The Most Delicious Way To Serve Sushi At Home Is Way Easier Than Making Rolls

You don't necessarily have to leave the house to indulge in sushi, because there are many tips to make homemade sushi rather easily. But even with the best tips, making sushi rice the right way, adding your preferred ingredients like avocado or salmon, then carefully rolling and slicing it still takes some effort. To make it even easier, all it takes is to swap the nori for another ingredient that already makes it in many types of sushi like California rolls: cucumbers.

The idea is to make a cucumber boat by scooping out the center from fresh cucumbers and using the fruit as the vessel for your preferred fillings — no seaweed or bamboo rolling mat required. You might have scrolled across the trend on TikTok or Instagram recently, and there are a few good reasons why. Using a cucumber not only makes the process much easier and faster compared to making sushi rice and rolling it. Cucumber will add a layer of crunch, and if you skip the rice, it will make it an even healthier meal. If you love rice, there's no reason to fret because — you can easily add rice to the sushi boats if you can't imagine the dish without some starch.

There are a few steps to prepare the cucumbers for the sushi-inspired dish, but we promise it's not too difficult. Start with the freshest cucumbers so the ingredient is crunchy and sturdy enough to hold all of the fillings. Then, slice them in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds and flesh of the cucumber to create the "boat," which is where your rice, fish, or other fillings will go. Keep the cucumber whole for a single serving, cut off the ends to make filing easier, or cut it into smaller bite-sized pieces, similar to regular sushi rolls.

If you want to add rice to the cucumber boats, use that as the base, then add the rest of the ingredients inspired by your favorite sushi roll. There are many essential ingredients to make homemade sushi that also work with this variation of the dish. Keep it on theme with other vegetables like avocado, carrots, or mushrooms. Then match the flavor profile with fresh crab, salmon, shrimp, or tuna. Take inspiration from our best sushi recipes for the ideal filling pairings, then finish it off with a drizzle of soy sauce, dynamite sauce, or even fish roe just like the local sushi eatery.