Easy Sushi Hand Rolls - The Perfect Mid-Week Meal with Neighbors

Why Host a Mid-Week Dinner?

There's something incredibly special about gathering your neighbors for a mid-week dinner. It’s a fantastic way to break up the week, catch up with friends, and enjoy good food—all without feeling too much pressure. You might think hosting on a school night or before a busy workday sounds crazy, but with a simple and unexpected menu, it can be pretty chill!

Marinated, Smoked Sushi Grade Salmon

One of our go-to easy, but impressive dinner options is sushi grade salmon on the smoker. We marinate it for about 3 hours or more in a simple, store bought Asian marinade (we like teriyaki with garlic and ginger), add Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp and Sriracha to tame the sweetness with a little bit of heat. Throw it on the Traeger on the lowest setting for 25 minutes. Once it is cooked, sear the top of the fish with a butane cooking torch. Not only is it delicious, but searing the fish table side is a crowd pleaser. The best part? You can prepare the marinade a day in advance.

Before putting the fish on the smoker, I start cooking the sushi rice in a rice cooker. Once the rice is finished (about 50 minutes), I add about 1/4 a cup of rice wine vinegar to it and a little salt and sugar to make authentic sushi rice.

This is the fun part:

While the fish is cooking you can prep all the things that allow your guests to personalize their hand rolls. I start by cutting roasted seaweed nori sheets in half -- this is the base of the hand roll. Each person usually makes a 2 - 3 hand rolls. Start by putting a piece of rice on the nori sheet. Then top that with a piece of salmon. Next, top the fish with some goodies!

Here are a few add ons we put in separate little bowls so our friends can make their hand rolls just the way they like them:

• Mix of Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise with Sriracha (the more Sriracha you add, the spicier this is)

• Black sesame seeds

• Trader Joe's fried shallots

• Fly by Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp

• Kai Gourmet Wasabi

• Thinly cut veggies like avocado, cucumber or carrots

What should the Neighbors Bring?

Our neighbors are amazing and always ask what they can bring. Because we have the main dish covered, I usually suggest a salad or roasted veggies since those are healthy, easy sides that always go great with the hand rolls. Since everyone gets to walk home, we open a bottle of sake to stay true to the evening's Japanese theme. Chilled white wine works too!

Our final secret to hosting this easy mid-week dinner is that we put out disposable chop sticks, so we end up having fewer dishes at the end of the night. Win! We hope this inspires you to gather a neighbor or two, set the table, and get ready for a delightful evening filled with great food and good company.