Love sushi but hate rolling? This dish uses the same ingredients as sushi, but there’s no need to roll anything up. Add avocado to the finished dish for extra creaminess.
Ingredients (for 4 servings): 300 g salmon fillet; 200 g sushi rice; 60 ml rice vinegar; 360 ml water; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce; 4 tablespoons mayonnaise; 25 g sugar; 2 tablespoons salt; 2 tablespoons sriracha (a spicy sauce made from red chiles, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and salt, named for the Thai city of Si Racha) or another chili sauce; 1 bunch green onions; sesame seeds to taste; nori seaweed to taste; avocado to taste.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the fish on the sheet, brush it with oil, and bake for 15 minutes.
Using a fork, flake the cooked fillet into small pieces. Mix the fish with half of the mayonnaise and the soy sauce.
Rinse the rice, place it in a pot, cover it with water, and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and cook the rice, covered, for 15 minutes. During that time, all the liquid should be absorbed.
Add the vinegar, sugar, and salt to the rice. Transfer the rice to a rectangular dish, spread it evenly, and press it down.
Layer the fish on top of the rice. Spread the remaining mayonnaise over the fish and drizzle with the spicy sauce. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Bake the dish for 20 minutes at 180°C (350°F).
Serve these “minimalist sushi” on a sheet of nori with slices of avocado.
Life Hack
There’s an easy way to remove the skin from a salmon fillet using a kettle of boiling water and a paper towel. Place a rack over a bowl and lay the fish skin-side up on the rack. The bowl should be wide enough so the salmon doesn’t hang over the edge and deep enough to catch the water. Slowly pour boiling water from the kettle over the skin. After about a minute, peel the skin off with a paper towel. This trick keeps you from having to cut the skin off, which often wastes fish and risks cutting yourself with a sharp knife.
