California roll macaroni salad has all the flavors of a California roll combined with elbow macaroni for a fun twist on classic mac salad. It’s perfect for serving at a summer BBQ!
Made with rice, imitation crab, and cucumber, the California roll is a classic entry level sushi roll. California roll macaroni salad is a fun take on the sushi recipe. It’s perfect to serve for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or any summer BBQ!
KEY INGREDIENTS + VARIATIONS
Crab: California rolls typically have imitation crab which is a faux crab made from surimi, a paste made from fish, usually pollock. While there is no actual crab in surimi, the imitation crab is molded into the desired shape to give a crab like look and texture. If you are bougie, you could use real crab in this recipe.
Furikake: Furikake is a mixture of sesame seeds, seaweeds, herbs, fish flakes, and salt. It’s commonly used in Japanese cooking to add flavor and nutrients to rice dishes. Furikake is versatile and can also be sprinkled on eggs, pizza, dips, and avocado toast. It’s essential in this recipe as it adds umami flavor and texture to the dish so don’t skip it!
Nori: Nori is a dried seaweed used in Japanese cooking. It often comes in sheets to use in sushi, but you can also find it shredded. It’s marked as optional in this recipe, but does add nice crunch and color.
Kewpie: Kewpie is a Japanese mayo made with egg yolks, unlike American style mayo which is made with whole eggs. The egg yolks add a richer color and texture. Kewpie is also made with a mix of red wine and rice wine vinegar, instead of white vinegar like American style mayo. I like to use Kewpie but regular mayo works fine.
PrintCalifornia roll macaroni salad
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 cups of elbow macaroni
2 cups imitation crab/surimi
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tbs sugar
½ cucumber, seeded and diced into ¼ inch cubes
½ cup kewpie or mayo
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
juice of 1 lime
¼ cup shredded nori (optional)
Instructions
- Boil macaroni according to package directions. Drain and add to a large bowl. Add rice vinegar and sugar to macaroni and gently stir to combine. Let cool, about 15 minutes.
- Once macaroni has cooled, stir in imitation crab, cucumber, mayo, salt, pepper, furikake and lime juice. Cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- To serve, give another stir and top with nori if using. Enjoy!
- Category: Appetizer
Jennifer says
Made this recipe for a July 4 party and it was a huge hit! Thanks for another great recipe!
★★★★★
Pete says
I hadn’t tried kewpie before but bought some for this recipe. It’s my new favorite mayo!
Dennis says
Haha! California rolls and Mac Salad are my favorite and now it’s the best of both worlds! Pasta is so much easier to work with than sushi rice! Lol
★★★★★