Learn how to make Boston roll with this easy sushi recipe! Loaded with poached shrimp, creamy avocado and cucumber, then rolled in toasted nori, sushi rice and crunchy masago. One of the easiest sushi rolls you can make at home! No raw fish!
Love sushi? Be sure check out Godzilla roll or Shrimp tempura roll. Yummy!
What is a Boston roll
Boston roll is an American version of Japanese rolled sushi (maki sushi). It is similar to California roll which contains imitation crab sticks, avocado and cucumber. Both California and Boston rolls are inside-out sushi rolls. This simply means that nori is on the inside and rice is on the outside. However, poached shrimp is used instead of imitation crab meat in Boston roll. And it is usually rolled in bright orange masago (Capelin roe) or tobiko (Japanese flying fish roe).
While Japan is the capital of sushi, Boston rolls originated in Eastern U.S. American chefs simply adapted Japanese recipes for American food culture and substituted raw fish with cooked shrimp or crab meat.
What’s in a Boston roll
A classic Boston roll includes avocado, crunchy cucumber and cooked shrimp. However, you can use even shrimp tempura for extra crunchy roll. All you need is to dip shrimp in the tempura batter and deep fry for 4 minutes. I used poached shrimp because this method is easier and you get healthier Boston rolls, yet full of flavor.
These sushi rolls are typically rolled in tobiko (or masago) that gives an incredible crunchy texture. Tobiko is usually more expensive, this is the reason why many Japanese restaurants use masago as a substitute. You can get tobiko at amazon or at your local Asian store. Sushi rice is available in many supermarkets.
How to make sushi rice
Rice is the key ingredient in any sushi roll. Be sure to check the package instruction for the best results. For most brands rice to water ratio is 1:1. If you plan to cook 1 cup of rice, you will need 1 cup of water. The cooked sushi is fluffy and doesn’t get mashy even after it is rolled. Try to use high quality Japanese short grain rice for this Boston roll recipe.
Allow the cooked rice to cool down to room temperature and stir in the rice vinegar and salt. You can cook rice in instant pot too, check my Instant pot jasmine rice for instructions.
How to poach shrimp
Get a large 3-4 quart pot. Fill it about ¾ full of water. Bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling, season with salt, add the shrimp, cover the pot and remove from the heat right away. Allow to stand until cooked through, about 3-6 minutes.
Transfer the cooked shrimp to a bowl filled with ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain.
How to make sushi rolls
- Prepare all of your ingredients. Prepare sushi rice, poach the shrimp, cut nori sheets in half, prep cucumber and avocado.
- Cover the bamboo mat with plastic. This will keep the mat clean and prevent the rice from sticking to the mat.
- Press the rice and tobiko. Begin to assembly sushi. Place the half of the nori on the mat with shiny side down. Spread about ¾ cup of rice evenly over nori. Top with a thin layer of tobiko. Flip over.
- Add the filling. Place 4 shrimp, 2 cucumber sticks and 2-3 avocado slices horizontally.
- Roll up the sushi. Fold the edge of the sushi mat over the filling to get a roll, finish rolling up the Boston roll until it is completely enclosed.
- Cut the sushi roll. Cut into 6-7 pieces, using a wet sharp knife.
Practice makes perfect! The more you will make homemade sushi the better you will become at this. You will need to try a few times to understand how much filling you need per roll, how thick the rice should be. And don’t worry about making them looking perfect! They will be delicious.
Where to buy nori sheets
The easiest way is to purchase nori sheets at amazon. You can get really good deals on bulk purchase.
You can also buy them in Walmart, Whole Foods (international aisle) and you will most probably get them at your local Asian market.
Good quality nori sheets have greenish black color and don’t have any holes. They are crisp and you can easily break them.
More Japanese-inspired recipes
Boston Roll Sushi Video
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Boston Roll Sushi
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8
Description
Learn how to make Boston roll with this easy sushi recipe! Loaded with poached shrimp, creamy avocado and cucumber, then rolled in toasted nori, sushi rice and crunchy masago.
Ingredients
For Sushi Rice
- Short grain sushi rice (uncooked)-1 cup
- Water- 1 cup
- Salt- ½ teaspoon
- Rice vinegar- 3 tablespoons
For Boston Sushi Roll
- Nori seaweed sheets (halved to get 4 pieces)-2
- Medium shrimp-16 , about 14 oz (400 g)
- Cucumber ( cut into ½-inch sticks)- 1
- Avocado (peeled, pitted and sliced into thin strips)-1
- Tobiko or masago-⅓ cup or as needed
For Serving
- Soy Sauce
- Wasabi paste
- Spicy mayo
Instructions
Cook the Sushi Rice
- Cook the rice according to the package instructions. Once it is cooked, allow to cool down to room temperature. Stir in the rice vinegar and mix well.
Cook the Shrimp
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the shrimp, cover the pot with the lid and immediately remove from the heat. Allow to stand until the shrimp is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking. Drain.
Boston Sushi Roll
- Cover the sushi mat with plastic wrap. This will prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo.
- Take a nori sheet and cut in half, using scissors. Place one half in the middle of the mat with shiny side down. You can use the entire nori sheet to make a larger roll.
- Keep a bowl of water nearby. Drench your hands and take a handful of rice. Spread about ¾ cup of rice in a thin even layer. Don't press the rice much!
- Spread about 6 teaspoons of tobiko (masago) over rice in a thin layer and flip the nori over. The rice side is down and nori is facing up.
- Place 4 shrimp, 2-3 slices of avocado and 2 sticks of cucumber on top of the nori.
- Roll the bamboo mat from the near edge away from you. Roll firmly, but don't apply too much pressure because the filling may come out of the sides. Remove from the mat and cut into 6-7 pieces with a WET knife. Repeat with the remaining nori sheets.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Category: Seafood recipes
- Cuisine: Japanese
Nutrition
- Calories: 49kcal
- Sodium: 61mg
- Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 23mg
Keywords: sushi, boston roll, boston roll sushi
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Shrimp recipes
I loved your blog! Your Boston sushi roll and shrimp tempura roll were fantastic. Thanks for detailed prep and instructions.
★★★★★
Thank you, Mary!
Finally I found the best Boston roll recipe!It tastes like sushi at my favorite Japanese sushi restaurant! Thanks for sharing . One question. Can I make them ahead of time?
★★★★★
Thank you, Elizabeth! Yes you can make make it 1-2 days ahead and refrigerate.