This ice tray hack makes homemade sushi a cinch

Don't fuss with a roll, fill the tray with your fish and rice instead!

This ice tray hack makes homemade sushi a cinch
ABC News Photo Illustration, dliciouslyinspired
February 17, 2023, 1:22 PM

Make your favorite sushi at home even easier using an ice cube tray.

While it's not the traditional method for makizushi -- aka maki or sushi rolls made with rice, fish and nori -- this at-home method is a simplified technique to get a bite-sized shape without enlisting a bamboo sushi rolling mat.

Deimante Dabravolskis, the Austin-based food blogger behind the @dliciouslyinspired TikTok account, shared her strategy with "Good Morning America" below.

Dabravolskis said she didn't use exact measurements for every ingredient, at times using a potato grater to achieve the perfect size.

Ingredients
Thinly sliced cucumber strips
Thinly sliced smoked salmon
Thinly sliced sushi-grade tuna, or other fish of choice
Cream cheese
Thinly sliced avocado
1 packet of microwavable sushi rice
1/2 tablespoon black sesame seeds, optional
Sprinkle of crunchy onions or tempura flakes
Spicy mayo: 1 tablespoon mayo, 1 teaspoon sriracha, 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions

Start by lining an ice cube tray with plastic wrap and press each section down so you can assemble the ingredients. Set that aside.

Make sushi rice either with the microwave bag or your own method and mix with some black sesame seeds. Set aside to cool.

To assemble, layer fillings inside the ice cube tray; they do not have to be in a particular order. (As Dabravolskis noted, "On some of them I did cucumber, then smoked salmon, avocado, dollop of cream cheese -- you can make your own variations.")

Once all layered, add the sushi rice to each area and gently press down to flatten the rice.

Carefully, add a tray or cutting board over the ice cube tray and then flip it over. Remove the tray and the plastic wrap slowly. (If pieces fall over, don't worry, Dabravolskis said. "Just fix it -- it's not the end of the world!")

Add crispy onions or tempura flakes and drizzle on spicy mayo (mix the 3 ingredients listed above for that).

Enjoy with some coconut aminos or regular soy sauce.