California Roll with Crab Avocado (Printer-friendly)

Fresh crab, creamy avocado, and cucumber wrapped in seasoned rice and nori, garnished with sesame seeds.

# What You'll Need:

→ Sushi Rice

01 - 1 1/2 cups sushi rice
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 2 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
04 - 1 tablespoon sugar
05 - 3/4 teaspoon salt

→ Filling

06 - 4.25 ounces cooked crabmeat or imitation crab sticks, shredded
07 - 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced into strips
08 - 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into thin strips
09 - 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional)

→ Assembly

10 - 4 sheets nori (seaweed)
11 - 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

→ To Serve

12 - Soy sauce
13 - Pickled ginger
14 - Wasabi

# How To Make It:

01 - Rinse the sushi rice under cold water until clear, then combine with water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
02 - Whisk rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl until dissolved. Gently fold the mixture into the cooked rice, then allow rice to cool to room temperature.
03 - Place a bamboo sushi rolling mat on a clean surface and cover with plastic wrap. Position one nori sheet shiny side down on the mat.
04 - With wet hands, evenly spread approximately 3/4 cup of rice over the nori, leaving a 3/4-inch border at the top. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds evenly over the rice.
05 - Carefully flip the nori so the rice side is facing down on the plastic wrap-covered mat.
06 - Arrange shredded crab, avocado strips, and cucumber strips in a line along the bottom edge of the nori. Optionally, add a thin line of mayonnaise over the filling.
07 - Using the sushi mat, roll the nori tightly away from you, pressing gently to shape the roll. Seal the edge with a small amount of water.
08 - With a sharp, dampened knife, slice the sushi roll into 6 pieces. Repeat the process with remaining ingredients to create all rolls.
09 - Present the sliced rolls with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi as accompaniments.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • You can make restaurant-quality sushi at home without years of training or expensive ingredients.
  • It's a showstopper dish that impresses friends while being surprisingly beginner-friendly.
  • The combination of creamy, crisp, and savory flavors works every single time.
02 -
  • Don't skip cooling the rice—I learned this the hard way when warm rice turned my nori into mush and made the whole roll fall apart.
  • A sharp knife makes all the difference; a dull one crushes the roll instead of slicing it cleanly, and that matters more than you'd think.
  • The rice-to-filling ratio is key—too much rice and it feels like you're eating a rice ball, too little and the roll falls apart as soon as you pick it up.
03 -
  • Keep your knife and hands damp while slicing to prevent sticking, and use a single smooth motion per cut instead of sawing back and forth.
  • If a roll starts to fall apart, it usually means the rice layer was too thin or the fillings were too heavy—adjust and try again, no judgment.
  • Make all your rolls at once rather than one at a time; once you get into a rhythm, they come together faster and more consistently.
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