Salmon and Crisp Salmon-Skin Hand Rolls

Suggested wine: sauvignon blanc

I’m a huge fan of sushi and hand rolls. One of my favorite sushi bars in Portland, Murata, makes a fabulous, crisp salmon-skin hand roll. I’ve sat at the sushi bar and watched and ordered and eaten these enough times to figure out what is inside. I think I’ve come mighty close to duplicating their hand rolls. The recipe looks long because I’ve tried to include detailed instructions, but, actually, they are quite easy to make. One of my favorite things to do for casual entertaining is to have all the ingredients ready to assemble and then give a mini-class and let my guests roll their own hand rolls.

MAKES 8 HAND ROLLS; SERVES 4 TO 8 AS AN APPETIZER

• 1 cup short-grain Japanese sushi rice
• 1½ cups water
• ¼ cup mirin (see Cook’s Notes)
• 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 salmon fillet (6 ounces) from the tail end, skin and pin bones removed , skin reserved
• 2½ tablespoons kecap manis (see Cook’s Notes)
• 4 sheets toasted nori (7¼ by 8 inches)
• 1 tablespoon wasabi powder mixed with 1 tablespoon mirin
• Sixteen (4-inch-long) fresh chive stems
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into thin strips about 4 inches long
• 16 sprigs fresh cilantro
• Soy sauce for dipping

Place the rice in a bowl and cover with cold water. Swish the rice, washing it in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear. This removes the residual starch. Drain in a sieve. Place the rice in a heavy 2-quart saucepan and add the water. Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil over high heat, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook the rice at a bare simmer for 15 minutes. As tempting as it might be, don’t remove the lid and peek at any point, or all the steam will escape. Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. (Alternatively, use a rice cooker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.)

Meanwhile, combine the mirin and rice vinegar in a heatproof, glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until warm, about 20 seconds. Otherwise, place the cup in a small pan of simmering water and heat until warm. Transfer the rice to a large shallow bowl. Using a wood or rubber spatula, drizzle half the mirin mixture over the rice and gently fold it in using a light lifting and folding motion to avoid mashing the rice. As you are doing this, fan the rice with a rolled-up section of newspaper. Add the remaining mirin mixture and continue folding and fanning to cool the rice, about 5 minutes total. The rice should glisten. Cover the rice with a clean, damp dish towel and set aside until ready to make the hand rolls. The prepared rice can be made several hours ahead and left standing at room temperature.

To prepare the salmon, set an oven rack or broiler pan about 4 inches from the broiler and preheat the broiler. Cut the salmon into 8 long strips and brush each strip with some of the kecap manis. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Cut the salmon skin into 8 long strips and brush each strip with some of the kecap manis. Arrange on the baking sheet. Broil the salmon and salmon skin until the skin begins to crackle and the salmon is bronzed, 3 minutes. Use a spatula or tongs to transfer the salmon to a plate. Turn the salmon skin over and broil until the skin is crackly and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

To assemble the hand rolls, cut each piece of nori in half lengthwise to form eight 7¼-by-4-inch rectangles. Have ready a small bowl with lukewarm water and a clean, dry linen towel. Working with one piece of nori at a time, arrange a sheet vertically, shiny side down, on the towel. Dampen your fingertips lightly. Spread about ⅓ cup rice on the lower half of the nori, patting it down lightly. Dampen your fingertips a bit more if the rice is sticking to your fingers. Use your finger or the back of a teaspoon to smear a diagonal line of wasabi paste across the rice. Stacking them together, place 1 piece salmon, 1 piece salmon skin, 2 chive stems, 2 to 3 strips cucumber, and 2 sprigs cilantro across the rice from the upper left corner to the bottom right.

To roll the nori, fold the lower left-hand corner of the nori over the filling towards the right side. Keep rolling the nori, now rolling over towards the left side to form a cone. Just before you get to the end, moisten your finger with a little water and moisten the top end of the nori to seal the edge of the cone. Place on a serving tray. Repeat to form 8 hand rolls. With a little practice, you’ll be able to assemble 2 at a time. Serve immediately, with little bowls of soy sauce for dipping. (The hand rolls can be made up to 2 hours ahead. Arrange on a serving platter and cover tightly with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out.)

COOK’S NOTES

Mirin is a Japanese sweet rice wine. Made from glutinous rice, mirin is low in alcohol, sweet, and light golden in color. It is used in sauces, glazes, and, of course, to flavor sushi rice. Mirin is sold in bottles and is available in the Asian section of supermarkets or at Japanese grocery stores. Store in the refrigerator once opened. • Kecap manis is an Indonesian sweet soy sauce flavored with palm sugar, garlic, star anise, and other spices. It is sweeter, more complex, and thicker than soy sauce. It is used as a marinade, glaze, and condiment in Indonesian dishes. Kecap manis is sold in bottles and is available in Asian grocery stores or, occasionally, in well-stocked supermarkets with a large Asian clientele. Store in a cool, dry place once opened.