How to Make a PHILADELPHIA ROLL (Philly Roll) with The Sushi Man

Smoked salmon and cream cheese… we all know it’s a good combination but how’s it in sushi? Well, the extremely popular Philadelphia roll is proof that it’s not just good on bagels but in makizushi as well. And adding other ingredients such as cucumber and avocado makes it even more of a delight.
The smokiness of the salmon, rich, creamy texture of the cream cheese, and crunchy, fresh flavor of the cucumber makes the roll well balanced and mild enough for any sushi beginner. Not to mention, there’s no raw ingredient so it’s the perfect entry-level sushi and great for young kids.
But the best part of it all is the accessibility of the ingredients. Fresh, “sushi-grade” seafood is not always available for many people, especially here in the States. But you can find quality smoked salmon at almost any grocery store, making the Philly roll one of the easiest sushi rolls you can make at home.
In this video I show you how to make three different variations of the Philadelphia roll and I only use four ingredients: smoked salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, and avocado. Add some sushi rice and nori and you’re ready to roll!

🍣 WHAT’S IN THIS VIDEO:
00:00 Intro
00:31 Ingredients
02:37 Preparation
05:20 Rolling
05:40 Roll #1
08:36 Roll #2
10:05 Roll #3
12:32 Cutting
14:56 Plating

📽️RELATED VIDEOS
How to Make Sushi Rice – https://youtu.be/gZs0sj39Y_Y
How to Cut Cucumber – https://youtu.be/iAeH_ZwuJug
How to Cut Avocado – https://youtu.be/3sWovLoeDaI
How to Roll Sushi – https://youtu.be/40MiH9-FQ5w

(This video description contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.)

📗 BOOK
How to Make Sushi at Home – A Fundamental Guide for Beginners and Beyond

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gKFzbo

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-make-sushi-at-home-jun-nakajima/1141959561?ean=9781510773509

Target: https://www.target.com/p/how-to-make-sushi-at-home-by-jun-nakajima-stephanie-nakajima-hardcover/-/A-87420768#lnk=sametab

🔪KNIFE
-Masamoto VG Sujihiki (240mm) – https://amzn.to/46Zxunw

🔋BATTERY OPERATED SESAME GRINDER
-https://amzn.to/3tFiaPB

🌿KIZAMI WASABI
-https://amzn.to/47otSfi

🍣MAKISU
-https://amzn.to/4aEYrjx

🥢MORIBASHI (Plating Chopsticks)
-https://amzn.to/46YJCWb

🍣 WHAT I TALK ABOUT IN THIS CHANNEL: Sushi, how to make sushi at home, how to make sushi rice, Japanese food, Japanese cuisine, homemade sushi, sushi rolls, how to roll sushi, Japanese cooking, dashi, miso soup, sake, sushi supplies and equipment, sushi sauces, poke, how to cut fish for sushi, sushi sake pairings, teriyaki, tempura, izakaya, Japanese beer food, Hawaiian food, onigiri, omusubi, spam musubi, fried chicken, karaage and more!

🍣 GET THE ULTIMATE SUSHI MAKING CHECKLIST for FREE at https://UltimateSushiKit.com

🍣 CONTACT THE SUSHI MAN: Jun@TheSushiMan.com

🍣 ABOUT THE SUSHI MAN:
Jun Nakajima, CHEF AND FOUNDER

Raised in a restaurant household, Jun’s love for food began at a very early age. His parents have owned and operated a Japanese restaurant for over 30 years where he practiced and honed his culinary skills.

Somewhat forced upon, he was taught the art of sushi making in his teenage years. He quickly fell in love not only with the art but the endless opportunities that came with it.

He has traveled around the globe to try different styles of sushi, most importantly to Japan.

After college, Jun had taken an opportunity to live in the motherland of sushi, working for something completely outside the culinary field. In those two years his appreciation of the culture, people, history and food deepened.

He became addicted to the food scene and found himself traveling from one end of the island to the other, eating and drinking some of the best foods and drinks he’s ever had. This experience became the seed which eventually bloomed to become The Sushi Man.

