History

The hand roll became a Santa Monica genre when the Sushi Nozawa group brought KazuNori, its self-billed original hand roll bar, to Broadway, serving set menus of toro, blue crab and yellowtail across a plain counter. The form rewards speed: rice still warm, nori still crackling, eaten in the seconds after rolling.

Common allergens: Fish, Shellfish, Soy

Make it at home

Yield Makes 8 rollsHands-on 30 minTotal 50 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 300g short-grain rice
  • 330ml water
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 sheets nori, halved
  • 200g sashimi-grade tuna or cooked crab
  • Soy sauce for dipping

Method

  1. Cook the rice, then fold through the vinegar, sugar and salt while warm. Keep covered with a damp cloth.
  2. Cut the fish into rough 1cm batons or dress the crab lightly with mayonnaise.
  3. Lay a half sheet of nori shiny side down, spread a loose golf ball of warm rice over the left half.
  4. Lay the filling diagonally, roll into a cone or cylinder, seal with a grain of rice and eat immediately while the nori snaps.

Tip from the editors. Everything waits for the eater, never the reverse; roll one at a time and eat each within thirty seconds.

Where to eat the toro hand roll

The toro hand roll in Santa Monica

KazuNori ★ 4.4

Sushi$$downtownSun-Thu 11:30-23:00; Fri-Sat 11:30-23:30Until 23:00, Fri-Sat 23:30

KazuNori runs its original-format hand roll bar on Broadway in downtown Santa Monica, crisp nori and warm rice sets rolled the second you sit down.

Try: Hand rolls at the bar

Order: The five-roll set, toro and blue crab included

Tip: No reservations at the bar; the Friday-Saturday private bar for 7 to 12 was added for the 10th anniversary.

120 Broadway, Unit 104, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Sugarfish ★ 4.1

Sushi$$downtownDaily 11:30-22:00

Sugarfish serves the Nozawa-school Trust Me on 2nd Street in Santa Monica, warm loose rice and cool fish in a set menu that rarely misses a beat.

Order: The Trust Me set, finished with the hand roll

Tip: No reservations; go at 11:30 sharp or mid-afternoon to dodge the wait, and default to the Trust Me.

1345 2nd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401

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