Cucumber Wrapped Sushi Roll with Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese

Cucumber Wrapped Sushi Roll

Have you ever looked at a cucumber and thought, “you would make a lovely wrapper”? No? Just me?

Well, stick around, because this cucumber wrapped sushi roll might just change your mind! Think of it as the love child of a Japanese maki and a smoked salmon tea sandwich.

You get the crisp, refreshing snap of cucumber on the outside, and inside there is vinegared sushi rice, silky smoked salmon, creamy avocado, and a thin layer of cream cheese to hold it all together.

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Let me be clear about one thing: this is not authentic Japanese makizushi. If you walked into a sushi shop in Tokyo, you probably would not find this on the menu.

It belongs to the same family of westernized sushi inventions as the California roll or the Dragon roll, where creative cooks swap, add, and reinvent for local tastes.

What it does share with traditional maki is the idea of rolling seasoned rice around fillings, then cutting it into bite sized pieces.

Because it uses smoked salmon instead of raw fish, this roll is a wonderful option for pregnant women, young children, and anyone who simply does not eat raw fish. Everyone gets to join the sushi party!

Instead of hollowing out a whole cucumber and stuffing it, this version uses thin slices of cucumber as a sheet, replacing the nori. The best tool for getting those long, thin slices is a simple vegetable y peeler. It is inexpensive, it lives in my utensil drawer forever, and it earns its keep every single time I make these rolls.

Serve these at brunch, as a party appetizer, or as a light meal when you want something fresh without turning on the oven. They are cool, pretty, and surprisingly easy once you get the rolling motion down!

Sonia

Quick note before we dive in! I first saw this style of cucumber wrapped roll on Sonia’s blog, and her approach really shaped how I make it today. Sonia shares recipes inspired by her own food cravings and what she cooks for her family.

She is a working mom of two girls living in Toronto, Canada, with a background as a Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong, and all of that informs what she loves, craves, and creates.

Her focus is on wholesome recipes that stay approachable for busy weeknights, plus fun recipes for weekends and friends. If that is not exactly the energy I want in my kitchen, I do not know what is!

how to assemble Cucumber Wrapped Sushi Roll:

Here is the full method, step by step. Do not worry, it reads longer than it takes. The whole thing comes together in about 35 minutes, with 15 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cook time, and the recipe yields 16 pieces from 2 rolls.

Cucumber Wrapped Sushi Roll

Ingredients

• 2 medium English cucumbers (you can substitute Persian cucumbers totaling 1 lb)
• ½ cup spreadable cream cheese
• ½ cup uncooked Japanese short grain rice (about 1 cup cooked)
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp mirin (see notes on mirin below)
• 8 to 10 pieces of smoked salmon (about 150 g)
• ½ of an avocado, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
• Japanese furikake, optional
• Toasted black and/or white sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. Cook and season the rice. Wash and cook the rice using your usual method, whether that is the stovetop, a rice cooker, or a pressure cooker. Fluff it and let it cool slightly while you whisk the rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and mirin in a small bowl until the granules are fully dissolved. While the rice is still warm, drizzle the vinegar mixture over it and stir gently but thoroughly so every grain gets coated.
2. Shave the cucumber. Stand a cucumber vertically on your cutting board. Using a vegetable y peeler, press firmly and slice along the full length to get a long, thin strip. Repeat until you reach the core where the channel of seeds means you can no longer get full width slices. The narrow strips from either side can still be used, or just cut up the center for snacking instead.
3. Build the cucumber sheet. Arrange the slices on a bamboo sushi mat or a large piece of plastic wrap, vertically next to each other and slightly overlapping, to create one large square sheet of cucumber. Pat the whole thing very dry with a paper towel. This step matters! A wet sheet is a slippery sheet.
4. Add the fillings. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese all over the cucumber sheet. Arrange the smoked salmon slices in a row about 1 inch up from the bottom border. Spread the seasoned rice above and slightly overlapping the salmon row, then layer avocado slices above and slightly overlapping the rice. Sprinkle furikake over the rice if you are using it.
5. Roll and cut. Using the bamboo mat or plastic wrap to help you, roll everything up snugly, pulling the mat back and away as you go so it does not get rolled into the roll. Cut the finished roll crosswise into 8 pieces. Arrange them on a serving plate and finish with a sprinkle of toasted black and/or white sesame seeds. Repeat with the second roll!

