Name: Temaki de Salmão
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 temakis
Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups Japanese short-grain rice; 1 3/4 cups water; 1/4 cup rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 300g very fresh salmon suitable for raw eating, skinless and boneless, kept cold; 2 tablespoons finely sliced chives; 3 sheets roasted nori, cut in half; 3 tablespoons cream cheese, optional; 1 small cucumber, cut into thin sticks, optional; Soy sauce, for serving

Question 1

What salmon is safe to use for salmon temaki?

Accepted Answer

Use 300g very fresh salmon specifically sold as suitable for raw eating, and keep the skinless, boneless salmon cold until serving. Buy from a trusted fishmonger or market and say you are making raw salmon temaki. Do not use salmon that smells strong, feels sticky, or looks dull.

Question 2

Can I make salmon temaki ahead of time?

Accepted Answer

Do not roll salmon temaki ahead of time. Cook and season the sushi rice up to 2 hours ahead, covered at room temperature with a damp cloth. Slice chives and cucumber up to 4 hours ahead. Cut the salmon at serving time, or 30 minutes ahead maximum, and keep it very cold.

Question 3

How do I cook the rice for temaki?

Accepted Answer

Rinse 1 1/2 cups Japanese short-grain rice 4 or 5 times, then cook it with 1 3/4 cups water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and rest the covered pot for 10 minutes before seasoning.

Question 4

How do I keep nori crisp when making temaki?

Accepted Answer

Keep roasted nori dry and roll one salmon temaki at a time just before eating. Nori softens quickly once it touches seasoned rice, so set out the rice, cold salmon, chives, cucumber, and cream cheese before rolling. Serve each cone immediately while the seaweed is still crisp.

Question 5

How much rice and filling should I put in each temaki cone?

Accepted Answer

Use about 1/3 cup seasoned rice on the left half of each half-sheet of roasted nori. Add a line of cold salmon mixed with chives, one cucumber stick if using, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cream cheese for the São Paulo temakeria style. Light filling keeps the cone sealed.

Question 6

Can I make temaki without raw salmon?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Replace the raw salmon with cooked flaked salmon seasoned with finely sliced chives and a little rice vinegar. The flavor and texture will be different from cold raw salmon temaki, but cooked salmon still lets you practice the seasoned rice, nori handling, and cone rolling technique.

Culinary Explorer

Temaki de Salmão

Ingredients

Japanese short-grain rice

water

rice vinegar

Where cooking meets culture.

Ingredient	Quantity
Japanese short-grain rice	1 1/2 cups
water	1 3/4 cups
rice vinegar	1/4 cup