Ditch The Imitation Crab For A Sweeter Ingredient In Your Next California Sushi Roll

The California roll is one of the most popular sushi rolls in the U.S. It's made with five ingredients: Rice, nori, avocado, cucumber, and crab meat. California rolls are on the menu of many sushi restaurants, but crab is expensive, and sushi chefs often use "crabstick," also known as surimi, instead. Coined by the Japanese to mean "to process (suru) meat (mash/mi)," surimi is a highly processed fish product that's cheap and widely accessible. Surimi is usually composed of pollock that is cooked and blended with wheat, potato, or tapioca starch, oil, sugar, salt, egg whites, and a high percentage of water. 

Nutritionally, crab is pumped up with protein, vitamins, and minerals, while surimi is high in carbs and has a fraction of the nutrition that real crab has. Added that there are some potential health risks associated with eating processed foods — and surimi is considered to be an ultra-processed food — it makes sense to substitute surimi with something healthy, tasty, and inexpensive, like sweet potato. In most sweet potato recipes, the tasty tuber is boiled or baked. Baking, in particular, caramelizes sweet potato's natural sugars, and baked sweet potato will add subtle sweetness to a California roll. Not only is sweet potato delicious, but it's also a much healthier alternative to imitation crab.

There are 16 types of sweet potatoes, ranging in color from creamy white to deep orange to dark purple. The most common sweet potatoes you'll find at a grocery are the Beauregard, jewel, and garnet. They all have orange flesh and are a superb source of vitamins and minerals. But if you want to make a truly striking and healthy California roll, switch out the surimi for a purple sweet potato. 

There are four varieties of purple sweet potatoes, but the Stokes Purple and the Okinawan are the most available in markets. Purple sweet potatoes are just as nutritious as the orange variety, but they get their purple color from anthocyanins, which have antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. Purple sweet potato is a little starchy, has a subtle sweetness, and its flavor is reminiscent of red wine. 

If you've never made sushi before, there are a few homemade sushi tips you should follow, but it's relatively easy. To make a California roll with a purple sweet potato, you'll cut it into thin strips and bake for 20 minutes. While the sweet potato is cooking, Julienne cut carrots, cucumber, and avocado. Spread sushi rice over sheets of nori, lay out the vegetables, and using a sushi roller, simply roll up the nori and cut the sushi into slices. Serve with a dipping sauce, and enjoy your vegan and gluten-free California roll that's much healthier than the usual version with imitation crab.