Smoked salmon is easier to find than you think! It can be found at most grocery stores, especially if there is a seafood department. Alaska roll ingredients are readily available at most grocery stores and you don’t have to use raw fish so you do not have to be worried if this first date is going to go sideways because you decided to filet a salmon in your kitchen. Best of all, you can bust out 4 of these and be eating within 20 minutes! In all honesty, the hardest part is making the rice (which is super easy anyways). Just don’t forget to wet your hands!

Enjoy!

What is an Alaska Roll?

An Alaska Roll, also known as an Alaskan roll, is an inside-out sushi roll (meaning the rice is on the outside) that typically is made with smoked, raw, or canned salmon and imitation crab as the two proteins. Alaska roll ingredients also include avocado, cucumber, and spicy mayo sauce to give it a little extra kick. The Alaska sushi roll goes right up there with the Philadelphia roll and California roll in terms of how easy it is to make and features two easy to find meats within the roll!

Major life hack: try looking for canned salmon which can usually be found by the canned tuna, or follow the link to find it on Amazon. This works just as well and is delicious.

Alaska Roll FAQ and Tips

Is an Alaska sushi roll raw?

The Alaska roll contains raw salmon, however this can easily be substituted for smoked or canned salmon making it a fully cooked roll.

What fish is in an Alaska sushi roll?

An Alaska roll’s main fish is salmon, which is typically raw although can be substituted for smoked or canned salmon. Additionally, most Alaska rolls contain imitation crab.

How many calories are in an Alaska roll?

Although there are many variations of an Alaska roll, it is safe to say that each roll contains less than 200 calories making it a healthy and delicious choice!

Is an Alaska roll spicy?

Typically, no. However we highly recommend adding spicy mayo sauce as a topping or mixed in with the imitation crab to give it an extra kick!

What other sushi rolls are like an Alaska sushi roll?

The Alaska roll is extremely popular… I mean extremely popular. This is mostly because this roll at restaurants is typically still at a lower price point but combines numerous types of meat (salmon and crab). To find other sushi rolls in the same price range, typically you have to look at the more premium rolls like the shaggy dog roll, rainbow roll, or dragon roll.

What is an Alaska roll made of?

Sushi Rice: It is very important to use sushi rice instead of traditional long grain white rice when making sushi. Sushi rice and normal white rice differ in the fact that sushi rice is short grain and has more starch and protiens than long grain rices which is the traditional kind. The increased levels of starch and protein makes the sushi rice sticky which allows you to shape it into a roll. Click here to read our post about why you should use sushi rice instead of white rice!

Imitation Crab: Did you know that the vast majority of crab used in sushi is actually imitation crab? Imitation crab is made of starch and finely diced white fish and shaped to imitate the look of real crab meat from a crab leg. Real crab meat can be used as well, however it is not as easily found and is expensive and messy. Imitation crab can be found at any grocery store. Check out these other sushi rolls that contain crab!

Smoked, Canned, or Raw Salmon: Finding sushi grade salmon can pose a challenge to at home sushi makers. Raw salmon for sushi must be designated safe for consuming raw, do not assume all salmon can be eaten raw! With that in mind, alternative options for using raw salmon are smoked or canned salmon. My preference is smoked salmon which still has a great fresh flavor. Both of these options are easy to find in your grocery store.

Spicy Mayo Sauce: Most people come to the Alaska roll for flavor at an affordable price. Do yourself a favor and add spicy mayo sauce. This delicious topping can add a kick to liven up numerous dishes, not just sushi! Spicy mayo sauce is just a combination of sriracha and mayonnaise. You can make the sauce spicier by adding more sriracha and mellower by adding more mayo. Check out our recipe here.

Nori Sheets (Seaweed): Sheets of dried seaweed, otherwise called nori, are what are used to align the guts of the sushi roll. Nori is very healthy for you, and has relatively little flavor. Sheets of nori can be found at most grocery stores like Walmart, Kroger, or HEB or can even be ordered off of Amazon.

