This recipe was a sudden inspiration and turned out so well that I’ll be making it again soon. It’s a great way to have shrimp cocktail for a crowd–and it’s easy to transport, which is always a plus. It would make a great picnic dish.
Ingredients
Nori sheets for sushi
2 cups sushi rice
8-10 tablespoons sushi seasoning rice vinegar
8 oz raw shrimp (I used Argentinian red shrimp, but any shrimp would do)
1 avocado
3 ribs celery
1/2 cup chopped celery leaves
Cocktail sauce
Wasabi paste
Recipe
Rinse sushi rice until water runs clear, put in rice cooker and add 2 1/2 cup water. Prepare according to rice cooker directions, and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, prepare shrimp: skewer each shrimp with a toothpick so that it will remain straight when cooked. Bring a pot of water to simmer, add some peppercorns and a wedge of lemon. Add shrimp and cook until done, 3-4 minutes, remove from water and plunge into ice bath. Once cool, remove tooth picks.
Peel celery ribs, cut in half, and then cut into long strips. Blanch in boiling for 45-60 seconds, plunge into ice bath, drain.
Peel and slice avocado into thin wedges.
In large bowl, sprinkle with half the sushi vinegar, and gently work into rice, and repeat with rest of vinegar until rice is flavorful and holds together well.
Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap on the bamboo mat and lay sheet of nori on that. Keeping your fingers wet (I use a small bowl of water), spread out a layer of rice and place the shrimp, avocado, celery ribs, and chopped celery leaves on the bottom, as in the picture. Carefully roll the shrimp onto the rice, using the bamboo mat to tighten the roll.
Slice the rolls into sushi portions and arrange on platter around bowl of cocktail sauce. Garnish with lemon wedges and wasabi paste.
FoodIowa 