California Roll Recipe
and Rice-less Sushi Rolls

A California roll recipe is usually made with imitation crab meat, sushi rice, cucumber, and avocado. 

Yes, that's "not" real crab meat in your California roll - unless your eating at a really good sushi place.

The California roll recipe was created in California by an authentic Japanese sushi maker and you will find this sushi roll at almost every sushi bar in America. 

However, you might want to consider using real crab meat in your homemade California rolls. 

Imitation crab meat is actually made from fish and is a pretty processed food with all kinds of questionable ingredients. 

And you can even make a rice-less sushi roll for your low carb friends.

Best Types of Crab Meat

For the most part, you'll probably be using snow crab or queen crab in your sushi roll recipes. 

King crab will be more expensive and is considered a delicacy because men have to literally risk their lives to catch these crabs.

The icy waters of the Bering Sea produces one of the best tasting crabs - the Alaskan king crab. 

Ironically, the Alaskan king crab comes from the same sea as the imitation crab meat. 

Alaskan king crab is known for its sweet tender texture and this crab is also known for its very large size. 

It is a special treat to get your hands on this type of crab meat and you'll probably have to do a search online for this type of crab.

California Roll Recipe

You can use black sesame seeds or tiny fish eggs on the outside of your California roll recipes.


  • Organic Nori Seaweed Sheets (cut in half)
  • Seasoned Sushi Rice
  • Organic Toasted Black Sesame Seeds
  • Or use Masago or Smelt Roe
  • Imitation Crab Sticks or Real Crab Meat
  • Organic Cucumber (peel, seed, & julienne)
  • Organic Avocado (thinly sliced)


  1. Put 1/2 a sheet of nori (rough side facing up) on a sushi mat (wrapped in plastic wrap).
  2. Slightly wet your hands with tepid water.
  3. Put 2/3 of a cup of rice on nori and gently spread rice by rolling rice to cover nori sheet. 
  4. Then rinse your sticky fingers in some water.
  5. Sprinkle black sesame seeds on top of the rice and then flip the rice side over (facing down on the sushi mat). 
  6. Press gently to imbed the sesame seeds into the rice.
  7. Put the crab meat in the center of the California roll.
  8. Then add a couple pieces of cucumber on the far side of crab meat and three slices of avocado on the other side of crab.
  9. With slightly wet hands, slide your thumbs under the sushi mat and hold the California roll ingredients with the other fingers. 
  10. Lift up the sushi mat and come down in a rolling motion, so that the sushi edges meet.
  11. Gently squeeze the sushi roll to compress ingredients and continue to roll. 
  12. Squeeze one more time and reshape the sushi roll using the sushi mat if desired.
  13. Slice into 8 pieces with a dampened knife using a sawing motion.  Then plate your sushi roll.

What is Imitation Crab Meat?

Imitation crab meat is a fish paste called surimi which has to go through a lot of processing to create a thick paste or crab like appearance.

Imitation crab meat was usually made from Alaska Pollock which is a fish found in the Bering Sea which is near Alaska.

However, pollock isn't the only fish used to make imitation crab meat, but it was used extensively because it has a very mild flavor.

There are many other ingredients that are added such as sugar, wheat, vegetable oils, salt, artificial flavors, chemical additives, and food coloring to make this fish resemble crab meat.

And among the ingredients used to make imitation crab meat, you will not find one trace of crab.

Although, it will actually pass as a Kosher food because it is not made from shellfish.

Rice-less and Low Carb Sushi Roll

I've actually ordered this type of sushi from a restaurant and it's pretty tasty. 

Look for rice-less sushi on the menu at a favorite restaurant that also serves sushi.


  • 1 Thick Organic Cucumber (peeled)
  • Sushi Grade Salmon (sliced)
  • Organic Avocado (sliced)
  • 100% Grass Fed Raw Cream Cheese
  • Raw Onion Slices
  • Raw Jalapeno Slices


  1. Cut the peeled cucumber in half. 
  2. Then slice into the cucumber with a sharp knife and slowly move your knife along the outer part of the cucumber.
  3. Basically, you are replacing the nori sheet with a thin layer of cucumber.
  4. Then cut the thin layer of cucumber to the appropriate size - which is about 6 to 8 inches per rice-less sushi roll. 
  5. Next, place your sushi ingredients (horizontally) two or three inches from the edge of the cucumber. 
  6. Then fold the edge of the cucumber over your sushi ingredients and tuck in the ingredients before starting to roll.
  7. Just keep rolling and pressing until you reach the other edge of the cucumber. 
  8. Then you can use toothpicks to keep the cucumber intact. 
  9. Slice your rice-less sushi roll and plate.

If you are on a low carb diet, raw food diet, or on a grain free diet (paleo), this is the perfect sushi alternative for you.

Turn this into a rice-less and ketogenic California roll recipe by using real crab meat, avocado, and replacing the rice that's usually found in California roll recipes with cream cheese.

Go to Spicy Tuna Roll Recipe

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