A salmon sushi roll can look like something only a trained chef can pull off. At home, it comes together on a bamboo mat.

Start with rice that spreads evenly, then shape the roll without squeezing the filling out. The way you slice it matters as much as the way you roll it.

Ingredients

The rice, salmon, and nori form the rolls. If you want a sharper bite or a little crunch, add any of the optional ingredients below:

- 1 cup short-grain Japanese rice

- 1 cup water for cooking, plus more for rinsing and assembly

- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

- 1 tablespoon sugar

- 1 teaspoon salt

- About 4 ounces center-cut salmon, previously frozen and sold for raw preparation

- 2 sheets nori

- A thin smear of wasabi (optional)

- A few cucumber matchsticks (optional)

- A sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional)

This recipe makes two rolls.

Choosing the Salmon

Ask the fish counter for a previously frozen center-cut fillet intended to be eaten raw. The thicker middle of the fillet is easier to cut into even pieces than the thin tail end. Look for firm flesh with no gaps between the layers and a mild smell.

Properly freezing fish for sushi reduces the risk of parasites, however, it does not remove every food safety risk. If the seller cannot confirm the salmon is intended for raw preparation, use cooked salmon instead.

Steps

Set out a bamboo mat, plastic wrap, a wooden paddle, a wide bowl, a clean cutting board, and a sharp slicing blade. Leave the salmon in the refrigerator while you prepare the rice. Then follow these steps:

1. Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Drain it, then cook it with 1 cup of water.

2. While the rice cooks, warm the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt together until the sugar and salt dissolve. Fold the mixture into the hot rice with a wooden paddle. Use a light touch so the grains keep their shape.

3. Spread the seasoned rice in a wide bowl and fan it until it is lukewarm. If the rice still seems too wet to spread, spread it out more thinly so the excess steam can escape.

4. Pat the salmon dry and cut it across the visible muscle lines into pieces about half an inch thick and 4 inches long. Cutting across those lines makes the pieces easier to bite through. Use a light touch so the blade slides through without pressing the fish flat.

5. Cover the bamboo mat with plastic wrap and lay a sheet of nori shiny side down. Dampen your hands so the rice does not stick to them. Spread about 3/4 cup of rice evenly over the nori, leaving a 1-inch band bare at the far edge.

6. Lay two or three pieces of salmon across the third of the sheet nearest you. If using wasabi, smear it thinly along the salmon. If using cucumber, lay the matchsticks alongside the fish.

7. Lift the near edge of the mat and fold the nori over the filling. Press gently to shape the roll, then pull the mat back so it stays outside the nori as you roll forward. Dampen the bare band with a fingertip and finish rolling to seal it.

8. Slice the roll promptly; nori softens once it touches damp rice and can tear if left to sit. Cut it into six to eight pieces with a damp blade, using one smooth pull per cut. Wipe the blade between cuts, then repeat with the remaining nori and filling.

Storing Leftovers

Make only as much sushi as you plan to eat that day. If you are not serving it straight away, keep it refrigerated. Wrap any unused salmon and return it to the refrigerator promptly. Refrigerate leftover rice promptly in a separate container rather than leaving it on the counter.

Set the pieces cut side up on the serving plate. If using sesame seeds, toast them in a dry pan until fragrant and sprinkle them over the cut faces just before serving.