Baked Spicy Salmon Hand Rolls

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Salmon – While the recipe uses freshly cooked salmon, I often use day old leftover salmon to create the salad for these hand rolls. Salmon is a hard food to reheat the next day so instead I just repurpose it into a cold salad.
• Sambal oelek – Sambal oelek can be found in the international sections of most grocery stores. It is a spicy Southeast Asian chili sauce that adds a sweet and spicy kick to any foods. Substitute with sriracha if you cannot find sambal.
• Avocado – When shopping for avocados, look for ones that are firm but “give” slightly when gently squeezed in your hand. You can also remove the top stem, though I prefer to call it a nub, at the top of the avocado – if you remove it and it is green, it’s most likely ready to eat. If it’s brown then it’s probably overripe.
• Soy paper – While you can easily swap the soy paper for sheets of nori (seaweed), I love the subtle flavor or soy paper. To store any leftover sheets of soy paper store them in a resealable plastic bag for up to 3 weeks. Wet the soy paper with a bit of water on your finger to help seal them shut.

How to Make Spicy Baked Salmon Hand Rolls

For the spicy salmon:

1. Bake salmon. Heat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Place salmon on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Rub with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until just cooked through, about 16 minutes. Remove and let cool to room temperature, discarding the skin. Chill the salmon for 15 minutes.
2. Make the salmon salad. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the salmon, mayonnaise, sambal and soy sauce. Use a fork to combine until the salmon is shredded and the mixture is combined. Stir in the green onion.
3. Chill. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

For assembly:

1. Rinse rice. Rinse the rice with cool water until the water runs clear. Drain and add the rice with 1 cup of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Cook the rice. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the rice wine vinegar and fluff with a fork.
3. Assemble hand rolls. Place the sheets of soy paper on a clean, dry work surface. Working one at a time spread about 3 tablespoons of the rice onto the right edge of the sheet of soy paper. Wet your fingers and press the rice to spread it into an even square over the right half of the sheet.
4. Add salmon. Spread a spoonful of the salmon mixture over the rice and top with a few pieces of cucumber,  avocado and pea greens or daikon sprouts (optional).
5. Roll hand rolls. Roll the bottom right corner and fold it to the center then continue rolling to the left until it forms a cone shape. Set aside and continue with the remaining soy paper and salmon mixture.
6. Serve. Serve immediately with soy sauce for dipping.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

Substitutions

• I like how light the soy paper is but nori (seaweed) can be substituted instead if that is your preference.
• Add other toppings as desired like salmon roe (ikura).
• While this recipe includes instructions to bake salmon, leftover salmon can be used instead.
• I recommend using a rice cooker to cook your sushi rice – it’s so easy!

How to Make A Spicy Baked Salmon Rice Bowl

I also enjoy serving the baked salmon salad over a bed of sushi rice with sliced avocado and furikake (a Japanese condiment made with finely chopped seaweed, dried fish, sesame seeds, sugar and salt) for a filling baked salmon lunch. Crispy rice can also be used instead of sushi rice!

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this hand roll recipe, I recommend checking out these:

• Spicy Shrimp Bowl with Crispy Rice and Kale
• Salmon Poke with Creamy Togarashi Sauce
• How to Make Smoked Salmon Tartare