Key takeaway: pat the cucumber sheet dry and keep pulling the mat away as you roll. Those two habits are the difference between a tidy roll and a soggy pile.

Recipe notes for Cucumber Wrapped Sushi Roll

A few practical notes to make this recipe smooth sailing. I have grouped them as questions because, honestly, those are the exact things readers ask me about when they make this roll!

1.what kind of cucumber should I use?

Any variety of seedless cucumber will work, and English and Persian cucumbers are the two most widely available options. Each has a small personality quirk, though.

English cucumbers keep a little channel of seeds running through the core, so at some point along the length you can no longer cut full width slices.

The narrow strips from either side are still perfectly usable for the roll, or you can simply cut up the middle for snacking instead of using it in the recipe.

Persian cucumbers have almost no seeds at all, which means you get full width slices along the entire length. The tradeoff?

They are much smaller, so your rolls will be smaller and you will need more of them to match the recipe’s yield of 2 rolls and 16 pieces.

2.what’s the best way to cut the long, thin cucumber slices?

A vegetable y peeler is the hands down best tool for this job. Hold the cucumber upright on your cutting board, press firmly, and pull the peeler down the full length in one smooth stroke.

That gives you a long, thin, flexible strip, exactly the width you need for building the sheet. A knife simply cannot match this, because you would need serious knife skills to get slices this thin and consistent.

A mandoline can work, but I find the y peeler safer and far less fussy for this particular task. One pass per slice, and within a minute or two per cucumber you have a tidy stack of wrapper ready strips.

Honestly, this little tool costs only a few dollars, and it is the single item that makes this recipe possible. If your strips come out slightly uneven, no panic, overlap them generously when building the sheet and the finished roll will still look beautiful.

3.what is mirin?

Mirin is a Japanese fermented sweet rice wine. It is in the same family as sake, but it has more sugar and less alcohol.

The real deal is made from sweet rice and rice koji, and those should appear on the ingredient list along with water and sea salt.

Watch out for inexpensive versions that contain glucose syrup or corn syrup, because those are not the same thing and do not taste the same.

You can find mirin at Japanese and other East Asian grocery stores, online, and in the international aisle of well stocked grocery stores. If you want a reliable pick, Eden Foods, an American company, makes an organic mirin sold in both Canada and the U.S.

4.I don’t have mirin. can it be omitted from the sushi rice?

Yes, absolutely! Mirin is optional in the sushi seasoning and can be left out entirely. It does add a little depth of flavor, but sushi rice does not always include it anyway.

The vinegar, sugar, and salt on their own give the rice a nicely balanced taste. So if a bottle of mirin is not in your pantry, there is no need to make a special trip for this recipe. Use what you have and enjoy your rolls.

5.what is furikake?

Furikake is a Japanese seasoning made with sesame and seaweed. A typical blend includes toasted white or black sesame seeds, sugar, salt, and dried seaweed, and sometimes extra ingredients like dried bonito.

It is used as a finishing seasoning on rice, noodles, fish, vegetables, and all sorts of other foods, adding both texture and flavor in one shake.

It is easy to find at East Asian grocery stores, and it is a lovely optional flourish over the rice in this roll.

6.can the rice be made in advance?

You can, with a little care around timing. Plain rice can be cooked ahead and kept hot, which helps limit bacterial growth. At room temperature, cooked rice is considered safe for up to 2 hours.

The vinegar in the sushi seasoning lowers the pH, and that helps extend the safe window because acidified rice with a pH below 4.6 inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

That said, most home kitchens do not have a way to test pH, so the sensible advice is to stay under, or close to, the 2 hour guideline even for vinegared sushi rice.