What’s up everyone, Jun with The Sushi Man and in 
this video I’ll show you three different ways to  
make the Philadelphia Roll. And it’s all made from 
very easy to find ingredients, not to mention it’s  
all cooked. So it’s perfect for sushi beginners 
and young kids. Now I know the Philadelphia roll  
is far from traditional Japanese sushi but it’s 
one of the most popular rolls here in the States,  
and for a good reason. It’s just really darn good.
Alright now let’s jump right in! 
So let’s start off with our ingredients.
First we’ll need some sushi rice. Now  
technically we’ll only need about two cups of 
cooked rice to make our three rolls. But as I  
mentioned in some of my other videos, cooking 
such a small amount can be kind of tough,  
so I recommend cooking a larger batch and 
making more sushi with it or saving it  
for something else. You can check out my How to 
Make Sushi Rice video for detailed instructions. 
Alright next we have some half sheets 
of nori, which is dried seaweed. 
And then I have some smoked salmon. Now you can 
use raw, fresh salmon if you’d like. But I know  
that high quality, quote, unquote “sushi-grade” 
fish is not always available for a lot of people,  
but smoked salmon on the other hand 
is. And this is the main reason why  
this recipe is so simple and easy to make 
for anyone, regardless of where you live. 
And you want to get the plain, non-seasoned smoked 
salmon. We’ll be using about six ounces of this. 
And this is optional, but I trimmed 
off the dark parts and cut this into  
smaller pieces so that it’s easier to roll.
Okay next we have cream cheese. And I just  
use the regular Philadelphia brand, hence the 
name of the roll. And it’s easier to use the  
block version rather than the spreadable 
one but you can use whatever you have. 
We’re also going to need some cucumber, about 
a four-inch piece of it. And this is English  
cucumber, which is what I recommend. You can also 
use Japanese or Persian cucumber if you can find  
it, just stay away from the regular slicing 
cucumbers that have the dark, thick skin. 
And we also have one avocado.
And then we have some toppings that  
are optional but goes really well with this roll.
Some toasted sesame seeds. And this little guy has  
made an appearance in some of my other videos, 
and it’s really cool. You just push this button,  
and it automatically grinds the seeds and 
dispenses it. It’s a nice gadget if you  
like to use sesame seeds in your cooking.
Okay we also have some spicy mayo and unagi
sauce. And I have videos on both of 
these which you can watch with the  
link in the corner and description below.
Now this one is called kizami wasabi and I  
love to put this stuff on everything. It’s fresh 
wasabi stem that’s been chopped up and marinated.  
It obviously goes well with any type of sushi but 
it’s perfect for steaks and other grilled meats as  
well. I highly recommend giving it a try.
And then of course we have some regular  
wasabi, ginger, and soy sauce.
And that’s it with the ingredients,  
now let’s get into our prep.
So first let’s cut our cucumber and
avocado. Now I have videos that cover 
how to cut both of these for sushi,  
so if you want a more thorough explanation then 
check those out. But here’s a quick refresh. 
With the cucumber, I like to cut them 
into thin strands. Now you can julienne  
slice this by cutting thin sheets and then 
laying it down and then slicing it up. But  
I prefer peeling it with a knife and then 
slicing them into thinner strands, watch. 
And this center core part here we’re not 
going to use since it has all the seeds. 
Now lay it out and we just 
cut this into about thirds. 
And then stack them on top of each other.
Then just start slicing from one end to the other. 
And there you go. Now this is way more than 
enough for the three rolls we’re making and  
you can probably get away with about half 
of this. But you can always use it for more  
sushi or add it in a salad or something.
Alright now let’s move onto the avocado. 
So we’re going to use half of this to layer the 
top of one of the rolls, and then about a quarter  
of it to put inside one of the other ones.
So first we just cut it right in half,  
all the way around the seed.
And then you’ll be able
to twist it apart, just like this.
Now we’re going to leave this half aside for now. 
And with this other half we’re going 
to cut that quarter out. So we’ll cut  
it right in half again by following the seed.
And then it should just pop right off like this. 
Now we’ll peel the skin.
And then from here we’re going to just slice
this into roughly half inch thick pieces.
And that’s it,
now let’s move onto the cream cheese.
And this is super easy, we just open the package.
Unwrap it.
And then we’re going to cut this crosswise at
about half an inch, maybe a bit more depending on 
how much cream cheese you want in there. And we’ll  
cut three of these since we have three rolls.
And then we’ll cut each one of these into thirds.
And that’s it for the prep, now let’s get rolling!
