What is Gunkan Maki?
Gunkan maki, also known as “ship sushi,” is a traditional sushi roll. The name “gunkan” translates to “warship” in English, which perfectly describes the shape of this sushi: a small, boat-shaped vessel made from a strip of nori seaweed wrapped around a mound of sushi rice.
You can also use cucumber or salmon in place of the nori, and use this to hold the rice together. It’s a little trickier to make but definitely a fun challenge.
What can I put in Gunkan Maki?
What makes gunkan maki unique is its ability to hold toppings that might otherwise be difficult to include in regular sushi rolls. Common toppings include ikura (salmon roe), uni (sea urchin), tobiko (flying fish roe), and fish tartare. You can get creative with tartare and add kewpie mayonnaise and a spicy sauce like sriracha to your salmon or tuna and make a spicy fish gunkan.
The construction of gunkan maki is straightforward. A strip of nori is wrapped around a small ball of sushi rice, creating a “bowl” shape that can hold the toppings securely. You can then scoop your uni or ikura inside the ship where it is safely secured by the nori walls.
You can read our full rice recipe here.
How big should the nori be?
Cut the nori into strips that are around 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) wide. Most nori sheets have lines across the actual nori and these break the nori up into 1 inch sections. If your sheets have these lines, then fold and crease the nori across one line and tear this piece off. 1 inch should give enough depth to fit your rice and fillings on top.
You can of course make your ship bigger, or smaller, and experiment with adding more or less fillings.
As always, try and use really fresh nori – especially for gunkan maki. They are such little bites so if the nori is fresh, it’s very noticeable and adds to the texture.