Riceless, Soy-Free Sushi… Domo Arigato!
There are plenty of reasons for me to stay away from sushi:
1. Dave is allergic to fish. Yes, I know that most Japanese joints also serve other food, but asking someone with a fish allergy to go to a sushi restaurant is like expecting a vegetarian to dine at the Salt Lick BBQ because the menu includes cole slaw and vegetarian pinto beans. It’s just not cool.
2. Soy sauce is a big no-no. Besides all the grouchy paleo concerns (naughty legumes!), I have thyroid issues so soy is, like, doubly no good.
3. Do I have to say it? OK, I will. Rice! Boo! Hiss! Steamed white rice is completely useless in the nutrition department and if one listens to Whole9 Life (which, really, one should), rice is worse than useless: it’s poison. (And no, it doesn’t matter if you eat brown rice instead. Don’t get mad at me! I didn’t make the food rules; I just pass them along.)
4. My favorite is the California roll which always makes me feel sort of lame. It’s not raw. It’s not exotic. Is it even real sushi?!
Here’s the thing: I really like the flavor and texture mélange (mélange!) of the cool, sweet seafood with creamy avocado, salty soy sauce, and the bite of wasabi. The up-the-nose rush!
If we solve the problems, there’s plenty to recommend California rolls: seafood and fish are excellent protein sources. Avocado is a great way to get delicious fat. Sushi is fun to eat, and we dino-chow aficionados don’t get many opportunities to eat “fun” food.
The question is, then, not “How do I live the rest of my life without a California roll?” but “How can I make something that’s a close enough approximation to taste great AND provide adequate nutrition?”
To find the answer, I first had to ditch the rice. And while I was fixing the rice problem, I decided to tackle the other annoyances, too, namely, in a traditional California roll, (1) the avocado is always in a hunk, so if you bite the piece of sushi in half (I know! I’m not supposed to, but I do…), all of the avocado is in that one mouthful, instead of equally distributed across bites; and (2) there are never enough vegetables.
If you follow my instructions below, you will never suffer these sushi injustices again. Don’t you feel ever so much better?! (No sushi mat? Don’t fret! Just follow the instructions below and use a piece of construction paper in place of the bamboo rolling mat.)
Paleo California Rolls
This makes enough for one person for a meal or two snacks – if you’re around my size. If you’re a big, CrossFit dude, this is probably just a snack or half a snack for you. Adjust as necessary. I’ve included two versions below: Mango-Shrimp Roll and Avocado-Salmon Roll to get you started.
Ingredients:
1 medium avocado
1/2 medium mango
1 medium red bell pepper
2-3 scallions, green tops only
1 medium cucumber
1/4 jicama (about 1/4 pound)
4 ounces shrimp, steamed and chilled (I used wild, cold-water salad shrimp.)
4 ounces smoked salmon
4 sheets nori
wasabi powder, coconut aminos (optional)
Directions:
Prep your ingredients.
Avocado: Cut in half and remove the pit. Use a spoon to remove the fruit from the skin and slice the avocado lengthwise into thin slivers.
Mango: Peel the mango, remove the pit, and cut half of it into strips lengthwise. Reserve the other half for dessert!
Red pepper: Cut in half, remove stem and ribs, then slice into very thin strips lengthwise.
Scallions: Cut in half to separate the dark green tops from the white, then cut the dark green tops into strips lengthwise.
Cucumber: Peel, cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a spoon, then cut into matchsticks.
Jicama: Cut in half, peel, then cut a slice into matchsticks.
Wasabi: If using, mix wasabi with water, following the package instructions, and set aside.
Assemble.
Lay a piece of nori on a rolling mat, shiny side down. With about 1/4 of the avocado, form a single layer of slices on the nori. Leave a naked 1-inch strip on the side closest to you. Use the back of a spoon to spread the avocado across the surface of the nori. It doesn’t need to cover it completely — just enough to help seal the roll and soften the nori. Repeat with all four nori sheets.
