When you are lucky enough to find a gorgeous piece of fresh sushi grade tuna its time to pull out the stops and go for “Friday Night Sushi.” And since we were feeling adventurous we decided to try “inside-out” rolls among other things. We’d had these rolls in Sushi Bars but had not attempted them ourselves.

What did we need:

The Tuna: Choose carefully – slice the best pieces into thicker bite side oblongs for the sashimi and sushi. For the rolls slice the remaining tuna into “sticks”

Sushi Rice – use good quality rice and a rice cooker if you have one. Rice cookers from Japan take all the guesswork out of cooking rice and its perfect every time. When the rice is done spread it on a large baking sheet to cool. Season it with rice wine vinegar (“seasoned”) or, if you prefer, unseasoned rice wide vinegar with salt and sugar added, to taste. Fan the rice as it cools and you will get a lovely glossy sheen on it.

Nori – We buy it in bulk from a local Asian market. The only thing to remember it to toast it lightly over the burner on your range prior to use so that it more tender and less chewy

Pickled Ginger – We make our own. Buy fresh ginger, peel it and slice it paper thin. It can’t be too thin! Finally a use for the mandolin and has been languishing in a drawer! Put the sliced ginger in a container covered with rice wine vinegar and refrigerate . It’ll be ready to eat in a week or so and will last almost indefinitely in the fridge

Wasabi – We like powdered wasabi that you mix with water prior to use. It seems a little less hot to us than the pre-made paste

Good Soy Sauce – enough said

Toasted sesame seeds

Fillings (in addition to Tuna) – Avocado (save the skin and rub in on your hands prior to handling the rice and it won’t all stick to your hands), spring onions and carrots cut into “strings.” Try asparagus or shiitake mushrooms for great vegan versions

Rolling Mat

Saran wrap (for the inside out rolls)

A ripe mango (optional but a great palate cleanser)

What we made:

Inside Out Roll: Spread the rice in a thin layer over the entire sheet of Nori, sprinkle with sesame seeds and press lightly. Line the mat with Saran Wrap. Gently lay the Nori rice side down on the saran wrap. Fillings to taste. Be careful when you roll not to roll up the saran wrap in the roll! Pull it away as you roll. If you wet the end of the Nori as you finish the roll it will stick nicely

Regular Roll: Cover only a third of the Nori with rice. Lay the fillings on the rice and move it to the mat rice side up. Roll away.

Sushi: Gently form a bite size oval of rice with your hands. lay on a plate. Add a small dab of wasabi to the top of the rice if you like and lay the tuna on top.

Sashimi: The simplest and often the best. A perfect bite of tuna on a plate. Try a piece without soy sauce so you don’t mask the flavor of the tuna.

Take you time – Garnish, light a candle, look at the meal – that’s what make a sushi meal complete

Carolyn here…. I think that either the Parmeson Rose or the Peterson 3V would be an excellent choice for this Sushi feast my brother prepared.