Japanese soft shell crab hand roll is another one of my favorites. This type of roll is called temaki and is by far the easiest way to make sushi at home. This hand roll does not contain raw fish, just a perfectly fried soft shell crab that is crunchy and superb. You simply put it alongside some sushi rice, cucumbers, carrots, and a smothering of some Japanese mayonnaise and Sirachi. Simply a divine bite! You can find soft shell crab off season in the frozen section of your Asian market. They are already cleaned and ready to simply defrost, roll in some cornstarch and fry. They are quick, easy and amazingly delicious!
Japanese Soft Shell Crab Hand Roll
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup sushi rice see below
- 4 pieces of Nori or toasted seaweed
- 2 soft shell crab cleaned and defrosted
- cornstarch for dredging
- vegetable oil for frying
- 2 baby cucumbers slice lengthwise
- 1 carrot shredded
- 2 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon sirachi
- For the sushi rice:
- Japanese very fine short grain rice 2 cups Please note this will be enough to make other sushi as well like the rainbow roll recipe.
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Instructions for the rice:
- Rinse the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear.
- Combine the rice with the water in a saucepan.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Rice should be tender and all the water absorbed. Please not that sushi rice is sticky, that is normal.
- Let cool.
- In a small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, oil, sugar, and salt. cook over medium heat until the sugar is desolved. Let cool.
- Pour the mixture over the rice and stir. Keep stirring until the the rice absorbs the liquid. When the rice is completely cool it is ready to use in your sushi rolls
- Sushi seaweed comes in sheets about 8"x 7"
- Put a sheet on your work surface and cut about 2" off the long side
- Using your hands (wetting them can be helpful to avoid the rice sticking to your finger) take a handful of rice and gently push to make a very thin layer on about half of the nori.
- mix together the mayo and sirachi, stir well
- On the diagonal place a couple teaspoons of the mayonnaise and sirachi mixture
- Then place two thin slices of cucumber and some shredded carrot.
- Heat up you oil to a hot frying temp around 350.
- Dredge your soft shell crab in a plate of cornstarch, shake off the excess and fry on both side until golden brown. Please note these cook quite fast just a couple minutes a side.
- Remove the crab and let drain excess oil on paper towel
- cut the crab, the long way and place on the cucumber.
- Now you simply roll it up in a cone shape and serve warm.
- You can use a piece of rice to secure the nori (seaweed)
- Heaven!
