Recipe

Tempura Snapper Maki with Mojo and Mariquitas

Name: Tempura Snapper Maki with Mojo and Mariquitas
Prep time: 80 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 120 min
Ingredients: 300 g of short-grain Japanese sushi rice; 360 ml of water for cooking the rice; 60 ml of unseasoned rice vinegar; 20 g of sugar; 3 g of fine salt for the rice; 4 whole nori sheets, about 20 × 20 cm; 80 g of seedless cucumber, in thin sticks; 80 g of firm avocado flesh, in thin strips; 320 g of snapper fillet, skinless and boneless; 1.5 g of fine salt for the fish; 80 g of wheat flour for the batter; 20 g of cornstarch; 20 g of additional wheat flour for dredging the fish; 1 medium egg, cold; 150 ml of very cold water for the batter; 750 ml of sunflower or canola oil for frying; 180 g of peeled green plantain, about 1 medium plantain; 1 g of fine salt; 45 ml of strained sour orange juice; 20 ml of olive oil; 1 small garlic clove, about 3 g; 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano; 0.5 g of fine salt

Sushi rolls with fully cooked tempura snapper, served with sour orange mojo and green plantain mariquitas.

CiberCubaNovember 7, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation1 h 20 min
Cooking40 min
Total time2 h
Servings4 rolls of 8 pieces: 32 pieces, with mojo and mariquitas
DifficultyMedium

Tempura snapper provides the crunchy center of these maki, paired with cucumber and avocado inside seasoned rice with nori seaweed on the outside. The Cuban touch comes from a sour orange mojo served on the side and green plantain mariquitas added right when eating.

The fish is fried in strips until fully cooked before the rolls are assembled. The recipe makes four rolls of eight pieces each, with mojo and mariquitas to go alongside.

Method

Prepare the sushi rice

Wash the rice with cold water, changing it three or four times until it runs less cloudy. Drain it well and put it in a heavy-bottomed pot with the 360 ml of measured water. Let it soak for 30 minutes. Do not add extra water when starting the cooking.
Cover and heat over medium heat until it starts to boil, about 5-7 minutes. Lower to the minimum and cook 12 minutes without lifting the lid. Turn off the heat and let it rest another 10 minutes with the lid on.
Mix the 60 ml of rice vinegar with the sugar and the 3 g of salt. Transfer the freshly rested rice to a wide, shallow dish, add the seasoning and mix with gentle cutting and folding motions, without crushing the grains. Fan for about 10 minutes, until it is lukewarm and no longer gives off steam. Cover with a clean, slightly damp cloth.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Prepare the mojo and the ingredients

While the rice soaks, crush the garlic for the mojo with its 0.5 g of salt. Mix with the sour orange juice, the olive oil and the oregano. Keep refrigerated and stir before serving. This mojo is served on the side and is not used to marinate the fish.
Run your fingers over the snapper fillets and remove any bones. Dry them very well and cut them into eight strips of similar size, about 1.5-2 cm thick. The idea is to place two strips, one after the other, along each roll. Keep the fish refrigerated until frying.
Peel the green plantain and cut slices about 1 mm thick with a mandoline or a sharp knife. Dry the slices with paper towels if they are wet. Prepare a rack or a tray with absorbent paper to drain the fried items.
Cut the cucumber and avocado into thin sticks and divide them into four portions. Set aside until assembly; dry the cucumber if it releases water.

Fry the mariquitas

Heat the vegetable oil to 170 °C in a tall, narrow pot, to a depth of about 3 cm. First fry the plantain slices in several small batches, carefully separating them. Each batch takes about 2-3 minutes: they should be light golden and crisp. Drain and add the gram of salt while they are hot. Set aside uncovered. Remove any plantain bits from the oil.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Prepare the tempura and cook the snapper

When you are ready to fry the fish, mix the 80 g of flour and the cornstarch in a bowl. In another, lightly beat the cold egg with the 150 ml of very cold water. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and stir only a few times, just until the flour is moistened. Leave the small lumps; do not beat until you have a smooth batter.
Bring the oil to 175-180 °C. Season the snapper with its 1.5 g of salt. Pass each strip through a very thin layer of the additional flour, shake off the excess and dip it into the tempura batter. Fry in two or three small batches, keeping the oil between 175 and 180 °C, about 3-4 minutes per batch and turning the pieces gently.
Check the center of a thick strip: it should reach 63 °C, with the flesh opaque and separating easily when pressed with a fork. If needed, fry longer. Drain on a rack and let cool for about 5 minutes, uncovered. Do not assemble the rolls with steaming fish.

Assemble the maki and serve

Divide the rice into four portions. Place a sheet of nori on a rolling mat, rough side up. With moistened fingers, spread one portion of rice in an even layer, leaving 2 cm free at the far edge. Arrange two strips of snapper in the lower third, aligned end to end to cover almost the full width of the seaweed, without piling up the filling. Add one quarter of the cucumber and avocado next to the fish, spreading the filling in an even line.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Roll from the nearest edge with the help of the mat, holding the fish and pressing gently. Lightly moisten the free edge of the nori to seal it. Leave the seam facing down for 1-2 minutes and repeat with the other three rolls.
Cut each roll into eight pieces with a sharp, slightly moistened knife, wiping it between cuts. Serve all 32 pieces right away, with the mojo on the side and the mariquitas alongside. If you want to use some mariquitas as a finishing touch, crumble them over the pieces right before eating so they stay crisp.

Tips and variations

The 120 minutes include 30 minutes of rice soaking and 10 minutes of resting. Prepare the mojo, cut the fish and peel the plantain while the rice soaks or cooks.
The snapper is weighed raw, skinless and boneless. If it was frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator and dry it very well before coating.
Keep the tempura ingredients cold and mix the batter only until the flour is moistened. Small lumps are normal.
The oil listed is the frying medium; it is not incorporated whole into the preparation. Use a tall, narrow pot so the oil forms a layer about 3 cm deep, without filling more than half of its height.
Serve the mojo on the side. The mariquitas are placed alongside or crumbled over the pieces right before eating, to keep their texture.
To replace the 45 ml of sour orange, mix 30 ml of sweet orange juice and 15 ml of lime juice.
Prepare the maki to be served as soon as assembly is finished. Discard any leftover batter that has come into contact with the raw fish.