Ingredients: Seaweed, rice, barbecued eel, cucumber

Preparation: Inside-out 

Popularity: Growing

Like the Anago Roll, the Anakyu Roll has many variations, and is growing in popularity as more and more people grow the cajones needed to stray from the usual US California Roll/Dynamite Roll diet.

Anakyu Roll is basically a Usagi Roll with cucumber added, though from sushi restaurant to sushi restaurant that’s likely to vary a touch.

Basically, for an Anakyu Roll to be good, the barbecued eel has to be primo. An Anakyu Roll with sub-standard eel is like steak tartare with a nasty piece of steak.

Ingredients: Seaweed, rice, barbecued eel (Anago), Japanese parsley (Mitsuba), cucumber

Preparation: Inside-out

Popularity: Growing

Though a lot of people still won’t try eel, just because it’s not as common to westerners as chicken, there are a growing number of sushi fiends who, while looking to try something different, stumble upon the flavor and texture of one of Japan’s most popular seafoods.

The Anago Roll is basically an eel roll, and as such it can be made many different ways. Some have mayonnaise, some use egg as the outer skin of the roll (as seen in the photo above), which gives it an interesting yellow appearance (especially when topped with gold fish eggs), but really the only thing that you need to make an Anago Roll and Anago Roll is, well, Anago.

Seriously, give it a try. Eel won’t bite… well, as long as it’s barbecued first, anyway.

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, salmon, crab, avocado, cucumber, mayonnaise

Preparation: Inside-out

Popularity: Low

So you’ve tried the California Roll, and you’re like, okay, not bad. A little bland, but good lunchtime filler.

So what’s the next step up? Try the Tiger Roll.

The Tigey is a California Roll with baked salmon draped over the top, which while it might sound like only a slight variation on the usual theme, if the fish is fresh, it’s really frickin’ good.

Of course, the majority of Americans will order this because it has a funky name and the white and orange of the salmon gives it a somewhat tiger-like appearance, but there’s more to this dish than meets the eye (alone).

Think of it this way – if you usually order salmon sashimi and a california roll… doesn’t it make sense to save time and combine the two?

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, yellowfin tuna (Ahi), cucumber, daikon, avocado

Preparation: Standard roll

Popularity: Moderate

A relatively simple sushi roll recipe, this is one of those menu items that confuses North Americans because many sushi restaurants prefer to call it by the Japanese name for Yellowfin – Ahi – which requires a little translation to non-Japanese speakers.

In essence, this is just a tuna roll with a little veg thrown in, but if the yellowfin is of high quality, that can be more than enough to make it a great dish for sushi fans.  With some roe (tobiko) on top and wasabi on the side, it beats a freakin’ cheeseburger, that’s for darn sure.

There is some variation on this recipe from chef to chef, with some preferring to use Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus Obesus) instead of Yellowfin (Thunnus Albacares). You can usually spot the difference because Bigeye has a much richer pink/red color than Yellowfin, though if the fish is large and old enough, a Yellowfin will eventually find its meat of a similar deep red color.

You may also find crab used in some ahi rolls, or even tempura, but put those down to the usual variations from sushi restaurant to sushi restaurant and assume you’re dealing with tuna and veges, and you can’t go wrong. 

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, smoked salmon, cream cheese, cucumber

Preparation: Inside-out

Popularity: Moderate, mostly because there’s no centralized recipe

As with many Americanized versions of sushi, it’s tough to nail down the New York Roll to one specific recipe. In fact, it’s tough to nail down one specific ingredient.

Some versions are made with smoked salmon, some are made with apple, some go with the contents of a bagel, some are close to a California Roll, only made in reverse. In fact, even finding a picture of a New York Roll is a hard thing to do.

For our money, the version of New York Roll that makes the most sense is a ‘bagelized’ recipe. We go with smoked salmon (add the skin if you like barbecue as a flavor), cream cheese, cucumber, and perhaps a little avocado thrown in so it’s not too cheesy.

Around the outside, sure, go with a smattering of sesame seeds, and maybe garnish with a thin slice of apple… since… you know… New York… ‘Big Apple’…

Sometimes schmaltz is a good thing.

Of course, you could always add steroids, in honor of New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens… 

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, smoked salmon, cucumber, avocado, cream cheese (optional), wasabi paste (optional)

Preparation: Standard

Popularity: Moderate to low

Depending on where you are, the recipe for a smoked salmon roll will vary. Most sushi houses will put smoked salmon together with cream cheese, to make a dish that’s almost a bagel in nature.

But the more exotic sushi establishments will sometimes add wasabi paste to the mix – a hotter, but altogether incredible food experience, as the bite of the wasabi mixes well with the tang of the salmon. 

Variations on this theme sometimes include smoked salmon wrapped around the outside of the roll, while others still go with the inside-out preparation method, of rice on the outside, seaweed inside that, and the rest of the dish in the center. 

Not a classic Japanese favorite by any stretch, but I’ll have six to go!

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, barbecued eel, avocado, tempura shrimp, burdock root, cucumber, flying fish roe

Preparation: Inside-out

Popularity: Moderate in the US

Another in the long line of sushi rolls in which decoration on a theme is almost as important as taste, the Dragon Roll tends to come with a slightly higher price tag, but if it’s done right, it’s worth every penny.

The avocado is usually draped across the top of the roll to give a ‘dragon scales’ effect, with the bright orange roe going on top of that to give contrast.

