Made with crispy breaded fish sticks, avocado, and cucumber, these Fish Stick Sushi Rolls are crunchy like a crunch roll and a quick, easy, cheap way to make delicious sushi at home!
Looking for more creative ways to use frozen fish sticks? Check out my family’s favorite fish stick tacos!
Easy Sushi Rolls Recipe
We are a big-time sushi loving family. Even back when my kids were very little and hated salad, they loved sushi and raw fish. Go figure. But eating out or buying sushi ingredients like tuna and salmon tend to be expensive even when you only need a small amount, so I cheat and make sushi rolls with fish sticks!
Fish stick sushi rolls might sound weird, but trust me, they’re awesome. They’re a cheaper way to make sushi rolls at home and since they’re made with crispy breaded fish sticks, they’re crunchy like a crunch roll.
Why You’ll Love These Fish Finger Sushi Rolls
- Cheap & easy. As mentioned above, one of the reasons I love these fish stick sushi rolls is because they’re much cheaper and easier than most traditional sushi roll ingredients, like raw tuna or salmon.
- Crunchy texture. These have almost the same crunchy texture as a tempura roll or crunch roll. I recommend cooking the fish in the air fryer for extra crunch.
- Easy to customize. The fish sticks can be replaced with imitation crab sticks, if preferred for a different taste and texture. You can also adjust the other fillings too.
Ingredients Needed
These sushi rolls are made with less than 10 ingredients.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Sushi rice – Sushi rice is a short grain rice that’s a bit more starchy with a stickier texture than traditional rice.
- Water – To cook the rice.
- Seasoned rice vinegar – See notes below.
- Nori – The seaweed sheets used to hold the sushi ingredients.
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Kewpie Japanese mayo – A classic sushi ingredient.
- Breaded fish sticks – I use Gorton’s brand but any will work.
- Avocado – Ripe and sliced.
- Cucumbers – I recommend Persian cucumbers as they’re smaller with a thinner skin.
- For serving – Soy sauce, wasabi, garlic, pickled ginger, and/or Sriracha-mayo.
Make Your Own Seasoned Rice Vinegar
Seasoned rice vinegar includes sugar and salt. If you don’t have any and don’t want to buy it, you can combine 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar, 1 & 1/2 tablespoons sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Heat in the microwave until the sugar dissolves and then allow to cool.
How To Make Fish Stick Sushi Rolls
Making these fish stick sushi rolls is easier than you may think! Use the photo above as a guide.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Cook the rice. Rinse the rice under water until the water runs clear. Bring the water and rice in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and all water has been absorbed.
- Add the vinegar. Transfer the rice to a greased baking sheet. Drizzle with the seasoned rice vinegar. Use a slicing motion with a rice paddle/spoon to combine and fan while mixing to dry it out. Set aside to cool.
- Cook the fish sticks. Prepare the fish sticks according to the package instructions. I usually air fry mine so they’re extra crispy (and it’s faster).
- Assemble the rolls. Cut the nori sheet in half. Line a bamboo mat with plastic wrap, and place half a nori sheet on top. Evenly spread 1/2 cup rice over the nori. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Flip the sheet over, drizzle with a bit of kewpie mayo, and add 2 cooked fish sticks horizontally along the middle. Layer with avocado slices and cucumbers.
- Roll the sushi. Slowly move the bottom edge of the nori sheet over the filling, completely wrapping the fillings in the sheet. Keep the roll tight and apply even, gentle pressure while rolling upwards. Continue until the roll comes away from the plastic wrap.
- Slice. Use a sharp knife and long, one stroke slices to cut the roll into 6-8 pieces.
- Enjoy. Serve with your choice of condiments – soy sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger, and/or sriracha mayo.
Tips for Making Sushi Rolls
Making sushi can feel a bit complicated the first time but these tips help make it a breeze.
- Combine the rice gently. You want to use a slicing motion when combining the rice vinegar and rice. Be gentle and take care to not stir or mash it up.
- Wet your hands. When pressing the rice onto the nori, dip your hands in a bowl of water to prevent the rice from sticking to your hands.
- Make the sushi rice fresh. I don’t recommend making the sushi rice in advance. Cooked rice gets hard and dry in the refrigerator. If you absolutely must make it ahead of time, cover the surface with plastic wrap in an airtight container and store it in the fridge, then microwave to room temperature (not hot), adding a touch of water to loosen it up.
- Roll gently. Roll the nori firmly but gently to prevent the nori from breaking or the rice and fillings from coming out the sides.
- Cut in one motion. Use a sharp knife to cut each slice in one single motion. Dip the knife in water between slices to prevent sticking. Do not run the knife back and forth to cut through, as that will cause the roll to tear.
Other Filling Ideas
I love using the breaded fish sticks because they’re so easy and crispy but you have plenty of other options too.
- Imitation crab
- Shrimp tempura
- Cooked shrimp
- Cream cheese
- Carrot
- Salmon or tuna
Proper Storage
Fish stick sushi rolls are best enjoyed immediately. If you must store them, you can wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days, however you’ll need to enjoy the fish cold since you cannot reheat them and they will lose all of their irresistible crunch.
More Sushi Recipes To Try
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Fish Stick Sushi Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups uncooked short-grained Calrose “sushi” rice
- water
- 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 nori seaweed sheets
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise
- 8 breaded fish sticks (I use Gorton’s brand)
- 1 medium ripe avocado , sliced
- 2 small Persian cucumbers , ends trimmed, sliced julienned
- For serving: soy sauce, wasabi, garlic, pickled ginger, Sriracha-mayo
Instructions
- Rinse your rice until the water runs clear, then add the rice and water to a saucepan and cook according to package directions.Transfer cooked rice to a greased rimmed baking sheet or baking dish and drizzle the seasoned rice vinegar evenly all over the top. Gently combine with a slicing motion using a rice paddle/spoon (be gentle, do not stir or mash it up.) Fan the rice while mixing to dry it out slightly. Set aside to cool.
- Cook the fish sticks according to package directions. (I like to air fry mine, but baking is fine too.)
- Cut the nori sheet into half sizes along the shorter end of the sheet.
- Line a bamboo mat with plastic wrap and place a half nori sheet on top. Using your hands, evenly spread a 1/2 cup of the cooked and cooled rice over the nori (dip your hands in the water bowl to keep your hands from sticking to the rice.)
- Sprinkle a teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds over the rice.
- Flip the seaweed and rice sheet over and drizzle with a bit of kewpie mayonnaise. Add 2 cooked fish sticks horizontally along the middle of the seaweed. Layer the avocado slices and cucumbers horizontally along the fish sticks. (See image in the article for visual help.)
- Roll up tightly and remove the plastic before slicing. (TIP: Take one-stroke slices, don't run your knife back and forth. Dip the knife in water to prevent sticking of rice.)
- Serve your fish stick sushi rolls with soy sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger, and a drizzle of Sriracha-mayo, if desired.
