Summary: Sushi made with short-grain rice cooked in a 1:1.2 ratio and seasoned with rice vinegar. The foundation is maki rolled in a bamboo mat and nigiri shaped by hand. The rice is rinsed before cooking until the water runs clear, and after seasoning it cools to room temperature. Salmon and tuna are sliced with a wet knife against the grain. Total time 105 minutes, makes 6 servings.
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Category: fish-and-seafood, japanese-cuisine
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Quick overview
- Dish: Sushi – rice seasoned with rice vinegar combined with fresh fish, seafood, vegetables or other ingredients
- Category: fish-and-seafood, japanese-cuisine
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Main ingredient: Japanese short-grain rice, 900 g (rinsed, drained) (quality specification)
- Guide: 12 most famous Japanese dishes: traditional recipes from Japanese cuisine
- Total time: 105 minutes (45 min preparation + 60 min cooking)
- Difficulty: Advanced
- Servings: 6 (Serving weight: 360 g)
- Key technique: Cooking rice in a 1:1.2 ratio and slicing with a wet knife against the grain of the fish
- Preparation types: Classic cooking, hand shaping
- Dietary info & allergens: fish (salmon, tuna), soya (soy sauce), gluten (soy sauce)
- Suitable for: Festive dinner, celebration for six to eight people, romantic dinner, evening with friends at a Japanese table, home version of a restaurant classic.
- Nutritional values (per 1 serving): 565, Protein: 30.0 g, Fat: 12.0 g, Carbohydrates: 89.0 g
- Storage: 1 day in the fridge, 0 months in the freezer
- Pairing: Japanese light lager, dry white wine, sencha green tea
- In short: Sushi made with short-grain rice cooked in a 1:1.2 ratio and seasoned with rice vinegar. Total time 105 minutes, serves 6.
WAGUU says: “”Sushi isn’t about the fish. It’s about the rice – if the rice doesn’t have the right temperature and moisture, even the best fish won’t save it.””
Key facts
| Preparation time: | 45 |
| Cooking time: | 60 |
| Temperature: | Rice cooked covered over low heat, water at 100 °C, rice cools to 30–35 °C after seasoning |
| Number of servings: | 6 |
At a glance
Sushi comes together in two steps that can’t be skipped: the rice must be rinsed until clean and cooled to hand temperature after seasoning, and the fish must be sliced in a single stroke with a wet knife. Rice vinegar isn’t just flavour – it’s the acid that keeps the grains firm and prevents bacterial growth. When rice is pressed with wet hands, the grains break apart and the roll won’t hold. When fish is sliced with pressure, the fibres crush and lose their juices.
Ingredients
Base servings: 6 servings • Serving weight: 360 g
| Ingredient | Amount | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese short-grain rice | 900 g | koshihikari variety or other short-grain, harvested within the last year |
| water for cooking rice | 1080 ml | soft, chlorine-free |
| rice vinegar | 120 ml | clear, 4.5 % acidity |
| caster sugar | 45 g | fine, white |
| fine sea salt | 4 g | for the vinegar mixture |
| salmon fillet | 320 g | fresh, sashimi grade, skinless and boneless |
| tuna steak | 320 g | fresh, dark red, sashimi grade |
| avocado | 1 pcs | ripe, soft to the touch, 200 g |
| cucumber | 1 pcs | firm, seedless, 300 g |
| spring onions | 4 pcs | fresh, with firm stalks |
| nori sheets | 6 pcs | toasted, 21 × 19 cm format |
| wasabi paste | 20 g | hot, without colourings |
| soy sauce | 75 ml | naturally fermented, dark |
| pickled ginger | 80 g | thin slices, sweet and sour brine |
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Rice is the foundation, not a side: Three hundred grams of raw rice for six servings, rinsed until the water runs clear and seasoned with vinegar. The taste of sushi rests on the rice; the fish complements it.
- Two types in one batch: Maki rolled in a mat and nigiri shaped by hand. You’ll learn both in one method and choose what suits you.
- Exact ratios for 6 servings: Rice, vinegar, sugar and salt in a ratio that keeps the grains firm. Amounts recalculate based on the actual number of diners.
Success guaranteed: Rice vinegar lowers the pH of the rice to around 4.2. In an acidic environment, starch grains stay firmer and the rice doesn’t turn to mush when shaping. Rinsing before cooking removes free starch from the surface of the grains – otherwise it would release into the water and make the rice sticky. The 1:1.2 ratio gives the rice enough water to swell, but not so much that the grains go soft. Fat in salmon and tuna is stored in thin layers between muscle fibres. A cut made against the grain shortens these fibres, so they don’t tear into long strands when bitten. Cooled rice holds its shape when shaping because set starch resists finger pressure better.