We’ll start with Mango-Shrimp. Place half the shrimp on the bare strip of nori closest to you and top them with a few of the scallion greens. Place a parallel stripe of mango on the far side front of the shrimp, and add a few strips of red pepper on top of the mango.
Time to roll. Starting at the end closest to you, take a deep breath and roll the sushi, using the mat to help you tuck the ingredients into the roll. When you get to the end, give it a gentle squeeze to help the avocado do its job. Repeat with the remaining shrimp and another sheet of nori.
Now the Avocado-Salmon. Place half the salmon on the bare strip of nori closest to you and top it with a few of the scallion greens. Place a parallel strip of jicama in front of the salmon, and add a few matchsticks of cucumber on top of the jicama. Roll, starting with the end closest to you, then repeat with the remaining salmon and remaining sheet of nori.
Slice and serve. Run a sharp knife under water and shake to remove the excess. Slice the roll crosswise into rounds about 1 inch thick and arrange on a plate, along with the remaining vegetables to eat on the side. If you’re dipping, add some coconut aminos to your wasabi and dig in.
Variations:
I’ve made these with other seafood, and they were equally delicious… faux crabsticks (faux crab often contains wheat; use the real stuff!) real crab meat, tuna mixed with some homemade mayo and slapped that into a roll. It was delicious! Next time, I think I might try spicy mayo with the shrimp. Or some lobster! How will you customize?
Tags: crab, dino-chow, japanese, paleo, party, salmon, shrimp
33 Responses to “Riceless, Soy-Free Sushi… Domo Arigato!”
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Yummmm….that looks so good. Im new to the Whole9 website but loving their guidelines and looking forward to trying your recipe
OMG! You have just made my day! I think I could actually make this!!! Hmm,for the other veggie,maybe shredded carrot?? What are your favs?? BTW: Would love demos of your other favorite combos!!
Anton –> Let me know if you make 'em and how it goes!
Trixie –> Shredded carrot would be great inside the rolls. The "other veggie" listed in the ingredients is a whole serving of veggies eaten alongside the rolls to make sure you get enough veggies in the meal. I"m not sure you could put enough shredded carrots INSIDE the roll to count as a veggie serving. But try it! And it if works, I want to see a photo!
I use cooked shredded cauliflower as the rice. works awesome.
Lemuel –> That's a great idea! I use cauliflower as a rice replacement UNDER curries and stir-fries… love the idea of including it in the sushi rolls, too. I"ll have to try that next time!
Thanks Mel:)
These are definitely on the menu this week. Glad I read this post *before* going grocery shopping tonight. Mmmmmm
Yeah for Coconut Aminos!!! Thanks for the tip/new find! We have this really great sushi place that makes us all sorts of riceless rolls (just fish, veggies, and nori…YUM!), but I struggle with the no soy sauce thing…I actually limit myself to 1T. Not ideal, but better than a big ol' bowl of it. I'm definitely taking my bottle of coconut aminos (I finally found some today at Natural Grocer) with me next time!
I like my rolls with salmon, sambal, cucumber, avocado, and those little fish eggs. The sushi place we go to makes us a roll with spicy tuna (tuna and sambal) and cucumber inside, wrapped with nori, and spicy salmon on top…no rice needed. So good!!!
Jen! Glad you got the coconut aminos. They really have opened up some previously-closed food doors. It's awesome. That spicy tuna roll sounds really good. I think I'm going to get a bamboo matt and start experimenting more!
Sounds great. Not to split hairs but rice has been a staple going back as far as 2500BC. I'm guessing a fair amount of the Asian population would disagree that rice is poison.
If you dip your finger into a bowl of Rice Vinegar (is this Paleo?) and run it along the edge of your nori it will also seal it up BETTER than glue!
I am new to Paleo and am still struggling a little. Your site is AWESOME! Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the tip… sadly, rice vinegar is NOT paleo. Stupid grains! I'm sure a little water would do the same trick!
However, I did try the above tip to use a wet knife, and it worked great to cut the sushi into rolls.
