Sushi “Maki” Me Happy In The K tchen

Dini Klein

Everyone has a desert island food item. That is, one food that you can eat forever and never get sick of. For me it’s sushi.

It helps that there is so much variety in the sushi world, but I seriously cannot get enough of the flavors, texture, and overall experience of sushi.

My kids are big sushi eaters too. Early exposure and different styles of eating sushi helped them get acclimated and now it is a family favorite dinner. It is also super different and a fun eating experience for kids, so now they actually look forward to sushi for dinner.

We don’t always do traditional sushi. Sometimes we have deconstructed sushi, where the kids roll up their own nori sheets with fried rice and their choice of vegetables. Sometimes they use kiddy chopsticks to pick up the sushi pieces and dunk them in soy sauce. Sometimes we choose different foods entirely, such as tortillas, peanut butter, and bananas and roll them up into fake sushi.

Whichever way it is, introducing these foods in different forms have helped shape my kids’ eating habits. It also helps to call any rolled up food that I make “sushi” and have the kids jump with excitement to try something new. That’s a mom hack right there.

Don’t go thinking that sushi will never be an adequate dinner to satisfy your whole family. Find the ways it can work for you, and make adjustments as you need it! Let me show you our favorite recipe in the world of sushi.

Salmon Fried Rice with Nori

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil

3 eggs, whisked

2 cups prepared rice of choice

4 oz smoked salmon (or lox), chopped (or alternatively you can use leftover baked salmon!)

3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1⁄2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Nori or seaweed snacks to serve

1 mango, diced (optional)

1 cup edamame (optional)

2 avocados, cubed (optional)

Directions:

Add oil to a non-stick pan and on medium-high heat scramble the eggs until cooked. Push to the side and add the rice (adding more oil as needed). Then add smoked salmon, peas, and scallions and fry until golden.

Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Top with optional sushi fix-ins, and serve with optional nori or seaweed snacks on the side.