by Dorothy Bell
I make sushi to delight friends on the road. There is nothing like absolutely fresh fish on rice to cool you down. It is wonderful for cocktail parties as well as for lunch or dinner.
In Mexico, Sushi seems to be catching on. Even Wal-Mart has sushi bars – although they don’t have all the ingredients for sale. I have found that most sushi ingredients can be purchased easily on the Baja, down the West Coast until Puerto Vallarta and are hit and miss through other parts of Mexico. I suggest you bring the ingredients with you unless you are sure you can purchase all the things you like.
Sushi Rice
- 2 cups Japanese-style rice such as Cal Rose
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
Wash the rice and drain. Add water and rice to a pot and cook for 15 minutes stirring every 5.
In the interim heat the rice vinegar, salt and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Cool.
When the rice is cooked you want to cool it. I find that if you have a large bowl, it cools quickest. Pour the vinegar mixture over the rice and stir by folding a spatula through the rice. Use a big fan to help the cooling process. Don’t stir or otherwise mash the rice. It takes just over an hour to completely cool. (Do NOT use warm rice for sushi. It tastes bad and wrecks the Nori.
This makes about 4 cups of sushi rice.
Dorado Nigiri
Prepare your Dorado the day before. Cut into the longest chunks you can make with a 1 ½ inch x by 2 inch diameter; wrap with cello and freeze overnight. Take out of the freezer just before you make the rice. This allows the Dorado to semi-thaw and aids the cutting uniformity.
Slice the sushi into rectangular pieces 1 ½ inches by 2 inches. I use a wet sharp knife to aid with the cutting.
Wet the palm of your hand with water and place 2 tablespoons of rice into the center. Shape into the trademark rectangular somewhat oval shape. Dab a touch of wasabi on the top and place a slice of Dorado on top.
Serve immediately.
Dorado Rolls
Put a sheet of Nori on a special bamboo mat. If you didn’t bring a bamboo mat you can use a clean dish towel wrapped with cello wrap. This is tricky but will do in a pinch.
Spoon on the rice and spread into a very fine layer making sure you reach the edges.
Lay bits of Dorado (this is where you can use up all the tiny scraps left over) and thinly sliced cucumber lengthwise on the edge of the nori/rice closest to you.
Rollup the mat and press inward to create long cylinder shape roll. Press to ensure the edge closes.
Cut the roll into 6-8 pieces using a wet knife.
Serve immediately.
Spicy Dorado Roll
Same as above except marinate the Dorado for 1 minute in 3 tablespoons of Soya Sauce, 2 Tablespoons of sesame seed oil and 1 teaspoon of ground chili in sesame seed oil. Omit the cucumber.