Although the Boston roll is fun and delicious, check out our other easy sushi recipes for beginners here or visit our entire library of sushi rolls sorted alphabetically!
What you need to know before ordering a Boston Roll…
Boston rolls are made of boiled shrimp, cucumber, and avocado. A Boston roll typically has masago or capellin roe, otherwise known as fish eggs, on top to give it the crunch that a Boston roll is known for (although that is completely optional). This roll is popular as it is fully cooked and contains one of the most popular shell fish, shrimp! Below you will find FAQ, ingredients lists, and an easy at home recipe!
Main Ingredients
- Boiled Shrimp
SAUCES & Toppings
- Spicy Mayo Sauce (Optional)
- Masago (Optional)
VEGGIES & FILLING
- Creamy Avocado
- Crunchy Cucumber
Dipping Sauces
WANT THE RECIPE?
CANT DECIDE WHAT TO ORDER?
Don’t let the capelin roe (fish eggs) fool you, the Boston roll tastes awesome. This roll is a crowd favorite because of how easy it is to prepare and cook the shrimp and is a change of pace from a plane jane roll like the California roll.
You know it is an easy to make roll when the hardest part is cooking the rice (which is still pretty easy). In addition to cooking rice, you’ll also have to cool the shrimp. Follow our step by step instructions below and check out our favorite boiled shrimp recipe.
Click here to visit our sushi roll library!
What is a Boston Roll?
A Boston Roll is an inside-out sushi roll (meaning the rice is on the outside) that typically is made with boiled shrimp as the protein and is topped with masago or Capelin Roe which is fish eggs. This gives the roll a satisfying crunch! The Boston roll also includes cucumber and avocado.
What is the best way to serve and eat sushi?
When Serving Sushi:
Sushi is one of those fun meals that you will frequently see pop up on friends snapchat or instagram stories or whatever social media companies sharing application. Whether it is at a restaurant or in your own kitchen, sushi is extremely instagrammable. Sushi is very trendy and typically served at higher end restaurants, therefore there is a high likelihood that the group is either on a date night or out on the town and dressed accordingly! Lots of pictures are flying around on these kind of nights therefore the presentation of the sushi tends to get some notice!
Typically sushi is plated in a very eye catching and palatable pattern on plates that have good visual appeal, frequently made of melamine in traditional japanese fashion. Restaurants tend to make a big deal of the presentation. Some ways sushi is presented can be on a small wooden boat brought out to the table or even lit on fire!
When Eating Sushi:
Experienced sushi eaters know that sauces can make or break your eating experience. There are two ways that sauces can be eaten with sushi:
Sauces on or in the sushi roll
This tends to be sauces that are either mixed in with other ingredients or added as a topping. Examples of this are spicy mayo sauce which is frequently mixed in with shredded imitation crab or drizzled on top of the sushi roll in patterns that are visually appealing. Some other sauces that are put on top or in the sushi roll are unagi eel sauce and teriyaki sauce.
Sauces that the sushi roll can be dipped in
The first sauce and most popular that probably comes to mind is soy sauce. (I have linked my favorite soy sauce to the right or below on mobile). Soy sauce is cheap and can be found at any grocery store or restaurant. Soy sauce is also an ingredient in numerous other recipes, not just sushi or even japanese based recipes.
Soy sauce can be given a little extra heat by mixing wasabi into the soy sauce.
Boston Roll FAQ and Tips
Is a Boston roll raw?
The Boston roll contains boiled shrimp as it’s main ingredient making it a rully cooked sushi roll. The Boston roll does usually have Capelin Roe or fish eggs as a topping however.
What fish is in a Boston roll?
A Boston roll’s main ingredient is boiled shrimp making it a completely cooked sushi roll.
How many calories are in a Boston roll?
Although there are many variations of a Boston roll, it is safe to say that each roll contains less than 300 calories, making it a healthy option for a meal!
Is a Boston roll spicy?
Typically, no. The Boston roll has no ingredients that would make it considered spicy.
What other sushi rolls are like a Boston roll?
Boston rolls are so simple and so delicious! The Boston roll is a fully cooked roll that contains boiled shrimp as its main ingredient. Other rolls that are similar to the Boston roll are the shrimp tempura roll and shaggy dog roll as they both also contain shrimp.
Other simple rolls that are fully cooked like the Boston roll include the California roll, the spicy crab roll, and the Philadelphia roll if smoked salmon is used.
What is a Boston 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!
Nori Sheets (Seaweed): These sheets of dried seaweed work best for making sushi, are very healthy for you, and have relatively little flavor. Sheets of nori can be found at most grocery stores like Walmart, Kroger, or HEB. You can even order sheets of nori off of Amazon.
