There’s a reason why the California roll is so popular- you can’t go wrong with crab and avocado wrapped up with creamy mayo and cucumber slices! If you’ve ever wanted to try making sushi at home, this is the perfect recipe to start out with.
Prepare a bamboo mat by wrapping it in plastic wrap one way, and then across the other way, all around the bamboo mat, it should be completely wrapped in plastic to prevent the rice from sticking. I like to keep my bamboo mat on a cutting board for a nice flat clean work surface.
Take 8 sticks of imitation crab from the package and cut the sticks into small pieces. Add the pieces to a bowl with the mayonnaise, whisk the crab and mayonnaise together vigorously to break the crab up further and incorporate completely. If you want to add more crab sticks at this point you can.
Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, take the meat out of the skin, and cut into ½ inch slices.
Cut the ends off the cucumber and slice it into sticks, you should get 8 even sticks from one cucumber. You don’t need to peel the cucumber.
Lay the plastic wrap covered bamboo mat flat on a workspace. Lay a sheet of nori down on the mat. Spread about ¼ cup of sushi evenly onto the top of the nori.
Flip the nori over so the rice is facing down on the mat. To the middle of the nori, add about 3-4 tablespoons of the crab mixture evenly in a horizontal line.
Add the Lay 2 sticks of the cucumber next to the crab and lay the avocado down on top of the two.
Take the bottom edge of the sushi mat and slowly fold the nori sheet over the filling, keeping everything tightly in its place. Continue to roll the sushi upwards, keeping firm even pressure. Take your time especially with the first roll. Ensure no fillings are squeezing out the sides.
Once the roll has come together, give it one more good tight roll in the bamboo mat to ensure everything stays together in an even cylinder.
Use a sharp knife to slice the sushi into individual rolls. Use one straight cut for each, don’t saw back and forth through it.
Plate the sushi with little dishes of wasabi, ginger, and soy sauce.