Spider Roll Recipe

Spider roll square photo on a white sushi plate with chopsticks in the background.

Delicious Spider Roll Sushi Recipe with Step-by-Step Instructions

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: Spider Roll

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 50

Servings: Rolls

Calories: 527kcal

Equipment

1 Bamboo Sushi Mat
1 Pot for cooking sushi rice
1 Pot for frying tempura batter
1 Sharp knife and cutting board

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

1 1/3 cups Sushi rice dried, will cook to 4 cups
1/4 cup Sushi vinegar

Tempura Batter

Vegetable oil
2 cups All purpose flour
1 Egg Large
1 cup Water Ice cold

Sushi Roll

4 Nori sheets
1 Ripe avocado
1 English cucumber Sliced into 1/8 sticks
4 Soft Shell Crabs Cleaned
4 Tbsp. Masago or Tobiko
Black Sesame seeds
Unagi Sauce (optional)

Instructions

Cook Sushi Rice

Rinse 1 1/3 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 2/3 cups 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. While the rice is simmering, you can skip ahead and prepare the soft shell crab tempura.
After simmering for 20-30 minutes, remove the rice and place into a bowl or dish and let cool. I would line the dish with parchment paper prior to adding the rice to avoid sticking.
Mix 1/4 cup 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!

Heat the Oil and Prepare the Soft Shell Crabs

In a sauce pan, heat vegetable oil on medium heat to 350 degrees.
Make sure your soft shell crabs are cleaned. Most often they will come cleaned if you purchase from a seafood vendor but if not, you can clean by cutting the face off, removing the gills under both sides of the crab, and removing the flap from the underside of the crab.
Blot your soft shell crabs with a paper towel to dry them off. If they are too wet they will pop during frying.
Place one cup of flour into a bowl or onto a plate. Then dip the crabs into the flour making sure to cover both sides of the crab along with the legs.

Prepare Tempura Batter

Assemble the ingredients and chill the water. You may need to add ice if you don’t have access to very cold water. However, make sure to remove ice cubes before combining with egg.
Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat until the yolk and white are combined.
Add cold water to the egg and mix well. I like to strain the ice water into the egg to assure ice-cold water with no ice cubes getting into the mixture.
Sift 1 cup of flour into the egg and water combination.
Using a spoon or chopstick, lightly mix making sure not to over stir. The batter should be mixed but a little lumpy.

Prepare the Crab Tempura

Dip the flour coated crabs into the tempura batter ensuring the entire crab is coated with batter.
Next, place the tempura coated crab into the hot oil and cook for 4 minutes.
After four minutes, remove from the oil and place the crabs onto a paper towel-lined plate.

Assemble the Spider Rolls

Slice the crab: Slice your soft shell tempura crab in half the long way to prepare it for your spider roll.
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 cup of rice onto the nori sheet in an even layer. Tip: Wet your hands prior to handling the sushi rice. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands.
Add sesame seeds: After the rice is pressed onto the nori sheet, add a thin layer of black sesame seeds to the top of the rice. Then flip the sheet over so the rice is facing down.
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: Place both halves of the soft shell crab onto the nori sheet next to each other so the legs are sticking out each end of the sushi. This is what gives the spider roll its signature "spider like" appearance.
Add the masago or tobiko: Spread around a tablespoon of masago (or tobiko) evenly across the nori sheet. This will add a bit of crunchy and salty flavor to your roll.
Cut the avocado and cucumber: Cut the cucumbers into strips that are as long as your nori sheet and about 1/8 inch thick.
Then slice the avocado in half the long way. Remove the seed and cut each half into 6 slices. Each whole avocado should yield around 12 slices. I often cut the slices right out of the avocado half and add directly to the roll to ensure freshness. You can also drizzle a little lemon juice over your cut avocado to prevent it from browning in your roll.
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's completely enclosed. Once the rice is making contact with the nori roll, pull back the sushi mat so it doesn't get caught in the sushi. 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.
Cut the roll: Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 pieces. I do this by first cutting the roll in half. Then cut each half in half. Then cut each fourth in half. Tip: Be sure to clean and wet the edge of your knife before cutting each roll.
Drizzle with unagi (eel) sauce (optional): I like to lightly drizzle my spider rolls with unagi (eel) sauce prior to serving as I think it provides a good flavor and an appetizing presentation.
Serve and enjoy: I usually serve with unagi (eel) sauce in a ramekin for dipping. You can also serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

Video

Notes

You can control how thick your sushi rolls are by how much of the nori sheet you use. This recipe uses the entire nori sheet which makes thicker rolls.

If you like smaller rolls, you can cut the nori sheet in half. This will definitely make the roll thinner and easier to eat with chopsticks but it can be trickier to roll. You can also cut off the top 1/4 of the nori sheet to reduce the thickness of the roll depending on your preference.

Nutrition