Boiled Shrimp: Boiled shrimp are the main ingredient in the Boston roll and make the Boston roll considered a fully cooked sushi roll. However boiled shrimp is not just a topping for sushi. Boiled shrimp is a great appetizer and goes great with cocktail sauce. A popular appetizer at resaurants is literally shrimp cocktail which is just boiled shrimp and cocktail sauce. Boiled shrimp is so easy to make, all you need is a stove and some ice cubes. Check out our perfect boiled shrimp recipe here!
Avocado: Avocado is found in most sushi rolls, not just the Boston roll. This is aside from the fact that avocado is just down right delicious and could be a topping on just about anything! 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 Boston roll. If you can find them, Japanese cucumbers are the best to use for sushi as they contain less water than traditional cucumbers. Below is an image of a Japanese cucumber, notice that it is longer and narrower than a traditional cucumber and does not contain seeds. Cucumbers are known for numerous health properties.
Boston 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)
- 20 Medium Shrimp (Roughly 1 pound, 5 per roll)
- 1 Small Cucumber (Sliced into matchsticks)
- 1 Small Avocado (Sliced into matchsticks)
- 6-8 tsp Masago (Capelin Roe)
- Ice cubes Enough to cover the shrimp in the pot
Cooking Equipment
- Medium size pot for stove
- Bamboo rolling mat inside a gallon bag
- cutting board and a sharp knife
Cooking Instructions
Preparation
- Cooking the shrimp can be done while the rice is being cooked. Put the shrimp in a medium sized pot and fill with water. Place the pot on the stove and put the heat on medium high and stir consistently. Do not worry about the water coming to a boil! once you start to see a couple shrimp float to the surface, pull them off the heat, drain the water, and dump ice cubes into the pot to make an ice bath. Once the shrimp are cool enough to handle, peel them and take off the tails. This is by far my favorite way to cook shrimp! Click this link to take you to our boiled shrimp recipe.
- Add the seasoned rice vinegar to the cooked sushi rice and mix together.
- 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!)
- 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
- 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.
- Now is time to add the Masago (Capelin Roe). Using a spoon, gently spread the masago evenly over the rice. This is what gives it its crunch! For more of a crunch, add more masago!
- 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.
- 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 whole pieces of shrimp (roughly 5 per roll).
- After the shrimp, add a row of cucumber and another row above that of avocado.
- 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 is touching the other side, squeezing down on the roll to make it nice and tight and allowing to hold its shape.
- Place the roll on a cutting board and get a knife and damp paper towel. Cut the toll 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.
- 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!
Boston Roll Sushi Recipe with Bold Ingredients
Equipment
- Medium size pot for stove
- Bamboo rolling mat inside a gallon bag
- cutting board and a sharp knife
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Cooked Sushi Rice (See below link in notes for easy sushi rice instructions)
- 1/4 Cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar
- 4 Half Sheets Nori (See below link in notes for folding instructions)
- 20 Medium Shrimp (Roughly 1 pound, 5 per roll)
- 1 Small Cucumber (Sliced into matchsticks)
- 1 Small Avocado (Sliced into matchsticks)
- 6-8 tsp Masago (Capelin Roe)
- Ice cubes Enough to cover the shrimp in the pot
Instructions
- Cooking the shrimp can be done while the rice is being cooked. Put the shrimp in a medium sized pot and fill with water. Place the pot on the stove and put the heat on medium high and stir consistently. Do not worry about the water coming to a boil! once you start to see a couple shrimp float to the surface, pull them off the heat, drain the water, and dump ice cubes into the pot to make an ice bath. Once the shrimp are cool enough to handle, peel them and take off the tails.This is by far my favorite way to cook shrimp! Click this link to take you to our boiled shrimp recipe.
- Add the seasoned rice vinegar to the cooked sushi rice and mix together.
- 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!)
- 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.
- 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.
- Now is time to add the Masago (Capelin Roe). Using a spoon, gently spread the masago evenly over the rice. This is what gives it its crunch! For more of a crunch, add more masago!
- 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.
- 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 whole pieces of shrimp (roughly 5 per roll).
- After the shrimp, add a row of cucumber and another row above that of avocado.
- 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 is touching the other side, squeezing down on the roll to make it nice and tight and allowing to hold its shape.
- Place the roll on a cutting board and get a knife and damp paper towel. Cut the toll 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.
- Serve with soy sauce, take some pictures for your friends, and enjoy!
Video
Loved it. Didn’t use the fish eggs but the shrimp were awesome.