California Roll Salad Is the Most Refreshing No-Cook Summer Dinner

One of my favorite meals to get when dining out is sushi. I love the tightly-wrapped bundles full of fresh fish, veggies, and rice. Dipped in soy sauce with a touch of wasabi brings such a great balance of savory umami with a punch of heat. When going out for this meal isn't an option, enter this California Roll Salad. It's got all the same delicious flavors of a classic California roll, but with a lot of extra fresh vegetables for crunch and a punchy soy- and -wasabi-infused dressing.

California Roll Salad Tips

When making up this main-dish salad that tastes like popular sushi roll in America, keep these tips in mind.

• Flat sheets of dried seaweed are usually wrapped around sushi or onigiri, but their crispy texture makes them a good salad topper (and snack!). Use kitchen shears to cut into thin strips and make sure your hands are dry when handling.
• Inspired by Thai street food, the fried sticky rice cakes come in sweet and savory flavors. Look for them in your local Asian market. If you can't find them, you can crumble some plain rice cakes found in the snack aisle of your grocery store.
• Wasabi is a type of Japanese horseradish that you can buy in paste form. It has a strong, pungent flavor, so we gave you a range in the recipe. Start with the lower amount and increase to your taste.
• Using a good quality mayonnaise makes a big difference in the flavor of the sushi salad. We like Kewpie, a Japanese-style mayonnaise that is made solely with egg yolks (rather than whole eggs in regular mayo), making a richer, smooth condiment.