Just made these for dinner, they were soo amazing, I wish i had more! My husband loved them too!
Hey, Kalyie! Hooray! Glad you and your husband liked them. Now I’m kinda craving ‘em.
just wondering who makes the coconut aminos? is it by Bragg’s?
The ones I use are from Coconut Secret. I don’t think Bragg’s makes them.
http://www.coconutsecret.com/aminos2.html
These look INCREDIBLE. We have eaten “paleo” before…for months at a time…but this time, we are sticking to it. So glad to have found your site. xo
These are pretty tasty — and really fun, too. Congrats on your paleo commitment. Be sure to let me know how you’re doing!
Looks delicious, why didn’t I think of using edible glue?
Im going to try making with sliced red and yellow peppers for colour, and chop the shrimp with a tin of crab meat (food processor for the win!) to ensure that the shrimps do not suffer the same fate as the avocado once did, getting trapped in one bit and not another.
Hm, perhaps some homemade paleo mayo for the wasabi, rather than boring old water…
So hungry right now.
I LOVE all your ideas. Having fun playing with it — and eating! YUM!
I just tried those using smoked salmon and they are fantastic! *___*
Right ON! Glad you enjoyed it. Now I have a craving…
I was JUST thinking how much I wanted paleo-friendly sushi, and figured I’d have to make it myself! However, while I was researching the subject, I found out that faux crab meat is not paleo friendly, wheat is used in the processing of it, so use the real deal!
LOVE LOVE LOVE your site, your style, and I will DEF be getting a copy of your cookbook
Dear Mel, I don’t know why it took so long for me to stumble upon you here. You have saved my poor life!
I’m glad you found me! Welcome!
This is not sushi. Contrary to the commonly held American belief, sushi is DEFINED by the rice preparation, not by the raw fish element that some sushi features.
And, while I do get the point behind some choices of the “Paleo-diet” fad, I’m certain that most Eastern cultures would argue with you on the point that rice is “poison” since most of them have a longer average life expectancy than many Western cultures despite rice being a staple.
OK, well… call it something else then, I have nothing against that. What you say is correct. Sushi is about the rice.
Just try becoming diabetic practically overnight and you will know how much it hurts not to be able to eat rice for the rest of your life. This “sushi” recipe is a small consolation in my poor new life of eating to treat diabetes. (On top of it, I’m of Asian descent.)
Whatever we decide to call it
I make riceless sushi whenever I have dinner at home… aka; I wrap EVERYTHING in nori! ha ha. I love salmon, spaghetti squash, spinach & green beans! So delish!
Hi, Melissa! I love your personality! And I love your recipes, ideas, and no-nonsense work ethic. I have noticed one thing about Paleo people: They are in an inherently perpetual good mood. I am new at Paleo, but have already lost 25 pounds and I feel wonderful, too. Please keep up the great website. Thank you so much!
Congratulations on making the switch to paleo and on your weight loss… awesome!
I just made these…mmmm. We have a winner!
[...] Riceless, Soy-Free Sushi… Domo Arigato! | theclothesmakethegirl. [...]
[...] Riceless, Soy-Free Sushi… Domo Arigato! | theclothesmakethegirl. [...]
[...] make all of my meals, as well as keep stuff on hand for my version of current obsessions like these nori rolls and these delicious stuffed [...]
I love this recipe! I also used kelp noodles recently, laying a thin layer on top of the avocado before the seafood and veggies strips. Crunchy! And holds together just fine…
[...] also made paleo sushi from Well [...]
[...] Riceless, Soy-Free Sushi… Domo Arigato! | theclothesmakethegirl Gonna try this out tomorrow. If its as good as I hope it might become a regular lunch to take to work with me. [...]
while i read thru the recipe, i thought that i could make a cauliflower rice and bind it with egg to make it like the rice.just a thought!
[...] Nori rolls. This is a great way to have a hearty snack or a light lunch. I like to play around with different types of vegetables for crunch and freshness, although it is hard to go wrong with cucumber, carrot sticks, and green onions. [...]