Inside, it’s all good stuff – BBQ eel, crunchy tempura shrimp, and the burdock root/cucumber combo to fill things out.

The Dragon Roll is a bit of a fatty dish, due to the deep-fried tempura, and while some variations might include hot sauce, or chili, to give it a fire-kick, generally at most sushi houses it’s a very mild menu item.

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, sweet egg, burdock root, avocado, asparagus, crab meat, cucumber, shitake mushrooms, daikon

Preparation: Standard

Popularity: Low in US, high in Japan

Not a sushi dish for rookies, the Futomaki Roll is a Japanese specialty that combines a whole load of flavors in one tight package.

Even the names of the ingredients tend to get Americans a little fearful, with tamago (egg), yamagobo (burdock root), radish pickle (daikon) not exactly being staples of the Starbucks crowd.

But hey, you only live once – take a chance on a flavor you haven’t tasted before and mark the Futomaki down as something to try on your next visit to your favorite sushi chef.

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, shrimp, cucumber, mayonnaise

Preparation: Inside-out

Popularity: Medium to low 

An east coast special, but virtually unknown on the other side of the US, the Boston Roll (sometimes known as the Ebi Roll) puts good old-fashioned New England shrimp in bed with Japanese mayo and cucumber to make a simple, yet tasty sushi menu item that is essentially a slight variation on the California Roll.

Some versions feature tobiko (flying fish roe) on top for a splash of yellow color, and a can’t-be-beat shot of flavor.

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, eel, cucumber, avocado, smelt roe

Preparation: Inside-out

Popularity: Moderate

No, it’s not actually made of caterpillars; the caterpillar roll is dressed up to look like an insect by virtue of the green avocado, sesame seeds, and bright red masago (smelt roe) laid across the top.

Inside, it’s unagi (eel) and cucumber, which is a pretty one-dimensional combo, but it’s the good stuff on top that makes this a sushi dish to remember.

Some restaurants take the caterpillar theme to extremes, adding octopus suction cups as eyes, and bizarre additions as legs shooting out the sides… but none of this helps make the dish more palatable.

Just forego the extras and enjoy the meal.

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, cucumber

Preparation: Inside-out

Popularity: Moderate

Pretty basic roll, really.

It’s your standard inside-out dish, rice on the outside, seaweed inside that, and thin sticks of cucumber in the middle.

Not overly tasty, but it’s cheap and it’ll fill an empty stomach… if you eat enough of the stuff.

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, cream cheese, scallions, smoked salmon, cucumber, avocado, sometimes onion

Preparation: Inside-out

Popularity: Moderate 

Named after the home of Philly cream cheese, this Americanized sushi dish would almost be an hors d’oeuvre, if not for the seaweed and rice.

Made inside-out (or in the Urumaki style, as such sushi is known), and usually topped with sesame seeds or flying fish roe, the cream cheese replaces the usual Japanese mayonnaise in this mild dish, with the flavor of the smoked salmon making its presence felt in no uncertain terms.

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, prawn tempura, crab, cucumber, avocado, mayonnaise

Preparation: Inside-out

Popularity: High in the US, not so much in Japan

The Dynamite Roll sounds like it would give you a big hot kick, and that’s a mistake some less educated sushi first timers sometimes make.

In reality, this is a nice variation on the California-family of sushi menu items – think of it as one step beyond the Spider Roll, which is a step beyond the California Roll.

Generally, when dynamite Roll is served, the last piece of sushi on the roll features a prawn tail sticking out the end. Just so you know, it’s not offensive to leave the tail uneaten.

As one of the ingredients in this dish is deep-fried, be aware that it’s just a little more calorific than many other dishes.

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, grilled salmon (with skin), cucumber, mayonnaise, eel sauce

Prepared: Inside-out

Popularity: Huge on the US West Coast, moderate elsewhere

The BC Roll is named after the Canadian province of British Columbia, which is renowned for its salmon, and was where this roll originated. It’s not exactly a beginner’s sushi dish, but at the same time, it doesn’t take an ironclad stomach or an educated palette to enjoy.

The worth of a BC roll comes almost entirely from the salmon being used in it. If it’s fresh wild salmon, cooked properly, this is an incredible dish. But if the salmon is frozen, or is farmed (and thus less flavorful and colored with dye), you’re going to find it a very average eating experience.

The skin of the salmon is integral to the dish. Yes, we know, eating fish skin doesn’t sound fun, but trust us – it really does add to the flavor, and because it’s cooked, if you didn’t know it was skin, you wouldn’t know it was there.

Sesame seeds or flying fish roe on the outside completes the dish, and sweet sauce (otherwise known as eel sauce) gives it a nice kick.

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, crab meat, avocado, cucumber, daikon sprouts, mayonnaise

Prepared: Inside-out

Popularity: Huge

The spider roll, though not exactly named for those with a queazy stomach, is essentially a california roll with the addition of daikon sprouts (sometimes) and with the crab meat deep-fried before preparation.

The crab, cucumber, avocado, mayonnaise combo goes down well with a Western tongue that is perhaps unfamiliar with more exotic types of sushi, but the crunchiness of the fried crab makes for a more ’substantial’ meal for those who feel rice and a piece of crab isn’t a ‘real’ menu item.

Because it involves frying, a spider roll has about 15% more calories than a Cali Roll, but so be it – we love it!