roll briefly.
• Slice your smoked salmon.
• Arrange a sheet of seaweed wrapper on your sushi rolling mat.
• When your rice has cooled, wet your fingers (to prevent sticking), and spread your rice evenly over the close half of your seaweed wrapper.
• Layer your smoked salmon atop the rice.
• Place your asparagus on the salmon.
• Wet your fingers again, and run them over the un-riced part of your seaweed wrap to dampen…this will allow it to adhere to itself as you roll.
• Roll your sushi tightly.
• Slice each roll into 6 or 8 pieces (depending on the thickness you would like).
• Plate, devour, and enjoy!