📋 Instructions

1. 1Slice the cucumbers — Trim the ends and use a mandoline or vegetable peeler to cut long ribbons about 2 mm thick, stopping when you reach the seedy core. You want roughly 18 ribbons, enough for 12 rolls with overlap.
2. 2Salt and drain — Toss the ribbons with the 1 tsp of salt in a colander and leave for 10 minutes at room temperature. You will see beads of water form on the surface — that is exactly what you want out of the roll, not in it.
3. 3Pat completely dry — Rinse the ribbons briefly under cold water, then lay them on a clean kitchen towel and pat both sides dry. They should feel tacky rather than slippery; if they still glisten, pat again.
4. 4Mix the filling — Beat the softened cream cheese with the rice vinegar, sesame oil, grated ginger and soy sauce until smooth, then fold in the smoked salmon, sesame seeds and most of the spring onions. Taste and adjust — it should be savory with a faint vinegar tang.
5. 5Chill the filling — Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cold filling pipes in a clean line; warm filling slumps and pushes the cucumber apart as you roll.
6. 6Build the rolls — Lay three ribbons side by side on a damp board, overlapping by about 1 cm, and press them into one sheet. Pipe a 1 cm line of filling along the near edge, add a strip of avocado, then roll away from you, tightening gently as you go.
7. 7Seal and chill — Press the seam side down onto the board and refrigerate the finished rolls for 10 minutes so they set. This short rest is what keeps them from unrolling when you cut.
8. 8Slice and serve — Cut each roll into 3 cm pieces with a wet knife, wiping the blade between cuts, and arrange on a platter. Scatter with the reserved spring onions and extra sesame seeds and serve with soy sauce for dipping.