Recipe overview
Preparation: 45 min min | Cooking: 60 min min | Difficulty: Advanced | Servings: 6 | Type: Main course | Origin: Japanese
Detailed method
Total process: 6 % done
Phase 1: Rinsing and draining the rice – 15 min
Appliances: none
1. Tip the rice into a wide bowl, cover with cold water and rinse with a circular motion of your hand. Pour off the water, add fresh and repeat until the water stays clear after stirring. Then transfer the rice to a sieve and leave to drain until only occasional drops fall.
2. Leave the drained rice to rest in the sieve under a damp cloth. During resting, the grains absorb the remaining surface water and cook evenly.
VKB: The water after the final rinse is as clear as tap water. The grains in the sieve are loose, not clumping together, and slip between your fingers when pressed.
Before you move to the next step:
Don’t rinse the rice under running water in a sieve with holes that are too small. The grains break apart and too many are lost. Rinse in a bowl and change the water.
Phase 2: Cooking the rice – 20 min
Appliances: heavy-based saucepan with lid, hob
1. Tip the drained rice into a heavy-based saucepan and pour over the measured water. Cover with a lid and place over medium heat. As soon as the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and cook covered until all the water is absorbed.
2.Take the pan off the heat and leave the rice to rest with the lid on. During resting, the steam inside evens out and the grains finish cooking through evenly. Do not lift the lid – escaping steam will dry the rice out.
VKB:You cannot hear water boiling in the pan and no fresh droplets form on the lid. When you tilt the pan, the rice does not hold together but slides apart. A grain pressed between your fingers gives way but does not squash into a paste.
Before you move to the next step:
Do not lift the lid during cooking and do not stir the rice. Every time you uncover the pan, steam escapes – the very steam that cooks the rice – and the grains stay hard inside.
Phase 3: Seasoning with the vinegar mixture – 10 min
Equipment: small saucepan, wide wooden bowl
1.Warm the rice vinegar with the sugar and salt in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil the mixture – just heat it until it feels warm to the touch. Tip the rice out of the pan into a wide wooden bowl and spread it evenly up the sides.
2.Pour the vinegar mixture around the edge of the bowl, not into the middle, and fold the rice with a flat paddle using a cutting motion. Bring the paddle down through the rice and lift it, rather than stirring it round and round. Keep folding until the rice has cooled to hand temperature.
VKB:The rice is glossy, the grains separate and do not clump together. Breathe in above the bowl and you catch the sharpness of vinegar, but the rice itself does not smell strongly of it. The bowl under the rice is not wet.
Before you move to the next step:
Do not stir the rice in circles and do not press down on it with the paddle. Pressure crushes the grains and makes the rice glue together. Bring the paddle down through the rice and let it glide.
Phase 4: Preparing the fish and fillings – 12 min
Equipment: fridge, long sharp knife, chopping board
1.Take the salmon and tuna out of the fridge and let them stand until the surface no longer feels ice-cold. Lay the fillets on the board and cut them with a single long drawing stroke of the knife, across the grain, into strips of even thickness. Dip the knife in water with a drop of vinegar between cuts and wipe it dry.
2.Halve the avocado, remove the stone and cut the flesh into long thin slices. Peel the cucumber, halve it, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut the flesh into strips the same length as the fish. Slice the spring onion thinly on the diagonal.
VKB:The fish strips hold their shape, there are no juices on the cut surface and the pieces do not stick to the board. The avocado is creamy and has not browned where it was cut. The cucumber strips are the same length as the fish strips.
Before you move to the next step:
Do not rinse the fish under water and do not leave it on the board at room temperature for more than fifteen minutes. Pat any moisture off the surface of the fish with kitchen paper.
Phase 5: Rolling maki and shaping nigiri – 25 min
Equipment: bamboo mat, wooden bowl of vinegared water
1.Lay the bamboo mat on the work surface and place a sheet of nori on it, shiny side down. With wet hands, spread a layer of rice over the nori, leaving a strip bare along the top edge. Lay the strips of fish, avocado, cucumber and spring onion rings down the middle.
2.Fold the mat over the filling and press firmly, then push the roll forward and keep rolling. Leave the finished roll to sit seam-side down for a moment. For nigiri, take a handful of rice in your palm, press it lightly into an oval and lay a slice of fish over the top, pressing it onto the rice with your thumb and forefinger.
VKB:The roll holds its shape, springs back only slightly when pressed gently and the filling does not poke out. The nori sits tight against the rice all the way round. On the nigiri, the slice of fish covers the whole surface and no rice shows at the sides.
