Enlarge These spider rolls are no where near as scary as they sound. In fact they are a delicious sushi made with deep-fried crab. In this tutorial Japanese chef Atsuko Ikeda shows you the steps to making this great tasting sushi. Prep:15mCook:5mTotal:20m2 soft shelled crabs240 g prepared sushi rice1 nori sheet20 g mayonnaise1/2 tbsp wasabi paste50 g katakuriko (potato starch)2 cucumber strips1/4 red pepper2 tsp black sesame seeds2 tsp white sesame seeds4 stems of dill500 ml rice bran oilLay one of your soft shelled crabs flat on a chopping board and pierce it all of the shells to ensure the crab doesn't split when it goes into the oil. Continue this process with the second crab. Next, fully coat the crabs with katakuriko. Heat up a pan of rice bran oil in a large wok while you prepare the crabs.
Check your oil is the right heat before frying by dropping a small piece of the crab into the pan; if it bubbles, your oil is the right heat. Carefully place your coated crabs into the oil and leave for 3-4 minutes, turning once during the frying process. Remove the crab from the oil when they have begun to turn red and drain to remove any excess oil.
Place the fried crabs onto a chopping board and slice in half. Take half a sheet of nori and place the shiny side down onto a bamboo mat. Take an apple-sized handful of prepared sushi rice and gently spread it evenly along the nori. Take your black sesame seeds and sprinkle over one corner of the rice. Next sprinkle your white sesame seeds over the opposite corner, and sprinkle dill along the centre. Using your bamboo mat gently flip over the sushi so the rice is facing downwards.
Spread mayonnaise along the centre of the nori, followed by some wasabi paste. Take the two halves of one of your crabs and place side by side on top of the wasabi, allowing two of the legs to stick out of the sushi. Add a strip of cucumber above the crab along with a few strips of red pepper. Roll your sushi by placing your thumbs underneath the mat and holding the fillings in place with your fingers. Once your sushi has been rolled press the side and tops of the sushi to make it a rectangle size. Continue with the same steps for your second half of nori and crab.
Take a sharp knife and wet the blade. Cut the sushi roll in half and then place the two halves side by side. Continue to slice the sushi roll into smaller sections. Tuck in the end of the cucumber strips and serve.
