Spicy Shrimp Roll (i.e. We made sushi!)

When Frank and I lived in the Nashville area, before we moved to California, we would occasionally eat sushi at this restaurant called Wild Wasabi.

Frank and I rarely eat out because (1) it’s expensive and (2) it’s nearly inevitable you’ll be eating GMOs from GMO oils or meat that was fed GMO corn and soy, not to mention pesticides on non-organic food and any aluminum cookware.

I don’t want to sound like a stick-in-the-mud, but for me, it’s a real problem. Frank calls me the “canary” for a reason. I react to EVERYTHING. Rancid oils and aluminum cookware make me break out in a rash and feel miserable for days.

One of the benefits of sushi is that it’s not cooked, which eliminates the chance of contacting aluminum. The fish is still farm-raised/GMO-corn-&-soy/antibiotics/food-colored, but eh, you’re eating out. Gotta do the best you can. (Sorry, and maybe you didn’t want to know this, but the ginger is sweetened with aspartame, and the pink ginger and wasabi paste both are colored with food coloring! :( Sad, I know.)

ANYWAY, so because all things not natural make me sick (and make YOU sick, but maybe you just don’t have severe reactions!), we eat at home 99% of the time, and eat out maybe once a month or once every two months.

Since we moved away from Tennessee, we’ve tried a few sushi restaurants here in the Bay Area, but we haven’t found a winner yet. So we set out to replicate one of our favorite specialty rolls the “This-Is-How-We-Roll” roll from Wild Wasabi. Or rather, the “Spicy Shrimp Roll!” And we succeeded!!

Prepare the Rice

First, you need to start your rice. Go to the store and look for “Sushi Rice.” Yes, it’s actually called that (buy here). It’s a very short grain, almost oval shaped. Rinse 2 cups of rice until the water runs clear. Then add, 2-1/2 cups of filtered water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove from heat, transfer to non-metal bowl, and mix with 4 TBSP of rice vinegar (buy here). When rice is cool, you’re ready to make your sushi roll. :)

Sushi Roll

To make your sushi roll, you’re going to need a bamboo sushi mat (buy here) and some seaweed nori sheets (buy here).

Lay a piece of seaweed shiny side down on the bamboo mat. Then, spread 1-1/2 cups of rice onto the seaweed in an even layer, leaving 1 inch on a single edge.

Lay strips of whatever you want in the center of your roll across the middle. We used avocado and sheep’s cheese. :) Pastured goat’s cheese would be good, too!

Starting from the edge across from the 1 inch space you left, roll tightly, holding the ingredients tight to the inside, and then cut to size, and arrange the pieces flat on a plate.

If you’re not sure what I mean, watch this YouTube video:

Shrimp

In a large skillet, heat 2 TBSP oil on medium-high. (We used coconut oil, but avocado oil would also be great.) Cook 1 lb. wild caught shrimp in a single layer until they are pink on one side. Then flip over and cook the other side until the shrimps are totally pink.

Drain using a colander. Then transfer to a cutting board and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

To make the sauce for the shrimp, whisk together in a bowl the following:

2 oz. masago (teeny tiny fish roe)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 TBSP organic sesame oil

2-3 TBSP sriracha sauce

chopped green onion

Toss the shrimp in the sauce, and spoon onto the pieces of sushi roll. Garnish with eel sauce and sesame seeds (and more sriracha, if you like spicy like me!).

Also, be sure to eat with unpasteurized, fermented soy sauce! ;)

Enjoy!