Before you move to the next step:
Do not press the rice onto the nori with your palm. Pressure crushes the grains and the roll falls apart when you cut it. Spread the rice with your fingertips and leave a bare strip along the edge of the nori.
Phase 6: Cutting and serving – 8 min
Equipment: sharp knife, damp cloth
1.Place the roll seam-side down on the board and make each cut in a single stroke, wiping the knife with a damp cloth after every piece. Cut the roll into pieces of even width. Stand the nigiri on the plate at an angle, fish side up.
2.Add slices of pickled ginger to the finished pieces and wasabi in a small dish. Pour the soy sauce into separate dishes so the rice is not dipped before serving.
VKB:The cuts are straight, the filling stays inside the roll and there are no traces of rice on the board. The pieces stand on the plate on their own without overlapping.
Equipment needed
| Utensils | Ideal size | Alternative | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| bamboo mat | 24 × 24 cm, thin slats | sturdy cling film folded over a tea towel | a coarse mat with thick slats distorts the roll as you roll it |
| fish knife | 24 cm blade, thin and smooth | a long smooth knife without serrations | a serrated blade tears the fish and crushes the fibres |
| wide wooden bowl | 30 cm diameter | a large shallow stainless steel bowl | a narrow bowl stops you folding the rice and the grains stick together |
| heavy-based pan | 3 l capacity, tight-fitting lid | a rice cooker with a sushi rice setting | a thin base scorches the rice at the bottom before the water is absorbed |
| kitchen scales | 1 g resolution | a rice measuring cup and precise water measurement | guessing the water quantity decides whether the rice holds its shape |
Shopping list
Nutritional profile
Values per 1 portion (without sides). Calculated from average nutritional values of the ingredients.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 portion | For 6 portions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 657 kJ / 157 kcal | 2364 kJ / 565 kcal | 14184 kJ / 3390 kcal |
| Fat | 3.3 g | 12.0 g | 72.0 g |
| of which saturates | 1.0 g | 3.7 g | 22.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 24.7 g | 89.0 g | 534.0 g |
| of which sugars | 1.4 g | 5.1 g | 30.6 g |
| Protein | 8.3 g | 30.0 g | 180.0 g |
| Salt | 0.5 g | 1.7 g | 10.2 g |
Reference intake of an average adult (8400 kJ / 2000 kcal).
WAGUU Pro level
- Pro standard: A tested recipe with precise ratios and visual checkpoints.
- Tip 1: A tested recipe with precise ratios and visual checkpoints.
- Tip 2: Rinse the rice in a bowl with a circular motion of your hand, changing the water until it runs clear. This takes eight to ten changes and decides whether the rice ends up separate or sticky.
- Tip 3: Dip the fish knife in water with a drop of vinegar and cut with a single stroke. Pressure crushes the fibres and juice runs out of the slice onto the board.
- Tip 4: When shaping nigiri, wet your hands only lightly in the vinegared water. Hands that are too wet make the rice soggy; dry hands stick to it and crush the grains.
The science behind it
Sushi rice is cooked in a ratio that leaves the grains enough water to swell, but not so much that they burst. Short-grain varieties contain more amylopectin than long-grain, which is why they turn sticky on the surface after cooking while still holding their shape inside. Rinsing removes free starch that would otherwise leach into the water and form a sticky film on the grains. Rice vinegar lowers the pH, and in an acidic environment the grains stay firmer, so the rice does not turn wet once seasoned. The sugar and salt in the vinegar mixture are not just for flavour: salt partly draws water out of the surface of the grains and sugar balances the sharpness of the vinegar. With fish, the direction of the cut matters. Muscle fibres run lengthwise, and cutting across the grain shortens them, so a piece does not pull apart into a long fibre that stays between your teeth. Fat stored between the fibres stays in the slice and melts on the tongue at room temperature. That is why salmon and tuna should not be cut straight from the fridge – cold fat has no flavour.
Fine Dining – Professional techniques
- Plate composition: Stand the nigiri on the plate at an angle, fish side up, leaving a finger’s width between pieces. Lay a thin slice of ginger beside each piece.
- Texture contrasts: Put a piece of avocado and cucumber in the roll alongside the fish. Soft avocado and crisp cucumber contrast with the firm core of rice.
- Temperature contrast:Serve wasabi separately in a small dish. Mixed into the rice it loses its sharpness and overpowers the fish.
- Aromatic accompaniments:Before serving, wipe the rim of the plate with vinegar water and place a slice of ginger on it. The aroma of vinegar and ginger mingles with the scent of the rice before the first bite.
Sensory radar
- Appearance:Rice white, glossy and loose, grains hold together but are not sticky. Salmon slices orange with white fat lines, tuna dark red. Nori dark green to black, matte.
