You can get the taste of a classic California Roll in the form of smooth guacamole. This dip is great for sushi fans and can be used as an appetizer at any event.

Ingredients: 2 ripe avocados, mashed. 1/2 cup imitation crab meat, chopped. 1/4 cup cucumber, finely diced. 2 tablespoons mayonnaise. 1 teaspoon soy sauce. 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar. 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil. 1/4 teaspoon wasabi paste optional. Salt and pepper to taste. Nori seaweed sheets for garnish. Sesame seeds for garnish.

Instructions: Put mashed avocados, chopped fake crab meat, and finely diced cucumber in a bowl. Add the wasabi paste and mix it with the mayonnaise, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and pepper in a different bowl. Add the mayonnaise mixture and mix it well with the avocado mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste in the guacamole. Lay out a piece of nori seaweed on a flat piece of plastic wrap. Cover the nori seaweed with a thin layer of the guacamole mixture. Leave about half an inch of the top edge of the seaweed uncovered. Use the plastic wrap to help you shape the nori seaweed and guacamole mixture into a tight cylinder. Put the roll in the fridge for about 30 minutes to make it set. Get the roll out of the fridge and cut it up into small pieces. Add sesame seeds on top, and then serve as a tasty California Roll Guacamole dip.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

This season, I want you to think about making sushi into something very accessible even to the picky eaters in your life.

Sushi is a dish that often requires a significant number of preparations in advance and myriad of highly perishable ingredients.

My creamy sushi party dip significantly reduces the amount of time required to prepare sushi rolls, while still evoking a similar note of the dish in a far less demanding approach. The base is made with cream cheese, flavoured with wasabi and soya sauce. The base is subsequently topped with familiar sushi ingredients.

I like to buy hot smoked salmon when it’s on sale and stash it in the freezer for when I make sushi at home, so I am using it as my seafood component on my sushi dip. If you prefer surimi crab, sashimi grade salmon/tuna, or even teriyaki chicken, make the substitution. The flavours here are meant to evoke the flavour memories of eating those massive fusion style sushi rolls you get when you go out for cheap and cheerful maki.

When serving this dip, it is a playful move to serve with a crispy rice snack/cracker to complete the sushi roll concept.

If you are taking this dip to a potluck, I would recommend spreading the cream cheese layer on your serving dish of choice and the rest of the ingredients minus the sriracha mayonnaise; plastic wrap will destroy your creative efforts as undoubtedly the sriracha mayo will get squished all over everything else.

Creamy Sushi Party Dip

1 package (250g) cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp wasabi

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp vinegar

1 cup hot smoked salmon, flaked

1 avocado, cubed

½ English cucumber, made into ribbons with a peeler rolled up into pinwheels

¼ cup pickled ginger, julienne or as is

¼ cup green onion, sliced on a bias

Sriracha mayo for a zig zag garnish

2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted for garnish

¼ cup seaweed (nori), cut into strips (julienne), for garnish

Rice crackers or other crispy snacks to serve

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine softened cream cheese with the soy sauce, wasabi, and vinegar. Spread out onto a serving dish with as much whimsy as desired.

Next arrange the hot smoked salmon, avocado and cucumber ribbons, pickled ginger and green onion.

To finish the dish, apply a zig zag pattern of sriracha mayo across the dip and scatter with toasted sesame seeds.