Spicy Tuna Roll Recipe

Name: Spicy Tuna Roll
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 300 g sushi rice; 400 ml water; 3 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 300 g sushi-grade tuna, finely diced; 3 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise; 1 tbsp sriracha; 1 tsp sesame oil; 2 spring onions, finely chopped; 10 g nori sheets; 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Spicy Tuna Roll

Sushi rice and nori rolled around diced sushi-grade tuna mixed with sriracha mayonnaise and sesame oil, sliced into eight pieces.

50 min prep and cooking plus time for cooling the rice, which the recipe does not time at least 50 min start to finish Serves 4 servings Medium

Why Spicy Tuna Roll Works

Buy the fish from someone who can tell you it is sushi-grade, and keep it cold until the moment it goes into the bowl. Spicy tuna roll is made with raw tuna, so the quality of the fish is a matter of safety as well as flavour. A reputable fishmonger will sell a block labelled for raw eating; if there is any doubt, do not use raw fish.

The rice is the other half. Short-grain sushi rice is rinsed until the water runs clear, cooked, and dressed while hot with a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Fan the rice as you fold in the dressing. It cools quickly and takes on a glossy sheen. Cool it to room temperature before rolling, since warm rice cooks the fish and makes the nori go soft.

Dice the tuna into 5 mm cubes and mix with Japanese mayonnaise, sriracha, a few drops of sesame oil and chopped spring onion. The mixture should be creamy and bright orange-red.

Lay nori on a bamboo mat, spread rice over it with wet fingers, flip so the rice side is down, add the filling and roll tightly. Slice with a wet, sharp knife.

How to Make Spicy Tuna Roll

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Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Cook with the water in a covered pan for 15 minutes, then rest for 10 minutes.
Warm the vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved. Fold into the hot rice, fanning it, and cool to room temperature.
Mix the tuna with the mayonnaise, sriracha, sesame oil and spring onions.
Lay a nori sheet on a bamboo mat. Spread a quarter of the rice over it, sprinkle with sesame seeds, flip, add a quarter of the tuna along the edge and roll tightly.
Slice each roll into 8 pieces with a wet, sharp knife.

Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.

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Notes for Getting It Right

Keep the tuna chilled until the last minute.
Wet your hands to handle the rice.
Use a very sharp knife for clean slices.

Swaps and Variations

Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.

What Goes With Spicy Tuna Roll

Miso soup
Pickled ginger and wasabi
Soy sauce
Edamame

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Sunomono, Japanese Milk Bread (Shokupan), Gomae.

Keeping and Reheating

Best eaten within 1 hour. Do not keep raw fish rolls.

Questions About Spicy Tuna Roll

How long does Spicy Tuna Roll take to make?

30 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking, so at least 50 minutes. The method also needs time for cooling the rice, which it does not time, so treat that as a minimum. The recipe serves 4.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

468Calories

24gProtein

66gCarbs

12gFat

2gFibre

4gSugar

790mgSodium

Dairy-Free

Spicy Tuna Roll

How to Make Spicy Tuna Roll

Notes for Getting It Right

Swaps and Variations

What Goes With Spicy Tuna Roll

Keeping and Reheating

Questions About Spicy Tuna Roll

The Numbers per Serving

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

How to Make Spicy Tuna Roll

Notes for Getting It Right

Swaps and Variations

What Goes With Spicy Tuna Roll

Keeping and Reheating

Questions About Spicy Tuna Roll

The Numbers per Serving

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

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