If you love the California sushi roll, you might want to try the Boston roll sushi as both are made with almost similar ingredients.
The main difference between the two rolls lies in their fillings, whereby the Boston roll sushi uses cooked shrimp instead of the crabmeat used in the California roll.
The Boston roll is one of the easiest-to-cook sushi rolls that you can effortlessly prepare at home with a few ingredients.
It doesn’t use raw fish, making it a delicious and safe dish for anyone, even pregnant women.
Now, if you are wondering how to make a perfect Boston roll sushi at home, you’ve just landed on the right page.
Here, I provide a detailed yet easy recipe for Boston roll sushi you should try.
Getting the Right Ingredients
For any recipe, the ingredients you have can make or break your meal. This seems to be very true when it comes to preparing Boston roll sushi at home.
So, let’s take a look at each of the required ingredients to ensure that you end up with a delicious meal.
Preparing the Rice
The type of rice you use when making the Boston roll sushi will determine how the meal will taste. If you use low-quality rice, don’t expect great results.
If you don’t want your Boston roll to suffer, find high-quality short-grain rice, specifically classified as sushi rice.
To cook the sushi rice best for the roll, you’ll need less water than you usually use for regular plain rice. You can use one cup of water for each cup of rice.
After cooking the sushi rice, it’s important to cool it in a bowl for a few minutes.
When the rice is hot, you need to add some rice vinegar and stir to mix well. You can also use white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt if you forgot to buy the rice vinegar, then add three pinches of white sugar.
Poached Shrimp
Shrimp is an essential ingredient in this recipe, and so you want to prepare it well. You also want to ensure that you use fresh shrimp to get the best results.
Poaching the shrimp by yourself is the best way to ensure that it’s fresh and safe for the recipe. You can simmer it for about 3 to 5 minutes to get the best results.
If you are not a fan of poached seafood, you can fry the shrimp tempura-style to ensure that you get an extra crunchy texture to your sushi roll.
Veggies
The main veggies used in Boston roll sushi are avocado and cucumber. It’s essential to choose the ripest avocado for a tasty roll.
A ripe avocado will often have a slightly changed color, and it’s easy to remove the small stem on the upper part. If you find it hard to remove the stem, your avocado is probably not ripe.
You also want to ensure that you use a fresh cucumber that feels firm.
Nori Sheets
Nori sheets come at different prices, and the best for you will depend on your budget. However, it’s essential to choose the middle-priced options as they offer the best value.
Along with the price, it’s also vital to consider the color, check for any spot holes as even the high-end Nori can eventually degrade.
The best Nori sheet should have a shiny sheen with umami flavor for some natural sweetness. Don’t go for cheap Nori with a fishy smell.
How to Make Boston Roll Sushi: Step by Step Guide
Step 1: Prepare the Veggies
Slice the avocado and the cucumber into small long pieces similar to the matchsticks and remove the cucumber seeds, if desired.
Step 2: Cook the Sushi Rice
Cook high-quality sushi rice that will not deteriorate even after rolling.
Use a slightly lower amount of water than you use during regular cooking. Also, you shouldn’t leave your rice to overcook.
Once it starts looking fluffy, remove it from the heat source and allow it to cool slightly. Add sushi vinegar to the rice and stir thoroughly.
Step 3: Pouch the Shrimp
This process is actually simpler than it sounds. First, you need to bring water to boil in a pot, add salt, and any other seasoning of your preferences.
As the water is boiling, add the shrimps, cover the cooking pot and remove it from the heat source.
Allow them to stand for up to 5 minutes before dipping them into a bowl of ice water to halt the cooking process. Then drain, peel and remove the tails from the shrimps.
Step 4: Prepare the Sushi Roll
Stretch out the bamboo mat on the table and spread the plastic paper on its surface to ensure that your sticky sushi rice doesn’t stick on the mat. This will also keep the mat clean.
Cut the nori sheet into two, take a half of it, and lay it on top of the bamboo mat.
The shining face of the nori seaweed sheet should be the one in contact with the mat.
Measure about three-quarter cup rice and pour it evenly on the nori sheet surface.
Flip the nori sheet gently so that the rice lies at the bottom of the sheet.
Place the avocado slices, shrimps, and cucumbers on the nori sheets.
Place your thumbs under the mat and lift carefully before you start folding the sushi.
Fold the sushi roll and be careful not to roll the mat in it.
Take away the plastic foil and mat, then cover the sushi with tobiko.
Cover the sushi once more with plastic foil and the mat to ensure that the ingredients stick together.
Repeat the above process with the unused ingredients to make more sushi rolls.
Slice the Boston roll, serve, and enjoy!
Boston Roll Sushi
1 People: 2 Rolls, 16 Pieces
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 fresh cucumber
- 3 ounces of poached shrimp
- 1 Nori sheet
- 2 tablespoons of tobiko
Directions
- Peel the avocado and cut it into small slices.
- Slice the fresh cucumber into matchstick shapes and remove the seeds if you wish.
- Place a bamboo mat on the countertop and cover it with plastic foil.
- Cut your Nori sheet in half and place it on the mat.
- Spread the sushi rice over the Nori sheet and flip it to bring the Nori sheet on top and the rice on the bottom.
- Place a few slices of the veggies and the poached shrimp on the Nori sheet.
- Place your thumbs beneath the bamboo mat and lift slightly before folding the sushi roll.
- Fold the sushi roll gently, and be careful to ensure that you don’t roll the mat in it.
- Remove the mat and the plastic foil.
- Cover your sushi roll with tobiko, then a plastic foil, and the mat to ensure that everything sticks in place.
- Let the roll stand for five minutes.
- Repeat the process to make more rolls.
- Slice and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions by Users
Q: What is a Boston Sushi Roll?
A: Boston roll sushi is a type of rolled sushi prepared by rolling various ingredients in a nori sheet and seasoned rice. It uses poached shrimp rather than imitation crab or raw fish used in the Californian roll.
In this sushi roll, seasoned rice is used on the outside while nori sheet is on the inside, then garnished with orange tobiko or masago.
If you don’t like the raw fish used in a typically rolled sushi, the Boston roll sushi is an excellent option as it uses tasty cooked shrimp. It also uses cucumber and avocado that makes it more delicious.
Boston sushi roll is an adaptation of the original Japanese rolled sushi that leverages the shrimp fishery in the Boston region.
Q: What is the Difference Between Boston Roll Philadelphia Roll?
A: The difference between the Boston roll and Philadelphia roll lies in their filling.
Boston roll uses veggies, poached shrimp, and rice, while Philadelphia roll uses smoked salmon, rice, cream cheese, and veggies. Some people also use fried shrimp in Boston roll to achieve a crunchy texture.
Q: Tobiko Substitutes – Is It Possible?
A: Yes, it’s possible to change the tobiko with other substitutes like masago, which is smaller and cheaper.
However, I wouldn’t recommend this to someone looking for the authentic taste and texture of the Boston roll sushi.
While masago has a similar flavor to that of tobiko, it doesn’t have that crunchiness you get from tobiko.
Q: How Do You Roll Sushi Without a Roller?
Rolling sushi is an art that requires you to have the right tools. In most cases, people use bamboo or silicone mats to roll the sushi.
These sushi mats make it easy to roll the ingredients and enable them to stick together.
But if you don’t have a special sushi roller, you can also roll the ingredients with your hands on the countertop using a plastic foil and a hand towel.
You’ll need to lay the towel on a flat surface like the countertop and layer it with plastic foil.
After preparing the sushi on the plastic foil, as usual, lift the edge of the Nori and start rolling it horizontally while applying more pressure to make a tube shape.
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