My habit is to keep the cooked rice hot, then let it cool slightly just before assembling the rolls.

Friendly reminder: the 2 hour room temperature rule applies to cooked rice and to your finished rolls alike. When in doubt, pop them in the fridge!

7.how long can cucumber wrapped sushi rolls be left out at room temperature?

Here is the practical answer for party planners and buffet grazers alike: any time your finished cucumber wrapped sushi rolls spend on the counter counts toward that same 2 hour window we talked about in the rice note.

So if you set out a platter for a party, start the clock when the rolls hit the table, and keep the total counter time under or close to 2 hours.

If your gathering runs long, bring out a fresh batch later rather than letting the first platter linger. In my house the platter rarely survives an hour anyway, so this has never been a real problem, but it is good to know the guideline!

You may also be interested in these other recipes!

If you loved this roll and want more easy Asian inspired cooking, here are a few recipes worth checking out: Mushroom and Egg “gyudon” Japanese Rice Bowls, Easy Chinese Tomato Egg Noodles, and Spaghetti Napolitan (Japanese ketchup pasta). All three are weeknight friendly and full of comfort!

Cucumber Wrapped Sushi Roll

Cucumber Wrapped Sushi Roll

Ingredients

• 2 medium English cucumbers, or Persian cucumbers totaling 1 lb
• ½ cup spreadable cream cheese
• ½ cup uncooked Japanese short grain rice (about 1 cup cooked)
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 8 to 10 pieces smoked salmon (about 150 g)
• ½ avocado, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
• Japanese furikake, optional
• Toasted black and/or white sesame seeds, for garnish

Notes

Cucumber: any seedless variety works, and English and Persian cucumbers are the easiest to find. English cucumbers have a narrow seed channel through the core, so at some point you cannot cut full width slices anymore.

The thin strips from either side are still usable, or reserve the middle for snacking. Persian cucumbers have practically no seeds, so you get full width slices the whole way down, but they are considerably smaller, meaning smaller rolls and more rolls needed to match the yield.

Slicing: to get the long, thin cucumber strips, a vegetable y peeler is the recommended tool.

Mirin: this is a Japanese fermented sweet rice wine, like sake but with more sugar and less alcohol. Genuine mirin is made from sweet rice and rice koji, which should appear on the ingredient list with water and sea salt.

Skip cheap versions listing glucose syrup and/or corn syrup. You can find mirin at Japanese and other East Asian grocery stores, online, and in the international aisle of larger grocery stores.

Eden Foods, an American company, makes an organic mirin sold in Canada and the U.S.

No mirin? Just leave it out of the sushi seasoning. It adds a bit of depth, but sushi rice does not always include it, and the vinegar, sugar, and salt alone give a balanced taste. No need to hunt it down for this recipe.

Furikake: a Japanese sesame and seaweed seasoning, made with toasted white and/or black sesame seeds, sugar, salt, dried seaweed, and sometimes extras like dried bonito. Use it as a finishing touch on rice, noodles, fish, vegetables, or anything that could use more texture and flavor. It is easy to buy at any East Asian grocery store.

Making rice ahead: plain rice can be cooked and held hot to discourage bacterial growth. Cooked rice may be safe at room temperature for up to 2 hours.

The vinegar lowers the pH and helps prolong that safe period, since acidified rice with a pH under 4.6 inhibits pathogenic bacteria. Because home kitchens generally do not test pH, stay under or close to the 2 hour guideline even for vinegared sushi rice. Keep the rice hot, then cool it slightly right before assembling.

Serving: if the finished rolls will sit on the counter, for instance at a party, count that time as part of the 2 hour window.

Recommended Products

Y Peeler

The one humble tool that makes this recipe possible. Any basic vegetable y peeler will do the trick for shaving long cucumber strips.

