Gunkan Maki

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Gunkan maki, also known as Battleship maki, is a common, more traditional type of sushi. It is topped with ikura (fish eggs, larger than tobiko, which is what was used on the Boston Roll), so it is very salty. We also used some wasabi tobiko (the smaller green fish eggs), but contrary to what their name claims, they didn’t really add any spice to the sushi. If you like ikura and tobiko, you might like it on Inari-Zushi too… we tried it and found it is a really good combination! The sea saltiness of the ikura and tobiko compliment the sweetness of the inari very nicely.

Since people have asked so nicely, I will be getting the spinach dip recipe up later this week, when I have time to go out and buy some spinach so I can tease you all with pictures! πŸ˜‰ Meanwhile, check out my archives and make some sushi! πŸ˜€

Makes 6-8 pieces

Ingredients
Cooking Directions
  1. Cook sushi rice.
  2. Form a small ball of rice with your hands or use a round cookie cutter to make a small circular rice shape about 1″ tall and 2 inches in diameter.
  3. Cut the nori into 2″ strips. Wrap a strip of nori around the circumference of each rice ball.
  4. Place about a tablespoon of ikura on top of each ball of rice.
  5. Enjoy with shoyu, wasabi, and ginger if desired.

Coming Soon!

More Pictures

23 thoughts on “Gunkan Maki”

  1. jdans -

    Excellent choice, i love it, and masago too. I used to combine little salmon pieces with a small amount of hot souce with ikura and scallion. =) yummy !!!

  2. Amy -

    You know, I’m still kinda a sushi wimp, and this is one of those things that I’m not sure I could handle. Maybe I could work my way up to trying it. I have to admit though, considering it’s one of those things I swore I’d never eat, your presentation and description makes it look pretty darn tempting…

    Your sushi ALWAYS looks good though. Mmm.

  3. Yvo -

    Mmm, love love love the pictures. I thought gunkan maki was something else though, weird. Ah well, doesn’t matter what it’s called, it goes in my tummy!!! πŸ™‚ I love the contrasting colors… I keep meaning to check out and see if I can buy some of those lil fish roe eggs.

    This isn’t exactly a sushi thing I guess, but you did put steak in sushi… and bacon… so maybe you’d do this. (Did you put fries in the sushi yet?) There are a few fish roe dishes that I’ve been obsessing over lately. One is cod fish roe mayo fries- the one place I’ve had it had steak fries, which normally I’m not a fan of (too big) but it was great for dipping in the spicy cod fish roe mayo because you could pick up a lot of it in one dip =X hahahaha. It wasn’t too spicy nor mayo-y, and it had enough fish roe to really pick up the salty taste. Delicious.

    The other one is Greek/Turkish, taramasalata, which I’ve heard different stories of the recipe. But basically it seems to be fish roe mixed into really good plain yogurt along with some seasonings and supposedly either potato or bread. I can’t really figure out how that works (and haven’t yet looked it up- I think I will after I’m done here!) but it was delicious in Greece and at a restaurant here in NYC called Turkish Kitchen.

    Anyway, maybe you could try spreading some of this inside a roll? Or maybe it’s too heavy and won’t go with the rice. I’m not sure. Just thinking out loud here…. Oh and I lurve sake oyako don – salmon ‘mother/child’ over rice. (I was told once that’s how to translate oyako.) Salmon sashimi and salmon roe over sushi rice, you mix it together and it is so freaking good. That could definitely translate to a roll but I guess then it’s not that “interesting” compared to the other offerings you’ve done πŸ™‚

    Sorry for talking so much! Looking forward to what’s next πŸ˜€

  4. Allison -

    jdans – Mmmm that sounds good! I might just try that!

    Amy – Awwww, thanks! I would recommend trying just a little bit first, since the saltiness can be a little overwhelming, especially if you aren’t expecting it.

    Yvo – πŸ˜€ Thanks! Hehe Son’s ego is blowing up as we speak! πŸ˜› Hehe I’m kidding, he loves it when people like his pictures though.

    I have put fries in sushi (there are some in the Steak and Potato Sushi and the Bacon-Cheese Sushi πŸ™‚ ), and I’m always open to your ideas, no matter how out of the ordinary they might be! The recipes sound yummy… I’m definitely going to have to try that soon!!! I looked up the taramasalata, and it seems similar, so I may just make both of them at the same time! πŸ˜€ Mmmmm I can’t wait it sounds so good! The salmon sashimi and salmon roe sounds good too… and that’s not boring! Hehe I still do some traditional rolls (such as this one) which aren’t exactly creative. No roll is too boring for me!

    I really don’t mind the long comment, in fact I would love it if more people commented like you do! I love hearing your thoughts and sushi ideas!

  5. Allison -

    It’s usually orange, but I bought some green tobiko (wasabi tobiko? it’s not spicy, but that’s supposedly what it is) so it wouldn’t blend in with the masago. πŸ™‚

  6. Allison -

    Yvo – I tried the mayo/tobiko combo w/ fries that you told me about! It’s really good! I don’t think I got the recipe quite right though, so I’m definitely going to have to do some meddling with it, but you will certainly see some sort of sushi using that up here! πŸ˜€

  7. Reader -

    Is that masago, as in Capelin/Smelt roe? What you have there looks a lot more like big, salterwatery Ikura (Salmon roe).

  8. Allison -

    Reader and Koibito, yeah, you’re right! Sorry, I was mistaken!

    Someone was arguing with me a while ago, telling me that my tobiko is really masago… it’s actually tobiko, although after doing a little research I have found that tobiko and masago look extremely similar (about the same size and color), so I can now understand why there was all the confusion!

  9. steve jude -

    We also used some wasabi tobiko (the smaller green fish eggs), but contrary to what their name claims, they didn’t really add any spice to the sushi. If you like ikura and tobiko, you might like it on Inari-Zushi too… we tried it and found it is a really good combination!

    Jude Steven, Editor of Koi Guide

  10. Linda -

    I have a question – does anyone know where I can get an ingredient called “miso paste”? it’s an ingredient in a dressing that goes over a halved avocado filled with lump crab meat (delish)….thanks!

  11. Tracey -

    Gunkan maki can be filled with nearly anything. When I lived in Japan, one of my favorites was ‘kani salad’ which was simply a gunkan maki-style tub filled with an imitation crab stick salad. You could even skip making the salad and pick some up at the deli.

    Another gunkan sushi option was finely-chopped tuna with a few scallions on top. I suspect the tuna was the leftover pieces from rolls. They’d just chop them w/ two knives until the tuna was a smooth, almost paste-like consistency. Fill the gunkan with the tuna, then top it with a few scallions for a real treat.

    For those who are afraid of anything raw, put some sweet corn in the gunkan maki. Cheat and use the vacuum-packed Mexi corn for something different. A lightly steamed asparagus would be yummy, as would a bit of seasoned ground beef. Options are limited only by your imagination.

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