Now before we start, just make sure the makisu,
which is this bamboo rolling mat, is covered 
with plastic wrap. Since the Philly roll is  
an uramaki or inside-out roll, the rice is on the 
outside which means it’ll be touching the makisu,  
and the plastic will help prevent the rice 
from sticking everywhere. Watch my original  
How to Roll Sushi video for more details.
Alright first we’ll lay a sheet of nori onto  
our makisu with the rough side facing up.
And then wet both hands and spread it  
around your palm and fingers, just 
enough where it’s shiny like this. 
Now grab a handful of sushi 
rice, about the size of an apple. 
And then we’re going to spread this evenly across 
our nori. All the way from one edge to the other. 
Okay, now we’ll grind some toasted sesame seeds on 
top of the rice. And this is of course optional. 
Now we flip this over so 
that the nori is on top. 
And when you do this, place it so that 
there’s about an inch of space from the  
bottom of the makisu to the bottom of the 
nori. This will make it easier to roll. 
Alright now for the ingredients.
And I’ll start off with the cream cheese. 
And then the smoked salmon.
And then the cucumber slices.
And try to make sure it’s nice 
and even all the way across and  
nothings sticking out from the ends.
Now from here, we’re going to wrap the  
nori and rice around the ingredients while 
using our makisu to support and shape it. 
And we do this by bringing the bottom of the 
nori to the top of the ingredients first. 
So use both thumbs to support the 
bottom of the makisu and then use your  
forefingers to hold the ingredients in place.
Now bring up the nori and rice with your thumbs  
while gently tucking in the ingredients.
And at this point, the ingredients should  
be wrapped but this top part of the 
nori is still untouched and visible. 
From here I like to tighten the roll by pulling 
this top end of the makisu away from you while  
applying gentle pressure with the other hand.
Now continue rolling by taking this bottom part  
of the makisu and pulling it away from you. It 
should kind of just naturally roll onto itself. 
And then apply some even and gentle 
pressure from the top and the sides. 
And then unroll the makisu and you 
should have yourself an inside-out roll. 
Now take it off the makisu and 
we’ll put it onto our cutting board. 
Now I like to clean up the ends here a bit 
by aligning the makisu with the edge of the  
roll and pushing in on the rice. This 
will help the roll look a lot cleaner. 
Do this for both sides,
and there you go!
Now I’m just going to wrap this for now and we’ll 
cut all three rolls after we’re done making them. 
And a little tip here is to use a big enough 
sheet of plastic where there’s about three  
to four inches of extra space on the top. So 
right up here, can be a little smaller than  
this but having this extra plastic will 
help and you’ll see why this is important  
when we get to the cutting section.
Now let’s get into our second roll.
Now all these rolls are similar, at least 
ingredient wise, since they’re all variations  
of the same Philadelphia roll but for this one 
we’re going to layer the smoked salmon on top  
rather than put it inside. And we’ll 
also add some avocado to it as well. 
And I’m not going to get into as much detail again 
like the first roll since the rolling part is  
pretty much the same, just different ingredients.
So same thing, the nori with the rough side up. 
Add the rice.
And this time we’re going to  
leave this plain, no sesame seeds.
And we’ll flip it over. 
And then for the ingredients 
inside, we’ll put some avocado, 
cream cheese,
and then the cucumber.
Now we roll this the same 
way we did the first one. 
Now from here we’ll layer 
the smoked salmon on top. 
And I have a few of these cut already 
to about two to three inch slices. And  
we’re just going to place this on top so 
that it covers from one end to the other. 
And then we can use our makisu 
to shape this applying gentle  
pressure from the top and sides again.
Now grab a sheet of plastic, again large
enough so you have that extra space on the top 
and then we’ll just set this aside for later. 
Alright, now onto our third and final roll.
This one is very similar to the second one,
but we’ll swap the salmon with the avocado. So 
we’re going to have a thin layer of avocado on  
top and the salmon will go back inside the roll.
Now inside, we’re going to put the cream cheese,
smoked salmon,
and then the cucumber.
Alright once we’re done rolling, we’re 
going to put this aside for just a bit. 
And we’re going to cut this avocado into 
thin slices so that we can layer it on top. 
Again, I cover this in the How to Cut Avocado 
for Sushi video but a quick refresh here. 
We’re going to peel this entire half. And 
try to do this without breaking or tearing  
the avocado itself. It helps to kind of rip it 
off by sections, smaller pieces if necessary. 
Now this one has this little brown spot right 
there so I’m going to try to cut it out. 
Nope, fail, so this avo is not the best 
