When you have “Alaska” included in the name of a sushi roll, you most likely expect some good crab or salmon. Luckily, this roll has both! While the salmon draped over the top of the roll is its defining ingredient, many versions (including my own) also use crab in the roll so you get the best of both worlds.
Since you can make this roll a cooked roll by using smoked salmon (my preference), it’s a delicious roll for those who may be hesitant to eat raw fish.
Table of Contents
What is Alaska Roll Sushi?
Alaska rolls are sushi rolls with salmon being their defining ingredient. This roll is almost always prepared as an uramaki style roll (or inside-out roll with the rice on the outside of the nori sheet and the fillings on the inside) with a healthy piece of salmon draped over the top of the rice.
While delicious, this is not a traditional Japanese sushi roll as it was developed in the US.
What’s in an Alaska Roll?
The basic components to an Alaska roll are sushi rice, nori (dried seaweed sheet), and salmon. While I do enjoy the texture and flavor of raw salmon, I prefer to use smoked salmon when preparing an Alaska roll myself. The smoky flavor of a well smoked salmon complements the lighter flavors of the other ingredients of the roll.
For the filling, I like to use crab, cucumber and avocado. I also drizzle unagi sauce over the top of the salmon to bring the flavors of the roll together.
However, the fillings of an Alaska roll vary based on the chef preparing the roll. Several recipes add sriracha sauce to their crab salad to give the roll a spicy kick. Other recipes include egg, sprouts, or even wasabi in the roll.
How to Control the Thickness of Your Sushi Roll
You can control how thick your sushi rolls are by how much of the nori sheet you use. This recipe uses half the nori sheet, which makes smaller rolls that are I think are easier to eat with chopsticks.
However, if you like larger rolls, you can use the entire nori sheet. This will definitely make the roll thicker and easier to roll. You can also cut off the top 1/4 of the nori sheet depending on your preference.
How to Make Alaska Rolls?
The three main steps to prepare any sushi roll is to first cook the sushi rice, gather and prepare the other ingredients, and combine them into a roll. Please see below for step-by-step instructions on how to make Alaska rolls.
Cook Sushi Rice
1. Rinse 2/3 of a cup of sushi rice by placing it in a colander and running water through it until the water is clear.
2. After the rice is rinsed, add it to a sauce pan with 1 cup of water.
3. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let the rice simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft.
4. Remove the rice and place into a bowl or dish. I would line the dish with parchment paper prior to adding the rice to avoid sticking.
5. Mix 2 tablespoons of sushi vinegar into your rice. Stir until it has absorbed into the rice. Once cooled and fully absorbed, your rice is ready to roll!
For a deeper dive into sushi rice, check out the following article: Sushi Rice: Easy Sushi Rice Recipe
Prepare the Crab Salad Filling
Note: If you are using real crab you can skip this step and add the crab directly to the sushi roll without mixing with Japanese mayo.
1. To make the crab salad, start by shredding the imitation crab into a bowl with two forks
2. Add the Japanese mayonnaise with a pinch of salt and gently mix together.
Assemble the Alaska Rolls
1. Slice the Salmon: Slice your salmon into strips roughly 1/4 inch thick or even a little thinner. You ultimately want to cut enough pieces so you will have just enough to cover all of your rolls when draped over the top. If you purchase packaged smoked salmon, the pieces will likely already be sliced for you.
2. Cut the avocado and cucumber: Slice the avocado in half the long way. Remove the seed and cut each half into 8 slices. Each whole avocado should yield around 16 slices. I would also drizzle a little lemon juice over your cut avocado to prevent it from browning in your roll. Then, cut the cucumbers into strips that are as long as your nori sheet and about 1/8 inch thick.
3. Prepare your bamboo sushi mat: Cover your bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. This will help keep the rice from sticking to it.
4. Press rice onto nori sheets: Next, place the nori sheet onto the plastic wrap with the shiny side facing down. Then press around 1/2 cup of rice onto the nori sheet in an even layer. Tip: Wet your hands in a bowl of water mixed with a splash of rice vinegar prior to handling the sushi rice. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your fingers.
5. Flip nori sheet over: Gently flip the nori sheet over so the rice is facing down. You will add the filling directly to the nori sheet with the rice on the outside.
6. Add the crab: Spoon about 1/4 of the crab salad mixture onto the nori sheet and spread evenly across the middle of the sheet.
7. Add the avocado and cucumber: Add the avocado slices and cucumber sticks horizontally along the nori sheet. In general, I add 2-3 avocado slices and 1-2 cucumber sticks depending on the size of each ingredient and how everything fits.
8. Roll the sushi: Use the bamboo sushi mat to fold your roll until it is completely enclosed. Once the rice is making contact with the nori sheet, pull back the sushi mat so it doesn’t get caught in the roll. Still using the sushi mat as your guide, finish rolling until the roll is completely wrapped. Then wrap the sushi mat around the roll and gently press, tightening the roll together. Keep in mind that rolling sushi is an art that may take some practice so don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t look perfect your first time. It will get easier the more you do it.
9. Drape your salmon over the roll: Cover each roll by draping a piece of salmon over the top slightly overlapping each other. Once all the rolls are covered, use your sushi mat (still covered in plastic wrap) to wrap the roll and press the salmon onto the roll so it will cut as one roll.
10. Cut the roll: Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 pieces. I do this by first cutting the roll in half. Then cutting each half in half. Then cutting each fourth in half. Tip: Be sure to clean and wet the edge of your knife before cutting each roll.
