Pimp That Snack
Language: English

Sumo Sushi

by Bart, Greg & James 10 photos Rated 91% 106 votes when voting closed

About this build

Seasoned rice surrounds cucumber, peppers and crab, wrapped with nori and topped with salmon to create a giant sushi build.

Archive summary updated

Read the original account and photographs ↓
Two finished plate-sized sushi pieces, one topped with salmon, one showing cucumber and pepper filling, each with a normal-sized roll alongside
Notes from the contributor

Selected passages from the original account. Quantities may describe shopping, tests or the final build; follow the linked passage for its full context.

3kg Rice 500g Salmon Fillet 170g Crab Meat 2 Cucumbers 3 Bell Peppers 10 Sushi Nori (Seaweed Sheets) 70ml Mirin 100g Gari (Marinated Ginger) 150ml Vinegar Wasabi 3 tbsp White Sugar 2 tsp Salt Soy Sauce

Read in context →

Sumo Sushi: the archived recipe

Condensed from the original account by Bart, Greg & James, published 2012-05-22. The quantities and method are the contributors’; this is not a new kitchen test.

Ingredients recorded

  • 3kg rice
  • 500g salmon fillet
  • 170g crab meat
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 3 bell peppers
  • 10 sushi nori (seaweed sheets)
  • 70ml mirin
  • 100g gari (marinated ginger)
  • 150ml vinegar
  • Wasabi
  • 3 tbsp white sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • Soy sauce

Every ingredient except the wasabi and soy sauce is measured. The account gives a total duration of 3 hours but no individual cooking times, and no cost.

Method recorded

  1. Boil the rice, enough to feed a small Japanese village, and while it cooks chop the vegetables with the largest knives you can find.
  2. Cook the rice until sticky, cover with clingfilm and leave to cool.
  3. Make sushi vinegar by heating the vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan; remove from the heat and add the mirin.
  4. Mix the sushi vinegar with the rice until it is sticky enough to build a tower.
  5. Line a sushi-shaped saucepan with a single sheet of clingfilm and start packing in the rice.
  6. Once the pan is half full, make a hole in the centre and stuff in the cucumbers, peppers and crab meat, then keep piling in rice, topping up with more crab as you pack.
  7. Compress the rice as you go until the pan is full to the brim, like a sand castle; the makers removed the saucepan’s handle to be able to flip it.
  8. Give the sushi a quick trim so it will lie flat, flip it onto a plate and lift the pan away while a helper holds the clingfilm.
  9. Cut the nori into strips and join them into one long ribbon by wetting the ends with a finger; wrap the sushi, not too tightly as it shrinks with moisture, and seal the ends with another dab of water.
  10. Top with the fresh salmon and serve with wasabi, gari and soy sauce.

Read the complete original account →

Archive guides · Explore projects

The original account

Ingredients:

3kg Rice
500g Salmon Fillet
170g Crab Meat
2 Cucumbers
3 Bell Peppers
10 Sushi Nori (Seaweed Sheets)
70ml Mirin
100g Gari (Marinated Ginger)
150ml Vinegar
Wasabi
3 tbsp White Sugar
2 tsp Salt
Soy Sauce

Duration: 3 hours

Ingredients on a table: salmon fillet, cucumbers, peppers, rice and nori beside a hand-drawn Sumo Sushi sign

After splashing out on some quality sushi making ingredients, start off by boiling the rice – enough to feed a small Japanese village.

Two large saucepans of sushi rice boiling and steaming on a gas hob

While the rice is cooking, chop the vegetables with the largest knives you can find. Don’t forget to tie the traditional Japanese pillow cases round your head.

Two people in headbands chopping cucumber and preparing vegetables at a kitchen table

Cook the rice until sticky, cover with clingfilm and leave to cool.

To give the rice the correct consistency cook up some sushi vinegar by heating the vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the mirin.

Mix the sushi vinegar with the rice. Hopefully the rice should now be sticky enough to build a sushi tower.

Vinegar poured from a pan into a huge mixing bowl of cooked rice while hands stir with a wooden spoon

Find a sushi shaped saucepan and line with a single sheet of clingfilm. Start packing in the rice.

Once the pan is half full with loose rice make a hole in the centre and stuff in the cucumbers, peppers and crab meat. Now keep piling in more rice (I hope you cooked enough). Top up with more delicious crab meat while you’re packing.

Hand pressing rice into a cling-film-lined saucepan around cucumber and pepper batons

Give the sushi a quick hair cut to make sure it will lay flat on a plate.

Both hands arranging a ring of cucumber slices and chopped pepper into the rice-packed pan mould

Compress the rice as you go until the pan is full to the brim – imagine you’re on the beach making a sand castle. We had to take drastic measures and remove our beloved saucepan’s handle so that we could flip it onto the plate.

The saucepan mould packed level with rice, vegetable filling showing at the centre, plate of sliced peppers behind

Now flip the sandcastle sushi onto a plate and slowly lift up the pan while your sushi servant holds onto the clingfilm.

Cut the Nori into suitably sized strips and piece together into one long ribbon by wetting the ends with your finger. Now wrap up the sushi (not too tight as it will shrink due to moisture) and connect the ends with another dab of water.

Hands wrapping a wide band of nori around the turned-out cylinder of rice

Top off with a fresh salmon steak. Our Sumo Sushi gave birth to unworthy children.

Two finished plate-sized sushi pieces, one topped with salmon, one showing cucumber and pepper filling, each with a normal-sized roll alongside

Don’t forget the trimmings – Wasabi, Gari and soy sauce. Certainly a meal worthy of the greatest Sumo wrestler.

Three people in headbands poised with large knives over the finished giant sushi pieces

Making of video!

Watch the video

More like this