Deconstructed Sushi Bites

Deconstructed sushi bites

Sushi is one of my favorite foods to eat and probably my least favorite food to make. I find it difficult for several reasons: A. I’m not a sushi chef, B. It’s so difficult to roll tightly, and C. It’s so much more fun to watch someone experienced create a masterpiece! Nevertheless, being that sushi is one of my favorite foods, for our wine tasting party, I wanted to make something that tasted like it without struggling. Since I’ve seen such a trend lately on cooking competition shows to “deconstruct” popular dishes, I thought I would try the same thing with sushi.

These sushi bites combine some of the traditional California roll flavors with a twist. So simple to make, they layer cucumber, krab mix, and multigrain rice crackers. Topped with smoked salmon and a drizzle of ponzu sauce, you have all the delicious fresh flavors of sushi without all the work! I loved these so much, I made a version of them for my lunch every day this week.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz imitation “krab”
• ¼ light mayonnaise
• 1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
• Large multigrain rice crackers (approx. 40 pieces)
• 5 oz smoked salmon
• 1/8 cup ponzu sauce
• Chopped green onion for garnish

Directions:

Chop or shred the “krab” in a medium bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise. Layer a rice cracker with a small spoonful of krab mix, a cucumber slice and top with a small slice of smoked salmon. Drizzle with ponzu sauce and garnish with green onion.

*I layered my sushi bites with the cucumber on the bottom which made it more difficult to pick up. Adhering to one of my party food rules, if I had to do it over I would put the cracker on the bottom.

**Don’t have ponzu sauce? Mix together ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 Tbsp citrus juice (I used lemon), 2 Tbsp rice vinegar and 1-2 Tbsp mirin. Voilà!

Servings: 20    Serving Size: 2 pieces

Calories: 50                 Fat: 1.3g          Sat. Fat: .1g     Carbs: 3.5g

Sodium: 255.8mg        Fiber: .2g         Sugar: .9g        Protein: 2.9g