History

The handroll counter, a six-to-twelve seat omakase-style room serving exclusively temaki (handrolls) in sequence over 30 minutes, was popularised in LA by KazuNori on West 4th, opened by the Sugarfish team in 2014. The format spread fast: Hiho Cheeseburger and Sugarfish founder Lele Massimini built KazuNori around the principle that a temaki must hit the customer within 30 seconds of being made, before the nori loses its snap. The format reached New York and Tokyo via LA. The defining handrolls are blue crab, scallop, yellowtail and toro, served in a fixed sequence with one rice ratio. The whole meal lasts about 30 minutes.

Common allergens: Fish, Shellfish, Soy, Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Serves 2Hands-on 30 minTotal 1 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 300g short-grain sushi rice
  • 330ml cold water
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 8 sheets toasted nori, halved (16 half-sheets)
  • 200g sashimi-grade tuna, sliced
  • 200g sashimi-grade salmon, sliced
  • 1 ripe avocado, sliced
  • 1 small cucumber, julienned
  • Soy sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger, to serve

Method

  1. Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Drain 30 minutes.
  2. Cook the rice with the measured water in a rice cooker or covered pan: bring to a boil, reduce to low, cook 18 minutes covered, rest 10 minutes off heat.
  3. Warm vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan until dissolved. Pour over the cooked rice in a wide bowl, fold gently with a flat spoon, fan to cool to body temperature.
  4. Lay a half-sheet of nori on a clean board, shiny side down. Spread a thin diagonal stripe of rice across the left third.
  5. Place a slice of fish, a slice of avocado and some cucumber on the rice on the diagonal.
  6. Roll into a cone: bring the bottom-left corner over the filling, then roll the rest of the nori around the cone.
  7. Eat immediately while the nori still snaps. Repeat. Do not pre-roll.

Tip from the editors. The nori must be crisp at the moment of biting; that's the whole point. Toast the sheets in a dry pan if they've gone soft.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat sushi handroll

Sushi handroll in Los Angeles

KazuNori ★ 4.7

Japanese handroll$$downtown-la

KazuNori on Main Street in downtown Los Angeles is the original temaki handroll bar, with the five-roll set delivered within 30 seconds of rolling.

Signature: Blue crab handroll, Toro handroll

Order: The five-roll set: blue crab, scallop, lobster, yellowtail and toro in sequence.

Tip: Walk-in only, the line moves once a seat opens; eat each handroll within 30 seconds, the nori loses snap fast.

421 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90013 Book →

Sugarfish ★ 4.4

Japanese sushi$$$downtown-la

Sugarfish on 7th Street, downtown Los Angeles, applies the late Kazunori Nozawa Trust-Me set menu format to a casual sit-down room since 2012.

Signature: Trust Me set, Toro hand roll

Order: The Trust Me set: tuna sashimi, salmon and yellowtail nigiri, toro hand roll.

Tip: The Trust Me Lite is the better-value set for one; rice is warm, vinegar pronounced, fish room temperature.

600 W 7th St, Ste 150, Los Angeles, CA 90017 Book →

Sushi Tama ★ 4.6

Japanese sushi$$$$beverly-grove

Sushi Tama on Robertson Boulevard, Beverly Grove, is Chef Hideyuki Yoshimoto's Tsukiji-trained omakase room serving fish flown in from Japan three times a week.

Signature: Omakase nigiri, Toyosu hirame

Order: The omakase with hirame, kinmedai, uni and toro flown in from Toyosu market three times a week.

Tip: Chef Yoshimoto trained at Tsukiji; the omakase is shorter than the chef-counter rivals but the fish is unmatched.

116 N Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048 Book →

Sushi Note ★ 4.6

Japanese sushi$$$$sherman-oaks

Sushi Note on Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, pairs traditional edomae sushi with a 90-deep natural-wine list, a Valley counter that books two weeks ahead.

Signature: Edomae nigiri omakase, Natural-wine pairing

Order: Chef-selection omakase with a pour of grower Champagne from the deep wine list.

Tip: The 90-bottle natural-wine list is the real reason to choose Sushi Note over its peers; ask the server for guidance.

13447 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 Book →

More cities are in research. Want sushi handroll covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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