11. Serve and enjoy: I usually serve with soy sauce and wasabi. Sushi rolls are traditionally served with pickled ginger as well.
Alaska Roll Recipe
Alaska Roll Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Bamboo Sushi Mat
- 1 Pot for cooking sushi rice
- 1 Sharp knife and cutting board
Ingredients
Sushi Rice
- 2/3 cup Sushi Rice dried, will cook 2 cups
- 2 Tbsp. Sushi Vinegar
Sushi Roll
- 2 Nori Sheets
- 4 oz Smoked Salmon
- 1 Ripe Avocado
- 1 English Cucumber Sliced into 1/8 sticks
- 4 oz Imitation Crab or Real Crab
- 1 tbsp Japanese Mayonaise
- 1 Pinch Salt
- Lemon Juice
Instructions
Cook Sushi Rice
- Rinse 2/3 cup of sushi rice by placing it in a colander and running water through it until the water is clear.
- After the rice is rinsed, add it to a sauce pan with 1 cup of water.
- Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let the rice simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft.
- Remove the rice and place into a bowl or dish. I would line the dish with parchment paper prior to adding the rice to avoid sticking.
- Mix 2 Tbsp. of sushi vinegar into your rice. Stir until it has absorbed into the rice. Once cooled and fully absorbed, your rice is ready to roll!
Prepare the Crab Salad Filling
- Note: If you are using real crab you can skip this step and add the crab directly to the sushi roll without mixing with Japanese mayo.To make the crab salad, start by shredding the imitation crab into a bowl with two forks
- Add the Japanese mayonnaise with a pinch of salt and gently mix together.
Assemble the Alaska Rolls
- Slice the salmon: Slice your salmon into strips roughly 1/4 thick or even a little thinner. You ultimately want to cut enough pieces so you will have just enough to cover all of your rolls when draped over the top. Many pre-packaged smoked salmon will already come sliced.
- Cut the nori sheet in half: Fold the nori sheet in half. Carefully tear the nori sheet in half along the crease. If it doesn't tear easily, use kitchen shears to cut the nori sheet in half.
- Cut the avocado and cucumber: Slice the avocado in half the long way. Remove the seed and cut each half into 8 slices. Each whole avocado should yield around 16 slices. I would also drizzle a little lemon juice over your cut avocado to prevent it from browning in your roll. You will then need to cut the cucumbers into strips that are as long as your nori sheet and about 1/8 inch thick.
- Prepare your bamboo sushi mat: Cover your bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. This will help keep the rice from sticking to it.
- Press rice onto nori sheets: Next, place the nori sheet onto the plastic wrap with the shiny side facing down. Then press around 1/2 cup of rice onto the nori sheet in an even layer. Tip: Wet your hands in a bowl of water and a splash of rice vinegar prior to handling the sushi rice. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands.
- Flip nori sheet over: Gently flip the nori sheet over so the rice is facing down. You will add the filling directly to the nori sheet with the rice on the outside.
- Add the crab: Spoon about 1/4 of the crab salad mixture onto the nori sheet and spread evenly across the middle of the sheet.
- Add the avocado and cucumber: Add the avocado slices and cucumber sticks horizontally along the nori sheet. In general, I add 2-3 avocado slices and 1-2 cucumber sticks depending on the size of each ingredient and how everything fits.
- Roll the sushi: Use the bamboo sushi mat to fold your roll until it is completely enclosed. Once the rice is making contact with the nori sheet, pull back the sushi mat so it doesn't get caught in the roll. Still using the sushi mat as your guide, finish rolling until the roll is completely wrapped. Then wrap the sushi mat around the roll and gently press, tightening the roll together.Keep in mind that rolling sushi is an art that may take some practice so don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t look perfect your first time. It will get easier the more you do it.
- Drape your salmon over the roll: Cover each roll by draping a piece of salmon over the top slightly overlapping each other. Once the roll is covered, use your sushi mat (still covered in plastic wrap) to wrap the roll and press the salmon onto the roll so it will cut as one roll.
- Cut the roll: Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 pieces. I do this by first cutting the roll in half. Then cutting each half in half. Then cutting each fourth in half. Tip: Be sure to clean and wet the edge of your knife before cutting each roll.
- Serve and enjoy: I usually serve with soy sauce and wasabi. Sushi rolls are traditionally served with pickled ginger as well.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Alaska rolls good for you?
Overall, an Alaska roll is good for you as salmon, crab, avocado, cucumber and nori sheets are all great for you. However, the mayo and rice make it a little more caloric than some other seafood dishes.
Are Alaska rolls gluten-free?
You will have to be careful with this because imitation crab often contains gluten. If you go to a sushi restaurant that uses real crab, you are probably safe as long as it does not have unagi sauce. However, the safest way to assure you get a gluten-free Alaska roll is to make it yourself with either gluten free imitation crab or real crab.
Are Alaska rolls cooked?
Alaska rolls contain salmon that can be smoked or raw. I prefer to use smoked salmon, which makes it a cooked roll. However, many sushi restaurants serve it with raw salmon. All other ingredients in the roll are cooked.
Final Thoughts on Alaska Rolls
What’s not to love about a sushi roll that contains both smoked salmon and crab. This protein packed roll is a delicious sushi option. Plus, once you get the ingredients prepared, it is fairly straight forward to make. We hope you find this article helpful and the sushi delicious! Happy cooking!
Check out some other great articles below:
Delicious Shrimp Tempura Roll Recipe
Delicious Crunchy Roll Sushi Recipe (Crunchy California Roll)
Ebi Sushi: What it is and How to Make it
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