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Baked Spicy Salmon Hand Rolls
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These baked salmon hand rolls (temaki sushi) are an easy, flavor-packed alternative to traditional sushi. Instead of raw fish, the rolls are filled with a spicy cooked salmon salad, rice, avocado, and cucumber, all wrapped in crisp soy paper. Hand rolls are meant to be eaten with your hands, making them a fun and approachable way to enjoy sushi flavors at home.
This recipe is perfect for anyone who’s hesitant about raw fish, can’t find high-quality sushi-grade fish nearby, or needs a pregnancy-safe sushi option. With the same delicious flavor profiles as traditional sushi, these cooked salmon rolls are a quick, customizable lunch or light dinner that comes together with just a few simple ingredients. You’ll find similar techniques in spicy salmon salad rice bowls, which is another favorite around here!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Safe sushi alternative. All the classic sushi flavors without raw fish, making it pregnancy-safe and accessible for everyone.
- Fun to assemble and eat. Hand-held temaki-style rolls are playful and ideal for individual serving or entertaining.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Salmon – While the recipe uses freshly cooked salmon, I often use day old leftover salmon to create the salad for these hand rolls. Salmon is a hard food to reheat the next day so instead I just repurpose it into a cold salad.
- Sambal oelek – Sambal oelek can be found in the international sections of most grocery stores. It is a spicy Southeast Asian chili sauce that adds a sweet and spicy kick to any foods. Substitute with sriracha if you cannot find sambal.
- Avocado – When shopping for avocados, look for ones that are firm but “give” slightly when gently squeezed in your hand. You can also remove the top stem, though I prefer to call it a nub, at the top of the avocado – if you remove it and it is green, it’s most likely ready to eat. If it’s brown then it’s probably overripe.
- Soy paper – While you can easily swap the soy paper for sheets of nori (seaweed), I love the subtle flavor or soy paper. To store any leftover sheets of soy paper store them in a resealable plastic bag for up to 3 weeks. Wet the soy paper with a bit of water on your finger to help seal them shut.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Bake Salmon For This Recipe
I love using this recipe to give a new life to leftover baked salmon but you can also make salmon specifically for this recipe! To bake the salmon:
Heat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Place salmon on an parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Rub with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until just cooked through, about 16 minutes. Remove and let cool to room temperature, discarding the skin. Chill the salmon for 15 minutes then use as directed below.
How to Make Spicy Baked Salmon Hand Rolls (Step-by-step)
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the salmon, mayonnaise, sambal and soy sauce. Use a fork to combine until the salmon is shredded and the mixture is combined. Stir in the green onion. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Rinse the rice with cool water until the water runs clear. Drain and add the rice with 1¼ cups of water to a saucepan (or rice cooker) and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the rice wine vinegar and fluff with a fork.
Roll the bottom right corner and fold it to the center then continue rolling to the left until it forms a cone shape. Set aside and continue with the remaining soy paper and salmon mixture. Serve immediately with soy sauce for dipping.
Swaps and Substitutions
- I like how light the soy paper is but nori (seaweed) can be substituted instead if that is your preference.
- Add other toppings as desired like salmon roe (ikura).
- I recommend using a rice cooker to cook your sushi rice – it’s so easy!
Storing leftover spicy salmon salad
Spicy salmon salad made with baked salmon will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.
How to Make A Spicy Baked Salmon Rice Bowl
I also enjoy serving the baked salmon salad over a bed of sushi rice with sliced avocado and furikake (a Japanese condiment made with finely chopped seaweed, dried fish, sesame seeds, sugar and salt) for a filling baked salmon lunch. Crispy rice like from this spicy shrimp bowl with crispy rice and kale can also be used instead of sushi rice!
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Hand rolls are cone-shaped sushi made with warm flavored rice and fillings (like salmon salad) wrapped in soy paper or nori designed to be eaten by hand.
Yes, this recipe is great for repurposing leftover salmon!
Spicy salmon salad made with baked salmon will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.
No! While I like how light the soy paper is nori (seaweed) can be substituted instead if that is your preference.
Wet your fingers to help rice spread evenly. Place rice on the edge of the wrapper, add salmon, avocado, cucumber, then roll the bottom corner up and around into a cone shape. Wet the corner of the soy paper to help it seal or add a grain of rice.
Keep leftover sheets in a resealable bag for up to three weeks.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this bakes salmon hand roll recipe, I recommend checking out these:
Tried it? Loved it? Tweaked it? Leave a review below and tell me how it went – I’m all ears (and always hungry).
Baked Spicy Salmon Hand Rolls
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Ingredients:
For the spicy salmon:
- ¾ pound leftover cooked Atlantic salmon (or cook following instructions below)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sambal oelek
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
For assembly:
- 1 cup short-grain sushi rice
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 5 sheets soy paper, halved lengthwise (or nori)
- 2 medium Persian cucumbers, julienned
- 1 large avocado, peeled pitted and sliced
- 1 ounce pea greens or daikon sprouts (optional)
- Soy sauce, for serving
Instructions:
For the spicy salmon salad:
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cooked salmon, mayonnaise, sambal and soy sauce. Use a fork to combine until the salmon is shredded and the mixture is combined. Stir in the green onion.
- Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
For assembly:
- Rinse the rice with cool water until the water runs clear. Drain and add the rice with 1¼ cups of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the rice wine vinegar and fluff with a fork.
- Place the sheets of soy paper on a clean, dry work surface. Working one at a time spread about 3 tablespoons of the rice onto the right edge of the sheet of soy paper. Wet your fingers and press the rice to spread it into an even square over the right half of the sheet.
- Spread a spoonful of the salmon mixture over the rice and top with a few pieces of cucumber, avocado and pea greens or daikon sprouts (optional).
- Roll the bottom right corner and fold it to the center then continue rolling to the left until it forms a cone shape. Dip your finger in a little water and lightly wet the edge of the soy paper to seal the hand roll. Set aside and continue with the remaining soy paper and salmon mixture.
- Serve immediately with soy sauce for dipping.
Notes:
Nutrition:
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Oh,Carolyn! My husband forwarded me your site today because he thought we are kindred spirits. I just spent around 100K for grad school at NYU and really just want to be in my kitchen (a feat that is entirely possible since I work with said grad degree only one day a week).
Love your site, love your humor, and most of all your Renaissance soul! BTW, we lived in Hoboken too, before moving to Chatham, NJ. Now we’re in NC.
Can’t wait to try your recipes, esp. the apple and goat cheese tarts!
You neglected to tell people that they have to wet the soy paper.