Sushi fingers

Salmon sushi recipe

These days, you’ll readily find decent sushi in any shopping centre food court, but there was a time, not so long ago, that these little packages of rice and fish were considered terrifically exotic and a real treat for adults and children alike. That’s probably thanks to the frequent inclusion of raw salmon or tuna, though today most toddlers wouldn’t bat an eyelid. The very first Sushi Train opened in Brisbane in 1993. After that, Australia was hooked on raw fish.

Sushi is a dish with a long history. Japanese people began eating an early version of sushi thousands of years ago, back when fish was fermented with rice. The originator of the style of sushi we’re more familiar with now is believed to be Hanaya Yohei, who served nigiri-zushi: a dish of seafood placed on top of a vinegared ball of rice, in Tokyo in the Edo period (around 1824). From there it became the popular fast food it is today.

Authentic sushi salmon is a specialised product

Traditionally, sushi with raw salmon requires sushi-grade salmon. The same goes for tuna and other seafood used to make sushi rolls. “Sushi-grade” means that the fish is safe to consume raw and any fish without that label shouldn’t be used for sushi.

Here, we’ve used smoked salmon, which is a fabulous and readily accessible salmon for sushi and an easy substitute for the raw stuff. You can also try hot-smoked salmon, which would pair beautifully with cream cheese and curled spring onions.

How to make sushi

It’s most often consumed outside the home but sushi is actually quite simple to prepare once you know how. You can’t just slap together any old rice with a bit of raw fish, though. You need to start with sushi rice, a Japanese short-grain rice, which is stickier and more starchy than other rice.

Japanese sushi chefs spend years learning how to cook sushi rice to perfection, but for our purposes, the absorption method is fine. Taste-test the rice before you begin constructing your sushi fingers – crunchy rice is a sure-fire way to ruin sushi. Next, it is seasoned with mirin and vinegar, which is folded in very gently – be sure not to smash or flatten the grains.

Instead of fiddling around with sushi mats and seaweed, we’ve devised these clever sushi fingers. Grease and line a 20cm square cake pan with plastic wrap. Let the sides overhang the pan so you can lift the sushi out when it’s ready. Next, arrange your toppings on the base of the pan. Do one side of the pan with cucumber and one side with smoked salmon, letting the slices slightly overlap so you don’t have any rice-revealing gaps. Then spoon the rice over the toppings, spreading it evenly over the whole pan. Cover with more plastic wrap, then place a slightly smaller square cake pan on top. Place a few cans on top to weigh down the tin and place in the fridge. You’ll need at least two hours for it to set, or be super-organised and do it the night before.

When it’s ready, lift the sushi carefully out of the pan holding the plastic wrap and put it rice-side down on a chopping board. Use a large sharp knife to cut it in half so that one half is cucumber and the other is salmon, then slice the sushi into fingers.

Lastly, whisk the vegetable oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, miso, ginger and vinegar in a bowl until smooth. Arrange the sushi fingers on a serving platter with a dish of the dressing and serve, to huge acclaim.

Now get cooking

The excellent thing about homemade sushi is that there's no need to adhere to tradition if your tastes are a little less conventional. How do you think the California roll came about? So if you fancy pumpkin, feta and smoked salmon, go for it. Cream cheese, cucumber and tinned tuna? OK, then! Peanut butter and jam? Perhaps not. These kid-friendly Halloween-themed sushi balls will be a hit with the under-12s, and if you’re determined to become a sushi-rice master, follow our foolproof sushi rice recipe.

If you’re keen on some more ideas for smoked salmon starters, try Curtis Stone’s smoked salmon carpaccio or these quick and tasty smoked salmon toasts.