We are on a bit of a kick with a specific type of meal at our house: sushi bowls. We usually get some prepared tuna or salmon (sushi-grade) and then top it on a bowl of rice with loads of fun toppings. I wanted to do a version of these bowls for the blog and landed on the idea for California Roll Bowls!
I like these bowls because A) they rhyme. And B) they don’t use sushi-grade fish so you can almost certainly make them no matter where you are at in the country.
These are a super healthy dinner option though and jam-packed with flavor. My kids absolutely love making their own and it’s even fancy enough to serve as a dinner party in my opinion!
What is a California Roll?
A California roll is one of the basic sushi rolls. It might be the most common sushi roll here in America. It’s rolled inside out usually which means the rice is on the outside and includes crab (usually imitation), avocado, and cucumber.
Here’s a version of a homemade California roll if you wanted to try to make one at home.
These ingredients go really well together and are easy to use on a rice bowl!
What type of seafood works for these bowls?
Normally, California rolls use some sort of crab or imitation crab in them so I wanted to stay in that world for these bowls.
Fresh crab is a bit too difficult to work with for an easy weeknight meal so that was out of the question for me.
You could use canned lump crab meat if you wanted. That would be absolutely great on these roll bowls.
For my money though, I like to use imitation crab or surimi sticks which are pressed pollock that has been seasoned and shaped into sticks which are easy to to slice and serve.
I found these at whole foods, but if you can’t find them any imitation crab will work great.
Cooking the rice for these bowls
If you want to go above and beyond for these bowls you can try to mirror sushi rice for these bowls. If you want to try that, use short grained rice, cook it according to instructions and then stir in a little splash of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt as it cools. Stir it together well and you’ll have a nice seasoned rice version.
For my bowls though, I just use a long-grained rice like jasmine rice which is easy to cook and goes well with all the flavors in the bowl.
If you don’t have a rice cooker, cook your rice by rinsing it well and then adding cold water to the rice until it’s about an inch above the rice layer in your pot. Then bring it to a simmer and stir it. Cover, turn heat down to low, and cook for 8-10 minutes until rice is tender. If it looks dry, add another splash of water or if it looks too watery then uncover it for a bit to let some of the water cook off.
Most importantly, when the rice is done, remove it from the heat, cover it, and let it steam for a few minutes. Then fluff with a fork.
My Favorite sauce for California Roll Bowls
This might sound kind of weird, but you’ll have to trust me that the best sauce for the California roll bowls isn’t soy sauce, but is a spicy mayo! The bowls actually need some fat and spice to them and the sauce is perfect.
I use a mix of Kewpie mayo (which is seasoned mayo) and sriracha hot sauce. I usually start with 1/2 cup of mayo and 2 tablespoons of hot sauce, but you can customize it to your liking.
Topping ideas for these California Roll Bowls
You can go crazy with the toppings for these bowls, almost using it as a reason to clean out the fridge! Here are some easy ideas though:
- Fresh peas or edamame
- Ripe avocado
- Thin-sliced cucumber
- Microgreens or herbs
- Grated carrots
- Furikake rice seasoning
- Scallions
- Ripe mango
- Fish roe
- Spicy peppers like Serrano
Leftovers
These California Roll Bowls make great leftovers because the imitation crab actually keeps fine for days even once it is opened. I would just store all the ingredients separately and then you an make a bowl on demand or pack it for lunch. It travels well and the ingredients keep well in your fridge for 4-5 days.
The fun part of making these bowls is the assembly! Add whatever ingredients you like and drizzle on the sauce. So good!
Not an imitation crab fan? Try my spicy salmon bowls!
California Roll Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 cups white rice, cooked
- 12 ounces imitation crab or surimi sticks, chopped
- 1 cup fresh peas, blanched
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 medium cucumber, sliced
- ½ cup grated carrots
- 1 cup micro greens or herbs
- Furikake Rice Seasoning, Garnish
Spicy Mayo:
- ½ cup kewpie mayo
- 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
Instructions
- Cook rice according to instructions. Once it has cooked and is tender, let rice cool slightly and fluff with a fork.
- For fresh peas, bring a small pot of salted water to a simmer. Blanch the peas for a minute or two in the salted water, then drain and let cool.
- Make the sauce by whisking together kewpie mayo and sriracha sauce.
- Assemble the bowls by adding a heap of rice to a bowl. Top with sliced avocado, cucumbers, peas, and top with greens or herbs. Drizzle with spicy mayo and then top with furikake rice seasoning.
- Serve these bowls fresh or if you are storing for later, store the ingredients separately and assemble fresh before eating.
Nutrition
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