California Roll Wraps

Drove to Mobile this week to see Crystal and tell her about the engagement in person. I know we told her by phone months ago but it felt like something that needed to be said face to face. I drove down on a Saturday morning, three hours, and arrived at noon.

Her apartment is small and clean. She has plants on the windowsill, three of them, which surprised me. I do not know why. I suppose I had not pictured her with plants. Sober five years, she told me again, which means she has been sober since before we made real contact. I had not done the math on that before. She got sober before she let me back in, which means she got sober for herself first and then came to find me after. I think that is the right order. I think I needed to know she had done it for herself.

We sat at her kitchen table and ate the lunch she made, chicken salad on white bread with chips. I did not comment on the food. I ate it gratefully and meant the gratitude. She asked about Tyler. I showed her a photograph on my phone. She said he looks kind. I said he is. She said that is the most important thing. I said I know.

I told her she was invited to the wedding. She said she knew, she had the card. I said I wanted her there. She looked at me for a moment and then said she would be there. I believe her this time. Something in her is different. The plants on the windowsill. The clean apartment. The chicken salad on a Saturday because she made something for my visit. She is showing up. That is what it looks like when someone starts to show up.

Crystal didn’t make anything fancy for my visit — just chicken salad on white bread, chips on the side — and somehow that was exactly right. Lately I’ve been thinking about what it means to make something for someone, to have food waiting when they walk through the door, and these California Roll Wraps feel like that same kind of gesture: fresh, unfussy, assembled with care rather than performance. I’ve made them a few times now when I want to feel like I’m showing up for the people I love, the way Crystal showed up for me.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 large flour tortillas (burrito size)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 cup cooked imitation crab meat (or real crab), roughly chopped
1 cup cooked short-grain white rice, cooled
1 medium avocado, sliced thin
1 small cucumber, seeded and cut into thin matchsticks
1/2 cup shredded carrots
2 tbsp pickled ginger, roughly chopped
2 tsp sesame seeds
Soy sauce or spicy mayo, for dipping

Instructions

Make the spread. In a small bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese, soy sauce, and sesame oil until smooth and well combined.
Warm the tortillas. Lay each tortilla flat on a clean surface. If they’re stiff, microwave them for 10–15 seconds to make them pliable and easier to roll.
Spread the base. Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly among the four tortillas, spreading it in a thin, even layer all the way to the edges.
Layer the fillings. Across the center of each tortilla, layer a scoop of rice, then the crab, avocado slices, cucumber, shredded carrot, and a pinch of pickled ginger. Keep the fillings in a compact line for easier rolling.
Finish with sesame. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the fillings on each wrap.
Roll and slice. Fold in the sides of each tortilla, then roll it up tightly from the bottom, burrito-style. Slice each wrap on the diagonal into two or three pieces and arrange on a plate. Serve immediately with soy sauce or spicy mayo on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

California Roll Wraps — Something Simple Made With Care