CAROLINA ROLLS – KETO SUSHI

You don’t have to give up sushi if you’re on a keto diet! Thinly sliced cucumber, cauliflower rice, and plenty of fresh avocado make up this low-carb California Roll. In honor of California Avocado Month, here’s a healthful and refreshing appetizer or snack.

On a white dish, Keto Sushi wrapped in finely sliced cucumber.

TO MAKE KETO SUSHI, FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
Because June is California Avocado Month, and we’re aiming to portray avocados in their most iconic California form, I decided to take on this faux sushi challenge. What could be more iconic California than California rolls, my friends?

Even if they aren’t quite in the “traditional” style. I’d had it in my head for a long time to make low-carb sushi by wrapping everything in thin cucumber strips. And I realized that if I lay the cucumber strips side by side, overlapping them a little, I could construct one continuous roll instead of multiple pieces, similar to a conventional California Roll. I’m sure this isn’t an original concept of mine, but I was delighted with the result and it worked flawlessly.

Plastic wrap is being used to roll up the keto sushi.

It was not my idea to incorporate cream cheese into the cauliflower rice to help it hold together. I’ve seen other keto bloggers do it, but I’m not sure who came up with the idea first. To avoid overpowering the other exquisite and subtle tastes, I kept the cream cheese to a minimum. Cream cheese should not be included in California rolls.

Because imitation crab is often produced with a lot of extra starch, I skipped it. On a keto diet, we don’t need that! I cheated a little and used smoked salmon for the wonderful color, but canned lump crab meat or fresh crab meat would work just as well.

Sushi with cucumber and avocado with low carbs, served on a black tray with soy sauce and wasabi
CALIFORNIA ROLLS WITH LOW CARB

Use cauliflower rice that has been finely ground. Because it’s normally sliced into extremely fine grains, I picked Trader Joe’s frozen. This time, though, it was unmistakably sliced into larger chunks. I’m not sure if they’ve altered how they make it or if I simply got a strange bag by chance. However, I’m aware that the smaller the “grain,” the better your keto sushi will stay together.

Cucumber slices and cauliflower rice should be well dried. Both are rather watery, so patting the cucumber slices dry and draining the cooked cauliflower rice can help the California rolls be less wet.

Use real crab instead of fake crab. That thing is incredibly heavy in carbs. I know it’s common in California Rolls, but it’s just fish and carbohydrates squished into crab-leg forms. Strange stuff, and why wouldn’t you use something more natural and fresh? Canned crab is a simple solution. I cheated and used smoked salmon instead of fresh fish.
Roll it up as tight as possible. This isn’t simple, but it makes a significant impact. My initial roll was a little floppy and loose, but as I went along, I got the hang of it.
The cream cheese will firm up and the rolls will stay together better when sliced if you chill them first. Cut down with an extremely sharp knife, rather than sawing back and forth.

California Rolls (Keto)
You don’t have to give up sushi if you’re on a keto diet! Thinly sliced cucumber, cauliflower rice, and plenty of fresh avocado make up this low-carb California Roll.

Ingredients

1 cucumber, medium
Cauliflower rice, 12 oz.
2 oz. softened cream cheese
1 tablespoon sesame oil, roasted
Salt

4 oz. crab flesh, lump (or chopped smoked salmon)
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
1 thinly sliced avocado from California
sesame seeds, toasted
Instructions
Slice the cucumber lengthwise extremely thinly (approximately 1/8 inch or thinner) on a mandolin. About 20 paper thin slices should be obtained. To dry the slices, place them on paper towels. Make matchsticks out of any leftover pieces for the sushi’s interior (optional).
Cook the cauliflower rice until it is just soft, then drain carefully to remove any extra liquid. Combine the cream cheese and toasted sesame oil in a mixing bowl. If preferred, season with a pinch of salt.
Combine the crab meat or smoked salmon with the mayonnaise in a medium mixing bowl.

Cut a square of waxed paper or plastic wrap. 5 cucumber slices, paper thin, laid side by side with slightly overlapping edges 1/4 of the cauliflower rice mixture should be spread on top.
Place cucumber matchsticks, 1/4 avocado slices, and 1/4 crab meat along one side, where the cucumber slices’ ends are. Roll as tightly as possible with the aid of the plastic wrap or waxed paper. Using the plastic wrap or paper, tuck the ends in. Rep with the rest of the ingredients. You should be able to create four sushi rolls with this recipe.

Allow the cauliflower mixture to firm up by chilling the rolls for one hour. Cut the rolls into 6 pieces each with a very sharp knife. Toss with sesame seeds that have been roasted.
Serve with wasabi, soy sauce, or coconut aminos as a condiment.