California Roll Jars

I have a huge confession to make, and I think I would just feel so much better if I were to confess it here to you. After all, I do think this is a safe space so I feel like I can say anything without judgement, right? The truth is I don’t really care for sushi. That’s to say, I don’t like raw sushi or hand rolls, and really the only kind of sushi I do enjoy, if you can call it sushi at all, are basic cut rolls like California Roll or Shrimp Tempura Roll and I’m sure I’ve just insulted many people, and I’m sorry! The other problem I have with sushi is that I feel like you spend a lot of money on it and then about 20 minutes later you’re just hungry all over again and so you end up eating another meal altogether. With all that being said, I do have a soft spot, like I said, for a California roll, as basic as that is, and so these California Roll Jars are the ultimate meal on the go. They’re fun to eat and great for parties. Let’s all get into it!

Making sushi rice isn’t as hard as you think. I used to be scared of it, but it’s actually quite simple. The key is mixing in the seasoned rice vinegar mixture while the rice is still warm so that it absorbs into it nicely and gives you that perfect sticky texture.

**Note: I’m not going to go into the step-by-step process of making sushi rice because I’ve done it on here before. If you’d like more a more detailed instruction, you can visit this Spam Musubi post!**

While the rice cools, make the crab salad, and prepare the rest of the ingredients for assembling. For the crab salad, in a small bowl, combine the crab meat with the mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon vinegar until evenly mixed through.

**Note: You can use actual lump crab meat for this, that has been picked through for shells or bits, or you can just do what I did and use imitation crab meat. I know it’s not the most regal of ingredients, but I prefer my California rolls with imitation crab meat.**

The crab meat salad can be made ahead of time and kept in the freezer until ready to use. And of course, it goes without saying but you can use the same recipe for actual sushi rolls or hand rolls if you don’t want to go the jar route.

Start each with a spoonful of rice and press it down gently to create a layer. Then top with a sprinkle of nori, then a spoonful of the crab salad, then cucumber and repeat with rice and so on.

**Tip: You can really use whatever sized jars you have on hand. Anything from a pint size or below. It all depends on how big or small you’d like the serving sizes to be. And of course, the amount of layers will depend on how big your jars are.**

Finish the jars off with diced avocado and a generous sprinkling of Furikake seasoning, or you can just used toasted white or black sesame seeds as well.

**Note: If you plan on serving the jars later, you can toss the avocado with a bit of lemon juice to keep it from browning in the fridge.**

If you plan on storing them for later consumption, be sure to not over fill them as much as I did. You can cover them with a lid or with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to serve. They make for a great meal prep lunch time treat!

I serve the jars with a bit of pickled ginger, wasabi, soy sauce and/or sriracha on the side. You can either eat them from the jars, although it might seem a bit precarious depending on how filled they are, or to make it easier, you can dump it into a bowl and eat it like that.

This is a great idea for a lot of different sushi combinations. It would be great with cooked salmon, shrimp or even ahi poke instead of the crab salad, if you’d prefer.

I love these jars because like I said earlier, you can make a bunch at the start of the week and keep them in the fridge for lunch. But also, they make for a great light summer dinner if you don’t want to warm up the house too much by cooking an elaborate meal, and they’re quite filling. I hope you give them a try and be sure to let me know what you think! Also, if you haven’t entered the giveaway for the Instant Pot, head over to my Instagram account and enter! You still have time until Sunday night! Good luck!

California Roll Jars

California Roll Jars are a fun take on a classic sushi roll. Aside from being fun to eat, they're also perfect for picnics or weekday lunches on the go!

Servings 6 servings

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sushi rice
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces imitation crab meat roughly shredded
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Persian cucumber thinly sliced
• 4 sheets Nori thinly sliced
• 2 avocado diced
• 2 tablespoons Furikake seasoning
• pickled ginger for serving
• soy sauce for serving
• wasabi for serving
• Sriracha for serving

Instructions

• To make the rice, place in a fine mesh strainer and rise under cold running water until the water runs clear at the bottom. Bring 3 ½ cups water to boil in a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Once it comes to a boil, stir in the rice, cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to sit, covered, for 15 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer, cooking over low heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.Uncover the rice and fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the warm vinegar mixture, with a wooden spoon until sticky. Set to the side and allow to cool to room temperature.
• In a small bowl, combine the crab meat with the mayonnaise and the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar until evenly mixed through.
• To assemble, you'll need some glass jars, anything from a pint or below (depending on how big or small you'd like the serving sizes to be). Start each with a spoonful of rice and press it down gently to create a layer. Then top with a sprinkle of nori, then a spoonful of the crab salad, then cucumber and repeat with rice and so on. Again, the amount of layers will depend on how big your jars are. Finish off with avocado and a sprinkling of Furikake. If you plan on serving the jars later, you can toss the avocado with a bit of lemon juice to keep it from browning. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Author: The Candid Appetite