California roll

noun

: a type of sushi roll containing avocado, cucumber, and cooked crabmeat or imitation crabmeat with a wrapping of seaweed and rice

The California roll, a stout roll of avocado, imitation crab (actually compressed pollock) and cucumber, was perhaps the first sushi variant to be developed in North America.

—Matt Lee et al.

The most impressive sushi of the evening, however, was his version of the so-called California roll, which originated in Los Angeles.

—Caroline Bates

Examples of California roll in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Snow Crab Taco was a creative way to taste a California roll in another shape. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 2024

At the airport sushi counter, where prices are no more offensive than the highway robbery over rubbery personal pizzas and gigantic pretzels, a confident—and meager—crowd silently communes over their unassuming California rolls. —Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 June 2024

There’s a California roll with imitation crab or a spicy tuna roll that actually packs a punch of heat. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2024

The salmon appetizer served in April was inspired by the California roll, which Ms. Comerford said was invented by a Japanese chef. —Darlene Superville, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above