My favourite mirin

Look for a mirin made from sweet rice and rice koji, such as Eden Foods organic mirin, for the best flavor in your sushi rice seasoning.

Sushi rolling mat

Note: the nutritional information is auto generated and should be used only as an approximation.

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Hi, I’m Sonia

As mentioned earlier, Sonia shares recipes inspired by her cravings and her family’s table. As a working mom of two girls in Toronto, Canada, with roots as a Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong, she blends those influences into wholesome weeknight recipes and fun weekend cooking for friends.

homemade food to nourish and indulge …

If you enjoyed this recipe, there is a whole world of homemade goodness to explore! Matcha Jelly puts an earthy spin on Japanese coffee jelly, with matcha set to a delicate jiggle and served with lightly sweetened milk.

Pommes Anna is a classic French dish of buttery sliced potatoes stacked into a cake like form and baked until tender inside and crisp at the edges, then flipped so the golden brown bottom becomes the top; it calls for a really good non stick pan or well seasoned cast iron, and practicing before serving guests is a smart idea.

Crispy Potato Stacks with Garlic Herb Butter bring ruffly, crispy edges around a tender, creamy center, perfect as a holiday side or to impress dinner guests.

Green Beans with Miso Butter Braised Onions cooks onions in a three ingredient braising liquid of butter, miso paste, and water until they nearly melt in your mouth, then spoons them over green beans with the sauce.

Coffee Agar Jelly pairs coffee’s rich, bitter notes with chilled sweetened cream, a popular Japanese dessert for warm days, served à la mode or on its own with chilled sweet milk.

And for the bakers, there is a vanilla cake with a plush, soft, tight crumb that is not too sweet, topped with Swiss Meringue buttercream, honeycomb toffee crunchies, and unicorn sugar cookies!

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Cucumber Wrapped Sushi Roll Have you ever looked at a cucumber and thought, “you would make a lovely wrapper”? No?

• Total Time: 35 min
• Yield: 16 pieces (2 rolls) 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

2 medium English cucumbers
½ C spreadable cream cheese
½ C uncooked Japanese short-grain rice
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp mirin
8–10 pieces smoked salmon
½ avocado, peeled pitted and thinly sliced
Japanese furikake
Toasted black and/or white sesame seeds

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Instructions

1-Wash and cook rice according to your: Wash and cook rice according to your usual method (stove top, rice cooker, pressure cooker). Fluff and let it cool slightly while whisking rice vinegar, sugar, salt and mirin in a small bowl until granules are fully dissolved. While rice is still warm, drizzle vinegar mixture over rice, stirring gently but thoroughly to coat rice grains.
2-Place cucumber vertical on cutting board in: Place cucumber vertical on cutting board in front of you. Using a vegetable y-peeler, press firmly and slice along the full length to get a thin, long strip of cucumber. Repeat until you reach the core where the channel of seeds are and you can no longer get full-width slices. You can still use the small strips on either side, or just cut the centre for snacking rather than using in the recipe.
3-Arrange sliced cucumbers on a bamboo sushi: Arrange sliced cucumbers on a bamboo sushi mat or large piece of plastic food wrap, vertically next to each other and overlapping to create one large square “sheet” of cucumber slices. Pat very dry with a paper towel.
4-Spread a thin layer of cream cheese: Spread a thin layer of cream cheese all over. Arrange smoked salmon slices in a row about 1” up from the bottom border. Spread seasoned rice above and slightly overlapping the row of smoked salmon, followed by avocado slices above and slightly overlapping the rice. Sprinkle furikake over the rice, if using.
5-Using the bamboo mat (or plastic wrap): Using the bamboo mat (or plastic wrap) to aid, roll up snugly, pulling the bamboo mat or wrap back and away as you roll so it does not get rolled up into the cucumber roll. Watch my recipe video linked in the blog post for a visual demo of this step! Cut cucumber sushi roll crosswise into 8 pieces. Arrange on serving plate and garnish with black/white sesame seeds.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Method: stovetop