Spider Roll

Place rinsed 320g short-grain sushi rice in a rice cooker with 400ml cold water, cook on the standard white rice setting (approximately 20 minutes). Once cooked, transfer rice to a wide wooden bowl, gently fold in 60ml seasoned rice vinegar with a flat rice paddle, fanning the rice continuously as you mix to cool it to 24°C/75°F over 5 minutes. Cover the rice with a damp tea towel to prevent it from drying out while you prep other components.

Pat 4 cleaned soft-shell crabs completely dry with paper towels and set aside. Slice the 200g avocado into 1cm thick strips, toss gently with 5ml lemon juice to prevent browning. Cut the seeded 120g Persian cucumber into 0.5cm thick long strips. Whisk 120g tempura batter mix with 160ml ice-cold water until just combined (small lumps are desired; do not overmix), then keep the batter chilled in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Heat 500ml vegetable oil in a deep heavy-bottomed pot to 180°C/350°F over medium-high heat. Dredge each dried soft-shell crab fully in the cold tempura batter, let excess batter drip off for 2 seconds, then carefully lower into the hot oil. Fry 2 crabs at a time to avoid dropping oil temperature, cooking 3.5 minutes per side until golden, crispy, and reaching an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F. Transfer fried crabs to a wire rack lined with paper towels to drain for 2 minutes, then sprinkle lightly with 1g fine sea salt.

Lay a bamboo sushi rolling mat (makisu) on the counter, cover it tightly with a sheet of plastic wrap to prevent sticking. Lay 1 full roasted nori sheet shiny-side down on the mat, spread 1/4 of the cooled seasoned rice (approximately 110g) evenly over the nori, leaving a 2cm bare strip at the top edge of the nori to seal the roll. Sprinkle 2g (1/4 tbsp) of toasted sesame seeds evenly over the rice surface.

Flip the nori and rice over so the nori side faces up, positioned across the center of the mat. Lay 1/4 of the avocado strips, 1/4 of the cucumber strips, and a 15g drizzle of spicy mayonnaise (pre-mixed from 55g Kewpie mayo and 5g sriracha) in a straight horizontal line across the center of the nori. Place one whole fried soft-shell crab across the fillings, positioning the crab legs so 2-3 legs stick out 3cm past the edge of the nori to create the iconic 'spider leg' effect.

Lift the edge of the bamboo mat closest to you, tuck it tightly over the fillings, squeeze gently to form a firm cylinder, then continue rolling forward to meet the bare nori strip. Dab the bare nori edge with 1ml of cold water to seal, then press the mat firmly around the roll to set its shape for 30 seconds. Use a sharp, wet knife to cut the roll into 8 even pieces, wiping the knife blade with a damp cloth between every 2 cuts to ensure clean slices. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 4 total rolls.