Avocado: Avocado is found in most sushi rolls, not just the rainbow roll, not to mention the fact that avocado is just down right delicious! To pick an avocado, look for dark skin colors and place them in the palm of your hand. If it is to firm, it is not ripe yet. If it is to squishy, it is overripe. You should be looking for a dark skinned avocado that you can give a slight squeeze!

Cucumber: Cucumber is found in the majority of sushi rolls, not only in the Alaska roll. The best cucumbers to use for sushi are what are called “japanese cucumbers” which are known to be straight, thin, and contain less water than a traditional cucumber. Cucumbers are known for numerous health properties.

Alaska Roll Ingredients

• 2 Cups Cooked Sushi Rice (Click link for easy sushi rice instructions)
• 1/4 Cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar
• 4 Half Sheets Nori (Click link for folding instructions)
• 4 Sticks Imitation Crab Sliced into 1/2 inch pieces to make 8 total sticks
• 8-12 oz Smoked Salmon, canned salmon, or sushi grade raw salmon!
• 1 Small Avocado (Sliced into matchsticks)
• 1 Small Cucumber (Sliced into matchsticks)
• 1/2 Cup Spicy Mayo Sauce (This is optional but highly recommended, click link for easy instructions!)
• 1 tsp Sesame Seeds (optional)

Cooking Instructions

Preparation

1. Add the seasoned rice vinegar to the cooked sushi rice and mix together.
2. Place your bamboo rolling mat inside a plastic gallon bag (trust us, this makes clean up much easier, all you have to do is throw out the bag and roll up your bamboo mat!)
3. Place one half sheet of nori on the rolling mat (remember we tore the full sheet in half hamburger style) with the rough side facing up.

Making the Roll

1. ONLY ONCE THE RICE HAS COOLED, grab a handful of rice and cover the rough side of the nori leaving a 1 inch gap at the top without any rice. If using sesame seeds, sprinkle them over the rice. Grab the nori by the top, and flip it over so the rice is against the bamboo rolling mat and the 1 inch gap is now on the bottom.
2. Starting 1/3 of the way up from the bottom begin to align the “guts” of the sushi roll in a horizontal line beginning with the imitation crab. It should take 2 sticks of imitation crab to go across the nori horizontally.
3. If using smoked or raw salmon, skip to step 4. If using canned salmon, add a layer above the imitation crab before step 4 and you can skip step 6!
4. After the meats, add a row of cucumber and another row above that of avocado.
5. Grab both the sushi mat and the nori and roll the mat over from the bottom until the empty space we left at the bottom of the nori is touching the other side, squeezing down on the roll to make it nice and tight and allowing to hold its shape.
6. Once the roll is formed, it is time to add a “blanket” of smoked or raw salmon over the top of the roll by adding strips of smoked salmon across the top of the roll. If using canned salmon you can skip this step.

Sauces & Presentation

1. If not using the spicy mayo sauce, you can skip this step. Once the roll is formed and the blanket of salmon has been placed on top, it is time to add the spicy mayo sauce! There are two ways to do this:
   1. The easy way is to just spread it across the top of the roll with a fork
   2. The “Instagram-worthy-way” is to put the spicy mayo sauce in a small bag, cut off the corner and then push the sauce out of the bag while doing zig-zags up and down the roll, just like decorating a cake with icing.
2. Place the roll on a cutting board and get a knife and damp paper towel. Cut the roll into 8 equal sizes (easiest if you start by cutting the roll in half). Before you make each cut DAMPEN THE KNIFE WITH THE PAPER TOWEL or else the roll will fall apart when you slice through it.
3. Serve with soy sauce, take some pictures for your friends, and enjoy!

If you enjoyed this recipe or have feedback, please scroll down and leave a rating, comment, or critique!

See our printer friendly recipe version below!

Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind while making sushi

• Check out our easy rice recipe here!
• Always wet your hands before handling rice. Rice is extremely sticky!
• While on the topic of rice.. please wait for it to cool. Getting excited and touching hot rice is no fun.
• Use a wet paper towel and wipe down your knife between cuts while slicing your rolls! If you do not, the roll will fall apart!