for layering on top because that spot  
goes pretty deep. So I’m actually going 
to see if I can use a different one. 
Alright, second try here.
Nice, that’s much better.
Okay, so after we’re done peeling, we’re 
going to lay the avocado down with the  
flat side on the cutting board.
And then we’re going to cut this  
into about eighth inch slices, all 
the way from one end to the other. 
And what’s important here is to keep the slices 
together after it’s been cut. And the trick is  
to use this upper part of the knife and 
slide the tip through the avocado which  
prevents it from getting stuck to the blade.
And make sure your knife is clean as well. 
Okay from here we just simply push 
it down left to right or right to  
left doesn’t matter. And then spread it out 
till it’s about the same size as the roll. 
Now slide your knife under it and very 
carefully transfer it onto our roll. Be  
extra cautious when you pull the knife out.
And now we’ll wrap this in plastic and using
our makisu we’ll apply gentle pressure from the 
top and sides. Be careful not to do it too hard  
though where the avocado gets smashed.
And there you go! Now let’s move  
on to cutting all these rolls.
So typically with the rolls that
don’t have anything on top, like this first 
one we made, we’ll just cut it straight up  
without any plastic. But let me show you how 
easy it is to cut with the plastic still on. 
So you want to place the roll just like this, 
and the key here is to have that extra three  
to four inches of plastic on top and leave it 
intact. So don’t cut through this top part. 
And with any uramaki style rolls we’re going 
to cut this into eight pieces. And I find  
the easiest way to do this is to cut it right in 
half first, and then each side into halves again,  
and then those pieces into half again. 
But do what’s most comfortable for you. 
And make sure your knife is clean and it 
also helps to wet it right before you cut. 
So right down the center, 
with the plastic still on. 
Now this side into half, and then this side.
Now cut this into half, half, you get the point. 
Now lightly push the roll back into 
place, and this is why it’s important  
to not cut this top part of the plastic.
Since this is still intact in one piece,  
you can easily just pull this off and the 
plastic will come right off as one nice  
sheet rather than small individual pieces.
And you might find that cutting it like this  
helps keep the roll cleaner too. So give it a try 
if you’re having trouble keeping your cuts clean,  
especially with these inside-out rolls.
Alright, now this second one with the salmon on
top you’ll for sure want to use the plastic, and 
that goes for any roll with toppings like this,  
rainbow roll, caterpillar roll, dragon roll.
Now if you really don’t want to use plastic  
wrap then you can get by without it 
but trust me it’ll make it much easier. 
So same thing, clean the knife, wet it, then 
we’ll cut this one again into eight pieces. 
Put it back into place with your hand again.
And you can use the makisu here if you’d
like to reshape it, totally up to you.
And then carefully take off the plastic. And it
should just come right off like this in one piece.
Alright, off to the last one. 
And that’s it! Now let’s go plate these.
Now I’m going to plate all three of
these on one big plate but of course 
you’re free to do it however you like. 
Now for some extra toppings, and this is optional 
of course but again, this kizami wasabi is amazing  
with any type of sushi and this spicy mayo and 
unagi sauce combo is super good and extremely  
addicting. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
So this original one we’ll
just keep it plain and simple.
And on this second one, I’m going to  
add some of this kizami wasabi on top.
And this last one with the avos, we’ll dollop some spicy mayo.
And then a light drizzle of the unagi sauce. 
Yeah, there we go. And you can’t 
forget the wasabi and ginger. 
And look at that! Three very similar but 
different ways you can enjoy a Philadelphia  
Roll. And the best part is that you can 
get these ingredients anywhere. So try them  
out and let me know which one you like best.
Alright good job guys! Another roll that you  
can put in your sushi arsenal, three technically. 
Now if you want to learn even more about sushi,  
then be sure to check out my book: How to Make 
Sushi at Home – A Fundamental Guide for Beginners  
and Beyond. It’s packed with recipes just like 
this and tons of other sushi knowledge. So whether  
you’re a home cook that wants to level up your 
culinary skills, or your dream is to become a  
professional itamae, this book will expedite your 
path there. I’ll leave links in the description  
below for those that are interested.
And now that you know how to make these  
awesome rolls, it’ll be that 
much easier to make this fancy  
caterpillar roll with the video right over here.
Okay that’s it from me, as always feel free to  
leave any questions or comments below.
Thanks for watching and I’ll see you on the next one.
Arigato gozaimasu!