Heirloom Tomato Sushi

August 31, 2022

 

There’s nothing better than juicy, fresh tomato on rice. We love traditional sushi, but this version celebrates the fresh, pure flavor of summer vegetables and is easy to make at home. Even if they don’t turn out picture perfect, they will be yummy! This recipe breaks down how to make scallion and sesame heirloom tomato nigiri (our favorite), heirloom tomato nigiri with nori, and cucumber sushi rolls.

 

Ingredients

2 cups sushi rice
5 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
nori sheets
1 Local Roots heirloom tomato, large
2 stalks green onion
1 Local Roots cucumber
1 tsp salt
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
toasted sesame seeds
Wasabi Fumi Furikake (optional)

 

Directions

1. Cook the sushi rice. Rinse the sushi rice until the water runs clear to prevent sticking. Drain the rice and mix together 2 ½ cups of water, 5 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt. On low heat, cook for 20-25 minutes until the water is absorbed. Keep covered and allow to cool until you are able to handle it.
2. Slice the heirloom tomato, then salt each slice and set aside. Thinly slice the cucumber along its long side until you have thin sheets of cucumber, then salt and set aside. Finely chop the green onion into a garnish and set aside.
3. To make the scallion and sesame heirloom tomato nigiri, fill a small bowl with water. Wet your hands slightly and grasp a small palmful of rice. Mold the rice with your fingers by making a flattened C shape with the index finger and thumb of your dominant hand. Begin shaping the rice into a long oval. Use your non-dominant hand to support and to help compress and shape the rice.
1. When the rice is shaped, cut the tomato to fit the rice and lay the seasoned tomato on top of the rice. Sprinkle the tomato with the green onion garnish, toasted sesame seeds, and a few drops of toasted sesame oil. Enjoy!
4. To make the heirloom tomato nigiri with the nori band, follow the same steps to shape the rice as the scallion and sesame heirloom tomato nigiri. We recommend using the curved end slices of tomato for this application. Slice the seasoned tomato to fit the shape of the rice. Take a sheet of nori and firmly fold it in half, then tear into a rectangle. Fold it in half again, then again, to create a thin strip of nori. Gently wrap the nori band around the tomato and the rice. If it does not stick, you can slightly wet the bottom of the band. Enjoy!
5. To make the cucumber sushi rolls, place a full sheet of nori shiny side down on a sushi mat or wax paper (any kind of non-stick sheet). Wet your fingers and then spread a thin layer of rice on top of the nori, leaving an inch of nori without rice at the top. If using furikake, sprinkle the furikake over the rice. If not using, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the rice. 
1. Lay the seasoned cucumber horizontally across the rice. Lift the sushi mat/wax paper and curl the nori over until it is touching the rice — you want to create a tight roll. Lift the rolled section and roll tightly again until you come to the end of the nori. 
2. Set the sushi roll on a flat surface and gently cut with a sharp knife. Serve and enjoy!

 

This recipe was created by Local Roots contributor Irena Huang / @irena__huang

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