Cooking with Crosby Roamann: King Crab California Rolls

Many years ago when I had just graduated from college, and was still trying to figure out what the hell I wanted to do with my life, and I was spending far too much time in New York City drinking and eating with friends (but then what else is a 20-something to do in the city?) there was a little French bistro near where we used to live in Manhattan called Bandol Bistro. (You can even still find a decades-old write up of the restaurant online here.) Bandol offered a Steak Frites brunch special for $18, which friends and I would order with a bottle of Bandol rosé.

Why do I mention this absurd story? Because I wanted to mention that there is no more perfect food pairing than Steak Frites and a bottle of rosé on a Sunday morning if you are with people you cherish.

So we've decided to go the other direction for this month's #CookingWithCrosbyRoamann and do something almost as bizarre -- pair Cabernet Sauvignon with King Crab. King Crab is in season currently in North America, and it's a perfect time on a chilly winter night to steam up a small portion of crab with some short-grained rice, avocados, and cucumber for your own homemade California Roll. Recipes below. Pair it with a bottle of Crosby's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and enjoy it with loved ones.

Bon appetit!

Ingredients -- Most of our ingredients are purchsased from Nijiya Market on Webster Street in Little Japan, but you can find them at most Whole Foods and speciality grocers around the states.

• 1.5 cups Sushi rice (we use this short-grain rice)
• 3 Tbspn Sushi vinegar (we use this vinegar)
• 1 Tabspn Aji-Mirin (like this one from Target, also check out this article on Mirin from Bon Appetit Magazine)
• Sake (for the sushi rice, any low-quality style will do)
• Nori -- use the best you can find, we prefer toasted "gold" grade like this one
• Wasabi -- again, use fresh Wasabi from the northwest if you can find it, if not, any premade style will do, as will wasabi "powder"
• about 3/4 lb. King Crab, frozen (or about 1 half crab)
• 1 avocado
• 1 Japanese cucumber
• Salmon roe (optional)

Special Equipment

• A rice steamer (we use this one from Zojirushi)
• A bamboo sushi mat (like this one from Amazon)
• A crab/lobster cracker (or at least a pair of strong kitchen scissors)

Preparation

• Add the rice with 2 cups of water to the rice cooker with one tablespoon of Sake, and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then cook the rice according to the machine's instructions -- our cooker takes about 20 minutes of steam time, followed by 10 minutes of absorption.
• Open the rice cooker and turn it off. Sprinkle sushi vinegar and Mirin, then stir with a flat wooden or plastic spoon (like the one which comes with the rice cooker). Let the rice sit for a couple of minutes until it is cool enough to handle, but not cold. Good sushi rice should be warm.
• Meanwhile cut your Nori wraps to 3/4 quarter length -- any shorter, and it may not close all the way; any longer, and it will leave an unsightly tail.
• When the rice is ready, using slightly wet hands, grab about a big handful of rice and spread a thin layer of sushi rice over about 3/4 of the Nori wrap -- I leave a thin strip at the bottom of the wrap, and about a 1 inch strip at the top of the wrap, as pictured.

• Spread 1/2 teaspoon of Wasabi (or more, to taste) in a straight line from left to right along the sushi rice.
• Spread 1/4 cup of fresh King Crab meat directly along the wasabi, top with a few thin slices of cucumber and avocado, and top with salmon rose if available.
• Using your thumbs to gently lift the bottom of the suchi wrap and your fingers to hold the meat and avocado in place, pull the bottom of the suchi wrap up and over the meat and vegeatble section of the wrap, then gently roll it forward till it closes. Squeeze the wrap gently.
• Cover the wrap with your bamboo sushi mat and PRESS the roll tightly, but not so tightly that crab pushes out the end of the roll! I like to Press, then roll the wrap a quarter turn, and then press again.
• Cut the roll using a moist and very sharp knife into six pieces, and plate accordingly. Top with extra salmon roe (optional)
• Serve with soy sauce and ginger and extra wasabi.

Enjoy!