Temaki Sushi (Hand Roll Sushi)

Put away the bamboo mat and make Temaki Sushi, a.k.a. hand roll sushi, instead. Load up on sushi rice, sheets of nori and your favorite fillings and get to hand rolling sushi cones.

Leftover ingredients? Check out these similar sushi recipes and Imitation Crab Recipes: Sushi Bake, Spicy Tuna, Avocado Roll, Hawaiian Poke, Tuna Crudo, Salmon Crudo, Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl and Crunchy Spicy Tuna Rolls.

What Is Temaki Sushi

Temaki sushi is a cone shaped hand roll made by wrapping a large sheet of nori seaweed around seafood, rice, and vegetables. Unlike hand rolls, that are eaten with chopsticks, Temaki sushi is eaten with your hands.

Maki vs Hand Roll

Maki is what you get when you roll sushi using a bamboo mat. It’s a long circular roll, cut into round bite sizes pieces. A hand roll does not require the use of a bamboo mat. You use your hand to hold the seaweed while you fill it up with the good stuff before folding into a cone shape.

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

Our favorite way to make sushi rice is in the Instant Pot (sushi rice instant pot), however you can also make sushi rice on the stove or sushi rice in a rice cooker.

To make sushi rice for this Temaki roll recipe, you’ll need short grain Japanese rice, non-seasoned vinegar, white wine vinegar, sugar, and salt.

Fillings

Any sashimi (raw fish) would work as a filling. Here are our favorites to get you thinking:

• Salmon
• Ahi Tuna
• Kanikama
• Hamachi (Yellowtail)
• Scallops
• Kanpachi (Amberjack)
• Uni (Sea Urchin)
• Shrimp
• Tobiko (Flying Fish Roe)

Here are some vegetable fillings to consider adding:

• Cucumber
• Pickled Ginger
• Carrot
• Pickled Daikon
• Shiso Leaves
• Jalapeños
• Mango
• Microgreens

Sauces

Here are a few of our favorite sushi sauce recipes:

• Sriracha Mayo
• Wasabi
• Ponzu Sauce
• Sweet Soy Glaze
• Eel Sauce
• Horseradish Sauce 
• Horseradish Aioli
• Boom Boom Sauce

How to Make Hand Roll Sushi

Step 1 – Cut a sheet of nori in half and place it in your palm. Add 1/4 cup of sushi rice and gently press down to stick.

Step 2 – Add the sauce and chosen fillings at a 45 degree angle, starting with the top left.

Step 3 – Fold up the bottom corner of the nori sheet and hold firmly in place.

Step 4 – Roll the opposite side of the nori sheet over the previously folded portion, to form a cone.

Temaki Recipe Variations

Here are a few Temaki hand roll variations you can make:

California Hand Roll

Tuck some Baked Crab Legs meat or krab (imitation carb) in the hand roll, along with slices of avocado, to make a California hand roll.

Spicy Tuna Hand Roll

Spicy tuna hand rolls are our go-to. To make, just include sushi-grade tuna and some Sriracha.

Shrimp Tempura Hand Roll

To make a shrimp tempura hand roll, tuck in tempura shrimp, cucumber and avocado.

Recipe Tips

• Use fresh sheets of nori. Cheap or old nori sheets are chewy.
• Place seafood in the freezer for 10 minutes, before slicing, to make it easier to slice.
• Serve immediately after constructing, for best flavor and texture. You don’t want the sheet of nori to get soggy!
• Use a sharp knife when cutting fish. Wipe and wet it between cuts to keep the fish from sticking. Here’s the sushi knife we use when making Temaki sushi.
• Use fresh and high-quality ingredients.

More Seafood Recipes

Kani Salad
Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
Baked Lobster Tail
Steamer Clams with Garlic Butter
Clam Chowder

Drink Pairing Recommendations

Asahi Super Dry, Sapporo, Kirin Ichiban, Sake