Chirashi Bowls

Chirashizushi (ちらし寿司) translates to "scattered sushi" and is a style of sushi that entails exactly what the name suggests: pieces of sashimi over sushi rice. Chirashizushi—or chirashi bowls—is probably the simplest way to enjoy what you love about sushi without having to learn how to roll maki.

Though some people might think the fish is the star of the dish, for the true diehard sushi lovers, the rice is really where it’s at. Sushi rice is a short-grain rice that can be found in most supermarkets and can be prepared on the stovetop or in a rice cooker. Using a rice cooker is not some “shortcut” that will leave you with rice that isn’t as good as if you made it on the stove. We find that the rice cooker results in better textured and more consistent rice.

The cooked sushi rice is seasoned with a mixture of rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. We provided our favorite ratios, but you can adjust the amounts of each to your liking. For the fish, you can use any type of sushi-grade raw fish, from yellowtail to mackerel. We used salmon, tuna, and shrimp, but we encourage you to swap in anything you like.

For toppings, you can kind of go nuts! You’ll oftentimes find eggs in some shape or form, either in tomago-style sushi (which is a bit hard to re-create without a speciality pan) or in the form of little ribbons made from a thin omelet. The latter is what we’re adding to this recipe.

We also threw in a quick pickled cucumber salad, nori, lemon, and avocado, but you can use anything you like. Blanched snap peas or thinly sliced lotus root are great here. Tried making your own chirashi bowl? Let us know what you added in the comments below!