Spider Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups short-grain rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 4 (4 1/2-ounce) soft-shell crabs, cleaned
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 nori (seaweed) sheets
• 1 peeled avocado, cut into 16 slices
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 4 teaspoons sesame seeds

Preparation

1. Bring rice and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 15 minutes.
2. Place rice in a large bowl, and gently stir in rice vinegar with a spoon until combined. Cover rice mixture, and let rest 30 minutes.
3. Sprinkle crabs with salt and black pepper. Dredge crabs in flour, shaking off excess flour.
4. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add crabs, top sides down; cook 3 minutes, gently pressing body and legs against pan. Turn crabs over; cook 3 minutes. Cut each crab into quarters, leaving legs attached.
5. Cut off top quarter of nori sheet along a short end. Place nori, shiny side down, on a sushi mat covered with plastic wrap, with a short end toward you. Pat 3/4 cup rice over nori with moist hands, leaving a 1-inch border on short end of nori closest to you.
6. Arrange 4 crab pieces and 4 avocado slices horizontally over rice, allowing crab legs to extend over long edges of nori. Sprinkle each sheet with 2 tablespoons green onions and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds.
7. Lift short edge of nori closest to you; fold over filling. Lift bottom edge of sushi mat; roll toward top edge, pressing firmly. Continue rolling to top edge; press mat to seal sushi roll. Slice each roll into 8 pieces with a sharp knife.