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, lobster tempura, onion, orange tobiko (fish eggs), mayonnaise

Preparation: Cooked, inside-out

Popularity: Feh.

Not an item found in many sushi bars, the lobster roll tends to be made using lobster tempura rather than raw lobster, simply because raw shellfish is often a bad idea.

The roll is made inside-out style, and though our default lobster roll recipe uses onions and mayo on the inside and orange flying fish roe on the outside (to give that orange cooked lobster look), there’s no hard and fast rules about what might make a good lobster roll.

Cucumber? Avocado? Nothing but meat?

Really, it’s going to come down to the ingenuity of the sushi chef at hand, but don’t be fooled by the presence of lobster into paying a ridiculous amount for the dish – you’re really only going to get a thin strip of lobby meat worth maybe $4 beyond the standard sushi roll price.

Ingredients: Rice, seaweed, yellowtail tuna, scallions, mayonnaise, sometimes lettuce

Preparation: Standard

Popularity: Low

A neat little dish, the Hamachi (Yellowtail) Roll is a creamy delight, with the scallions and mayonnaise combining beautifully, and the yellowtail (and sometimes lettuce) finishing it off with a taste explosion.

On occasion, shiso (sometimes known as perilla, beefsteak plant, or Japanese Basil) is added to the mix.

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, 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, avocado, cucumber, mayonnaise

Prepared: Inside-out

Popularity: Huge

If you’re looking for a simple, easy-to-eat sushi item for beginners, the California Roll is a nice one to start with. It’s the sort of menu item that contains nothing ’scary’ for westerners, nothing chewy for those who get queazy with new textures, and let’s face it – crab, avocado and a little mayonnaise sounds like something you’d order from a corner deli. That means, if your dinner date has never tasted sushi before and is a little timid about the experience, start with a california roll.

Lots of sushi restaurants will use imitation crab meat for a California Roll, which means you’re really getting shark meat colored to look like crab, but the difference isn’t overly noticeable unless you’re a sushi snob.

Usually a Cali Roll will be covered with sesame seeds on the outside, though better establishments will use tobiko (or flying fish roe) which looks like yellow or orange caviar. In some areas, such as the Philippines, a slice of mango is added to the California Roll.

A great base dish – try the Spider Roll variation, with fried crab!