Recipes

Fresh Oyster Roll with Chile Cucumber

A fresh raw oyster makes such an elegantly simple topping for sushi. Choose small oysters if possible—large ones will swamp a delicate roll.

Makes 20 pieces

2 sheets nori seaweed
Seasoned Sushi rice
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
20 fresh small oysters, shucked

Chile Cucumber
½ cup white rice vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. mirin
1 3-inch piece of cucumber, halved, seeded, and cut into fine matchsticks
2 mild red chiles, halved, seeded, and finely sliced

Procedure
To make the chile cucumber, combine the vinegar, sugar, and mirin in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Put the cucumber and chiles in a plastic bowl and pour over the cooled vinegar mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

When ready to assemble the rolls, put a sheet of nori, rough side up, on a rolling mat, a piece of plastic wrap, or a clean cloth, with the long edge toward you. Add half of the sushi rice and spread it out in a thin layer, leaving about ¾ inch of bare nori on the far edge. Lift the edge of the mat closest to you and start rolling the sushi away from you. You may need a little water along the far edge to seal it. Press the roll into an oval. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make a second roll. Using a clean, wet knife, slice each roll in half, then each half into 5 even pieces, making 20 altogether.

Sprinkle lemon juice over the oysters. Top each piece of sushi with an oyster and a little chile cucumber, then serve.