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Rainbow Roll Recipe

The Rainbow Roll is one of the most popular sushi items at many Japanese restaurants. It’s uramaki sushi with the rice on the outside, covering seaweed nori, and filled with creamy avocado and imitation crab. Atop the rainbow sushi roll is a colorful assortment of fresh fish such as salmon, tuna, yellowtail, together with slices of avocado. This roll is a great way to sample many types of fish at once.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dinner, Snack
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: Rainbow Roll, Rainbow Roll Sushi
Servings: 24 pieces (3 rolls)
Author: Izzy

Ingredients

For the Sushi Rice

  • 1 cup sushi rice (uncooked short-grain sushi rice)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 ½ tablespoons optional sushi vinegar (or mixing 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon sugar)

For the Sushi Roll

  • 2 sheets nori (seaweed sheet)
  • 3/4 lb imitation crab (also called kanikama)
  • 1/2 avocado (ripe but still firm)
  • optional cucumber

For the Rainbow Topping

  • 1/2 avocado (ripe but frim)
  • 1 oz sashimi grade tuna filet
  • 1 oz sashimi grade salmon filet
  • 1 oz sashimi grade yellowtail filet

Optional for Serving

Instructions

Step 1: Cook Sushi Rice

  • Add the rinsed rice and water to the rice cooker. Once cooked, transfer to a large bowl and let it cool down slightly.

Step 2: Season Sushi Rice

  • When the rice is still warm, stir in the sushi vinegar (or the mixture of rice vinegar and sugar).

Step 3: Make Inside-out Sushi Rolls

  • Lay out the bamboo mat with a piece of plastic wrap on top (this will prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo).
  • Cut the nori sheet into two equal pieces using a pair of scissors.
  • Place half of the nori sheet on top of the bamboo mat, shining side facing down.
  • Take 3/4 cup of cooked rice and spread it over the nori sheet evenly using your hands. (You can dip your hands in vinegar water to prevent sticking.)
  • Flip everything so that rice is facing down.
  • Slice the avocado in half. Then remove the pit and skin. Cut half of the avocado into long strips.
  • Place imitation crab and avocado strips in the middle of the sheet. (Make sure not to overfill, or the roll won’t seal properly.)
  • Place the thumbs underneath the bamboo mat and lift the edge up and over the filling.
  • Start rolling away from the mat and apply some pressure to firmly keep the roll in place. Apple some pressure to make the roll tight. Keep rolling until the ends meet.
  • Remove the plastic wrap, and set the roll aside.

Make the Rainbow Toppings

  • Place the salmon filet on the cutting board, slice the salmon against the grain, with an angle of 45 degrees. Cut the salmon into about 1/5-inch slices.
  • Use the same technique, and cut the yellowtail and tuna yellowfin into 1/5-inch slices.
  • Cut the other half of the avocado into very thin half-moon slices.

Assemble Rainbow Roll Sushi

  • Layer the rainbow toppings on top of the sushi roll. Start with a slice of yellowtail, followed by avocado, salmon, tuna, with some overlap to cover the roll. Repeat the order until you come to the end of the roll.
  • Arrange the layer to cover the roll properly. Then place plastic wrap on top, and cover with the sushi mat. Squeeze gently to shape the toppings around the roll.
  • Remove the mat from the roll while keeping the plastic wrap. Then slice the roll into bite-size pieces. Remove the plastic wrap and enjoy!

Notes

  • ** Tezu water for dipping hands: Mix together 1/4 cup water and 2 teaspoons rice vinegar.
  • Run the knife through a damp paper towel before slicing so the rice won’t stick as much. 
  • To prevent sushi rolls from falling apart, you’ll need to squeeze the rice and filling while rolling. Once you finish, gently squeeze the roll one more time.

Nutrition

Calories: 61kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 83mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 51IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg