Use Furikake To Replicate The Classic Sushi Taste In California Roll Bowls

If you are a sushi lover, then you need to try out this California Roll Bowl recipe, courtesy of Tasting Table recipe developer Hayley MacLean. The dish takes everything you love about California rolls and turns it into a bowl format. It's the perfect option if you love sushi but find it a bit messy to eat.

MacLean shares, "What I think is so great about this recipe is that it encapsulates all the wonderful flavors of a classic Cali roll, but in a much heartier meal. With every bite you get a different combination of ingredients, keeping this dish so fun and tasty!" One of the key ingredients to achieving this is furikake, a type of Japanese seasoning. It may seem like just a small part of the overall meal — it is just the seasoning after all — but it packs a big flavor that makes a notable difference in the overall taste.

The seasoning blend consists of sesame seeds, dried seaweed, herbs, and salt. Another key component? Dried fish flakes. The fish is cooked and dehydrated, then ground into fine pieces to be added to the mixture. While fish flakes are sometimes replaced by another protein, fish is by and far the most common for furikake recipes. The integration of dried fish certainly makes it clear why this seasoning works so well with a California roll bowl — sushi is all about the fish (or seafood) flavor, and adding furikake further heightens it.

As for furikake itself, it has a bit of a fishy taste, of course, but there are also notes of nuttiness thanks to the sesame seeds, which are often toasted. Overall, you can expect a significant umami taste from the layered ingredients. MacLean's recipe calls for a tablespoon of furikake for four servings, but the seasoning is so delicious and pairs so well with this dish, that you may want to add extra — perhaps even a full tablespoon per serving.