Rosheen Kaul’s California roll salad

Name: Rosheen Kaul’s California roll salad
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 2-3
Cuisine: Contemporary
Ingredients: 500g (2 punnets) baby cucumbers, sliced into 2cm rounds; 150g surimi (crab sticks), cut into 2cm pieces (or substitute cooked crab meat); 1 ripe avocado, diced; 3 spring onions, sliced thinly; shichimi togarashi, furikake and roasted seaweed sheets to serve, optional

All the flavours of one of the sushi roll greats in a fresh, textural salad bowl.

Rosheen Kaul

April 28, 2025

This salad is a lower-carb way to enjoy the ever-popular California roll.Armelle Habib; STYLING: Lee Blaylock

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:2-3

After being a devotee of spicy cooked tuna hand rolls for many years, my sister reintroduced me to the ever-popular California roll, and I was smitten. The contrasting textures – crunchy cucumber, yielding crab stick, creamy avocado and tiny pops of tobiko (flying fish roe) – combine in one fabulous bite. This is a low-carb way to eat all the flavours of one of the sushi roll greats in a fresh, textural salad bowl. Add sheets of Korean roasted seaweed, gim, and it’s a very fun lunch indeed.

Ingredients

500g (2 punnets) baby cucumbers, sliced into 2cm rounds
150g surimi (crab sticks), cut into 2cm pieces (or substitute cooked crab meat)
1 ripe avocado, diced
3 spring onions, sliced thinly
shichimi togarashi, furikake and roasted seaweed sheets to serve, optional

CREAMY DRESSING

120g cream cheese
2 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
1 tbsp rice vinegar
½ tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp wasabi, optional

Method

TO MAKE THE CREAMY DRESSING

Whisk the cream cheese, mayonnaise, rice vinegar, soy sauce and wasabi (if using) together in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add half the avocado into the bowl and mash it with the back of a fork, then whisk thoroughly to emulsify it into the dressing. Don’t worry if it isn’t completely smooth.

TO MAKE THE SALAD

Add the cucumber, spring onion and crab stick plus a few shakes of shichimi togarashi, if using. Stir to combine, then add the remaining avocado. Divide between two serving plates and garnish with furikake and torn pieces of roasted seaweed sheet, if using.