Homemade Sushi Inspired By Liz Earle

Ever since I met Liz I couldn't stop thinking about her answer when asked to name the best dish she's ever eaten. As is always the case it is very difficult to narrow down the options but Liz ended up going with a meal she had in East Africa which just sounded idyllic. It was off the coast of Kenya when she went deep sea fishing with a fisherman. They went out to sea and he had brought with him a little bag and he had some wasabi and a bottle of soy. They ate the first fish they caught which was still icy cold from the bottom of the sea and he served with with wasabi, soy and some pickled ginger. Liz said the experience spoilt her for life when it comes to sushi and it's easy to understand why.

I couldn't love the sound of this more. It's so simple but a true testament to how when you use lovely fresh ingredients at their best, you really don't have to do too much to them. I can definitely understand why this is one of those moments that has stayed with Liz forever.

I love sushi. I love eating it, but I also love making it. We always have it at home and it's such a fun thing to serve at dinner parties when friends come over. People are always surprised at how easy it is and I love that informal way of entertaining where everyone can just get stuck in and make their own. We just serve big bowls of sushi rice, stacks of nori and then loads of different delicious things to put in the sushi. Sashimi grade salmon and tuna from the fishmonger are always popular, as well as some cucumber and of course avocado. I also really like crab sticks, and something I ate a lot in Japan much to my surprise, sweetcorn mixed with mayonnaise. Salmon roe, fresh crab...prawn tempura...the sky's the limit! We always make the Japanese rolled omelette - Tamagoyaki which I really love.

You will need soy sauce to serve as well as some wasabi and pickled ginger. Luckily you can find all of these so easily in most supermarkets now which is great - although if you ever stumble into a Japanese supermarket be sure to stock up on endless amounts of goodies.

Making your own sushi is really straight forward if you opt for making "maki". Simply take a sheet of nori (seaweed), spread out some rice and then add your toppings and roll. It takes a bit of practice but regardless of what it looks like, it always tastes brilliant. You can use sushi mats if you have them as they make it a little easier, but it's also absolutely possible without so don't stress too much.

The sushi pictured is uramaki which is also easier than it looks! Simply spread the rice onto the sea weed and once it's spread evenly and you've pressed it down, flip it over so the rice is on the bottom. Put your fillings on the top and then roll up. Easy peasy!