Tonight's Dinner: Ahi and Salmon Sushi

Going out for sushi is always a good time. But it can get pretty expensive. Next time you’re in the mood for raw fish, make it at home. It’s fun for the whole family.

I’m a huge sushi fan. I don’t care if the fish is all by itself on a bed of rice or surrounded by vegetables and rolled up in some seaweed. It’s all good. If I could have sushi every night of the week, I’d be in heaven. But while sushi is one of my favorite meals, it’s super expensive. A filling meal for four could easily run you over a hundred dollars.

Tired of spending a mint every time I wanted sushi, I decided to try and make it myself. It’s not nearly as hard as you’d think and it’s so much fun. You get to pick your fish, your fillings and assemble the whole thing yourself. This is especially great for the kids because they get to help put together they’re own meal. Yes, they may not like the idea of raw fish, but they can roll up the veggies or have cooked crab or shrimp and what kid do you know who doesn’t like to use their hands? Tell them they get to play with their food and they’ll be all over this dinner. They might even eat their vegetables.

While I usually use tuna and salmon in my sushi, you don’t need to. If those aren’t your favorite fish, pick another that you love. Shrimp and crab meat are also great alternatives. But whatever fish you choose, make sure it’s fresh. It should be bought and used the same day. The butcher at the fish market should be able to tell you which fish is sushi-grade and that’s the fish you want.

Ahi and Salmon Sushi

Ingredients

4 cups white rice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 pound ahi tuna
1 pound salmon
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 packages seaweed
2 tablespoons wasabi
1/2 cup soy sauce

Directions

Cook the rice in a steamer according to package directions.
While the rice cooks thinly slice up the ahi, salmon, avocado, and cucumber. Place all the slices on a large platter and set aside.
Once the rice is ready stir rice vinegar into rice.
Place a sheet of seaweed on a plate and spread rice over the entire rough side of seaweed. Layer a couple slices of fish, avocado and cucumber on top of the rice at one end of the seaweed. Spread a 1/2 teaspoon of wasabi over fish. Starting at the end with the fish, roll the seaweed into a nice tight cylinder.
Place the roll on top of a bamboo sushi roller and roll the bamboo over the seaweed. Squeeze on all sides to seal the roll. Unwrap the sushi roll from the bamboo roller, slice into 5-6 pieces and serve with soy sauce.