- Aroma:Sharp vinegar aroma from the rice, followed by fresh sea fish and a hint of seaweed. Wasabi adds a pungent note that rises to the nose.
- Taste:Sour and slightly sweet rice, clean taste of fish, saltiness of soy sauce on the edge. Wasabi burns in the nose, not on the tongue.
- Texture:Rice soft but grainy and slightly sticky. Fish breaks into fine flakes when bitten. Nori offers a brief resistance that snaps immediately.
Pairing
- Japanese light lager:Gentle bitterness and high carbonation cleanse the palate between pieces. Serve chilled at 6–8 °C.
- Dry white wine:Riesling or Pinot Blanc with higher acidity. The wine’s acidity pairs with the vinegared rice and balances the flavour.
- Sencha green tea:Warm, but not boiling. The tea’s bitterness cuts through the fat in salmon and refreshes the mouth between bites.
Different preparation methods
- Nigiri::Instead of a roll, shape oval mounds of rice by hand and top with a slice of fish. You save nori and the fish comes into direct contact with the rice.
- Vegetarian roll::Replace fish with avocado, cucumber, carrot cut into thin strips and pickled radish. The rice and vinegar remain the same.
Allergens and dietary information
Contains:fish (salmon, tuna), soya (soy sauce), gluten (soy sauce) • Gluten:yes, in soy sauce (wheat) • Not suitable for:people with coeliac disease, fish and soya allergy
Suitable for
Festive dinner, celebration for six to eight people, romantic dinner, evening with friends at a Japanese table, home version of a restaurant classic.
Substitution catalogue
- Rice vinegar::white wine vinegar diluted with water in a 3:1 ratio with an extra half teaspoon of sugar. The taste is sharper and less sweet.
FAQ
What rice should I use for sushi?
Short-grain variety, preferably koshihikari. It contains a higher proportion of amylopectin, so after cooking it holds its shape but is sticky on the surface. Long-grain rice scatters after seasoning with vinegar and the roll does not hold.
Can I season the rice in advance?
Let the seasoned rice cool to hand temperature and use within two hours. In the fridge the grains harden and lose moisture. If you must delay, cover the bowl with a damp cloth.
Why dip the knife in vinegar water?
Water with vinegar reduces friction between the blade and the rice. A dry knife sticks to the rice, tears the grains and the cut is not straight. Always wipe the knife with a damp cloth between cuts.
Is sushi safe from fresh fish?
Buy fish from a supplier who labels it as suitable for raw consumption. After purchase, keep it in the fridge and use within 24 hours. Freezing at low temperature reduces the risk of parasites, so it is worth asking the supplier about this.
How to prevent the roll from falling apart?
Spread the rice in a thin layer, leave a free strip at the top edge of the nori and roll firmly but without pressing with your palms. The rice should not be wet or soggy.
What can I use instead of rice vinegar?
White wine vinegar diluted with water in a ratio of three parts vinegar to one part water and with an extra half teaspoon of sugar. The taste will be sharper and less sweet, but the rice will stay firm.
WAGUU Petr advises: Cooking for 6 or more people?
6–8 people:Prepare two bamboo mats and roll in two batches. Keep the rice in a bowl covered with a damp cloth so it does not dry out, and cut the maki just before serving. • 10+ people:Choose the nigiri option – shaping by hand is faster than rolling and uses less nori. Slice the fish in advance and store it in the fridge on a plate under cling film.
Side dishes and serving
Serving:Serve with a bowl of soy sauce, slices of pickled ginger and wasabi. A light soup and green tea are served with sushi. Assemble the sushi on the plate just before serving; in the fridge the rice hardens.
Storage and reheating
Fridge: 1 days • Freezer: 0 months • Reheating:Fridge: 1 day • Freezer: not recommended, rice loses its structure • Reheating: sushi is not reheated. Let the rolls sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, the rice softens and the flavour returns.
Author: WAGUU Petr & Team • Published: 7 Oct 2026 • Updated: 10 Oct 2026
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Most common mistakes
- Rice not rinsed thoroughly – free starch from the surface of the grains remains in the water and the rice sticks together into a mush. Rinse until the water is clear, and only then cook the rice.
- Rice seasoned while hot – the vinegar evaporates and the grains absorb too much liquid. Spread the rice in a wide bowl, pour over the vinegar mixture and fold until cool.
- Fish cut with pressure – the fibres are crushed, juice leaks out and the slice falls apart. Guide the knife in a single stroke against the grain and wipe it between cuts.
- Wet hands when shaping – wet hands make the rice soggy and the roll falls apart when cut. Moisten your hands only lightly with vinegar water and wipe them after each piece.