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This Whole30 sushi spicy salmon roll is as legit as it gets but with none of the grains or sugar! Made with seasoned cauliflower rice, this Whole30 sushi spicy salmon roll uses easy-to-find smoked salmon, lots of veggies, and is low carb and keto-friendly.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
Whole30 is a lot like pregnancy: you can’t have certain foods, and everyone (EVERYONE) has an opinion on what you should and shouldn’t do. There are also exciting changes going on in your body: on a Whole30, you’re likely feeling slimmer, sleeping better, and more energetic than ever.
And in pregnancy, you can expect the exact opposite. The miracle of childbirth!
Sushi’s one of those things that – the moment I get pregnant – I miss so much. I just want heaps of sashimi, piles of it, tons of tuna, and scads of raw salmon. And with my son, I ate a lot of it honestly! I researched the way Japanese women ate (Conclusion: more sushi) and opted for salmon only to avoid higher mercury levels. I knew I was at no greater risk for actually contracting food poisoning, and I stuck with super high-quality places I frequented before getting pregnant.
But this time? I’m super paranoid. No sushi for your girl with her second baby! I was told I’d be more chill this time around… and I was lied to.
Really, though, I wasn’t eating much sushi before I got pregnant this time. We weren’t eating a whole lot of rice, and sashimi can rack that bill up real quick! I didn’t love it any less, just wasn’t enamored with the grains and sugar-laden sauces and mayos that tend to top them here. But I’ve found the solution:
Whole30 sushi. Whole30 spicy smoked salmon sushi. With spicy mayo and a ginger-sesame dipping sauce (Because, bye-bye, soy sauce!), this roll tastes just like what I love at our local sushi joint, but it’s so heavy on the veggies (Though you don’t have to tell the family that!) that it’s absolutely guilt-free – more on the cleanse or detox level instead.
At 4 pieces, or about a quarter of the recipe without the sauce, you get less than 10 net carbs per serving – pretty dang good for some legit sushi. And, of course, there’s no refined sugar or grains.
Other Whole30 Recipes To Try
- Whole30 Chicken Lo Mein
- Egg Roll in a Bowl Meal Prep (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)
- Whole30 Chicken Cacciatore
- Whole30 Fried Chicken and Mashed Potato Bowl with Gravy
- Paleo Chinese Chicken Salad (Whole30)
Whole30 Sushi – Spicy Salmon Roll (Low Carb, Paleo, Keto Friendly)
Ingredients
For the Whole30 Sushi Rice
- 4 cups cauliflower rice steamed
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons tapioca starch
For the Whole30 Sushi
- 2 sheets nori
- 1-2 whole avocados seeded, peeled, and cut in thin strips
- 1 cucumber peeled and cut into thin batons
- 2 tablespoons green onions
- ½ cup red cabbage shredded
- 4 ounces smoked salmon chopped fine
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons sriracha see Notes
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds for garnish
For the Spicy Mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons mayo
- ½ tablespoon sriracha
For the Ginger-Sesame Dipping Sauce
- 1 1-inch long piece ginger
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- ½ of one large shallot or 1 whole small shallot
- 1 tablespoon chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Prepare Whole30 sushi rice: Toss steamed cauliflower rice with tapioca starch. Heat liquids in a small saucepan until hot, then pour over cauliflower rice and stir well. Spread mixture on paper towels and let cool completely. Press with a paper towel on top to remove excess moisture.
- Prepare your green onions: thinly slice half of one dark green part of green onion. Finely mince the remainder.
- Stir together chopped salmon, 1/4 tsp. sesame oil, sriracha, and minced green onions.
- Make the spicy mayo: in a small bowl, stir together both ingredients. Transfer to a small sandwich bag.
- Make the ginger-sesame dipping sauce: combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth.
- Roll your sushi: place 1 sheet of seaweed on your bamboo mat, shiny side down, or in your sushi maker. Press half of the cooled cauliflower rice onto seaweed in a thin layer, leaving a 1/2 inch edge at the top and bottom uncovered. About 1 inch away from the bottom edge of the seaweed, arrange cucumber, avocado, red cabbage, and smoked salmon mixture. If using a sushi maker, you might want to place the toppings in the center; follow manufacturer’s directions.
- If using a bamboo mat, cover the toppings with the edge of the sushi closest to you. Tightly roll with the bamboo mat. If using a sushi maker, follow manufacturer’s directions. It might not be possible to extrude the sushi, if that’s the type of maker you have, but you can use the maker to shape the sushi.
- Slice into about 6-8 pieces with a very sharp knife. It can help to wet the knife in between slices.
- Arrange sushi slices flat-side down and snip the edge off the spicy mayo in the sandwich bag. Drizzle spicy mayo on top and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with ginger-sesame dipping sauce.
- Rice wine vinegar is compliant. Read this article on Whole30’s site for more info.
- For Whole30 sriracha, use my easy recipe.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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This recipe was fabulous! But I was confused with step number one, heat the liquids? Not sure what liquids were being referenced, I just used rice wine vinegar with the cauliflower rice. Also, did not have sushi rolling mat, so they came out a little big and were challenging to eat, but delicious nonetheless. Spicy Sriracha sauce and ginger dipping sauce were spot on! Makes for a very professional presentation! I would highly recommend a smaller quantity of filling the next time I do this so the sushi comes out smaller, tighter, and stays intact. All said, I wowed my dinner guests, despite telling them to use their hands instead of the chopsticks. I honestly don’t think anyone missed traditional sushi!
We’re so glad you and your guests enjoyed this fun and healthy recipe!
Could I try this with Ahi Tuna instead of salmon. Not a fan of salmon?
Of course! That would work perfectly
This was really good! I little bit of work but definitely worth it. I used potato starch because it’s what I had on hand and I didn’t make the extra dipping sauce (just used low-sodium soy sauce to dip the rolls). I also lightened up the spicy mayo sauce by doing half mayo, half greek yogurt and I honestly couldn’t tell a difference from the full mayo version (I’m not doing Keto, Paleo, or Whole 30, I just try to watch my calories and workout). Overall, a real treat when trying to watch the calories and trim down a little. Thanks for the great recipe!
Great post! This brings back fond memories–we had a Japanese student live with us when I was a kid, and we learned how to make homemade sushi from her. A fun process with delicious results!
If I am not paleo and want to follow the exact same recipe but use brown rice instead of cauliflower, do I still need to add arrowroot and rice vinegar to the rice or is that only necessary for cauliflower? 😊
If you use regular rice, not sushi rice, I would continue with the recipe as written. The arrowroot serves to create a “stickiness” that you get from sushi rice, so unless you’re using actual sushi rice, I’d keep that ingredient in the rice mixture. And definitely keep the rice vinegar for seasoning!
Help me find w30 sriracha!!
We have a Whole30 Sriracha recipe, here. 🙂
https://40aprons.com/whole30-sriracha/
Thanks for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it! Can cassava flour be used in place of tapioca starch?
Sure!
Thanks for your good website and information !