My steadfast love for sushi is very real and it runs deep. “What do you want to have for dinner?” Sushi. The answer is sushi.
Aidan and I had a year long streak of calling in the SAME sushi order every Friday night at our favorite sushi restaurant. We loved it so much that we called and ordered a tray of our favorite roll the morning of our wedding so we could have it on our big day (haha). This Spicy Tuna Roll is restaurant quality and beginner friendly. It’s made with Sashimi-grade ahi tuna, an easy garlic Sriracha sauce, cream cheese, crunchy veggies, sushi rice and diced jalapeño for a little extra oomph!
How to make a spicy tuna roll:
{printable version with measurements below}
It’s all in the prep! Having an organized little station with all your ingredients prepared and ready to go makes life and sushi rolling so much easier.
Should you be rinsing your rice?
The first (typical) step in prepping sushi rice is to rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer until your water runs clear. There are A LOT of articles that say it is absolutely imperative to rinse your rice until it is clear so that you can avoid a glutenous, mushy mess. I have always been curious how big of a difference rinsing the rice makes, so I tested it out.
The left picture is a batch of rice that was put in a sauce pan to cook without rinsing, the picture on the right is rice that was rinsed until it ran clear. Going into this, I thought I’d be showcasing why it is important to rinse your rice with a side by side example because I can’t be the only one who’s guilty of skipping this step. That, of course, was not the end result I got and it gets worse. I had 3 people do a blind taste test on which rice they thought was rinsed and which was tastier. EVERY ONE of them voted for the rice that wasn’t rinsed…
Now, I am not here to challenge culinary giants like Bon Appetit or The Ktchen, I simply thought that these results should be shared. Don’t take my word for it – experiment with it yourself! Taste tests are fun!
How to make sushi rice:
- Add rice to a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the water is completely absorbed – about 15 minutes.
- While rice is cooking, mix rice-wine vinegar, salt, and sugar in saucepan (stirring over medium heat to help sugar and salt dissolve). Remove from heat and set aside.
- When rice has finished cooking, gently fold in vinegar mixture until it’s evenly distributed.
- Prepare your other ingredients: cut carrots into ribbons or slice thin, cut cucumbers into long thin strips, dice jalapeño (seeds removed), slice cold cream cheese in strips lengthwise and slice avocado lengthwise.
Pro tips for Ahi Tuna:
- Slice ahi tuna with a very sharp, non-serrated knife in long, thin strips (about a quarter of an inch thick).
- Cut in a direction that is against the grain.
- You should always pull your knife backward when slicing the fish.
- To keep the fish as fresh as possible, I also like to plate the strips over ice (just to keep it chilled).
- To make your spicy garlic sriracha sauce, stir and combine fat free (or regular) mayonnaise, garlic powder (or a fresh clove, minced) and sriracha. *I usually start with about 1 teaspoon of sriracha, mix and taste to see how much more to add.
- Now you’re ready to roll! Place nori sheet on a bamboo mat (or a gallon size ziplock/plastic bag) and evenly distribute a thin layer of sushi rice (using your hands or back of a spoon). Wet hands and spoon to keep the rice from sticking.
- Spread garlic sriracha sauce in the bottom portion of your sushi roll (see photo), add diced jalapeño, carrot ribbons, cucumber strips, cream cheese, avocado, and ahi tuna.
- Pick up the bottom edge of the bamboo mat with your thumbs, while keeping the fillings in place with your other fingers. Fold bamboo mat over while tucking the fillings in under it. Tightly roll the rest without the bamboo mat until it’s completely rolled up. (See step-by-step pictures to walk you through this part).
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- Slice with a very sharp, non-serrated knife and set sliced pieces aside. Top sliced pieces with crispy wonton strips or fried onion straws. Serve your spicy tuna roll immediately with pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi.
Eat & Enjoy!
If you’re looking for some other delicious recipes? Check these out!
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Looking for MORE recipes? Don’t worry, I gotchu. Try sesame soy roasted edamame, sea salt caramel apple [oatmeal] cookies, perfect Fall pumpkin muffins, or my favorite pumpkin roll delight!
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Spicy Tuna Roll
Ingredients
- ½ lb sushi grade ahi tuna, sliced in strips lengthwise *make sure ahi tuna is fresh and rated sushi grade before consuming it raw*
- 6 sheets nori sheets (roasted seaweed)
- 2 carrots, cut into ribbons or sliced thin
- 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded sliced thin
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced
- ½ block cream cheese block, sliced in strips *4oz = ½ block
- 1 avocado, sliced lengthwise in strips
- fried onion straws, or wonton strips (optional // for serving)*
- low sodium soy sauce OR coconut liquid aminos (optional // for serving)*
- wasabi/pickled ginger (optional // for serving)*
Sushi Rice
- 3 cups nishiki short or medium grain rice *whatever brand you choose just make sure it is recommended for sushi!
- 4 cups water
- 6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1½ tsp maldon sea salt flakes
Garlic Sriracha Ailoli
- 5 tbsp fat free mayonanaise
- huy fong, sriracha hot chili sauce, to taste
- ½ tsp garlic powder or 1 clove of fresh garlic, minced
Instructions
- Start preparing your sushi rice first. While most recipes instruct you to rinse rice in a fine mesh strainer until your water runs clear, I think it's optional. [read post for more details on this] I did a side by side experiment to compare rinsed rice vs not rinsed- and it's totally up to you! Add rice to a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the water is completely absorbed – about 15 minutes.
- While rice is cooking, mix rice-wine vinegar, salt, and sugar in saucepan (stirring over medium heat to help sugar and salt dissolve). Remove from heat and set aside.
- When rice has finished cooking, gently fold in vinegar mixture until it's evenly distributed.
- Prepare your other ingredients: cut carrots into ribbons or slice thin, cut cucumbers into long thin strips, dice jalapeño (seeds removed), slice cold cream cheese in strips lengthwise and slice avocado lengthwise.
- Slice ahi tuna with a very sharp, non-serrated knife in long, thin strips (about a quarter of an inch thick). Pro tips: •Cut in a direction that is against the grain. •You should always pull your knife backward when slicing the fish. •To keep the fish as fresh as possible, I also like to plate the strips over ice (just to keep it chilled).
- To make your spicy garlic sriracha sauce, stir and combine fat free (or regular) mayonnaise, garlic powder (or a fresh clove, minced) and sriracha. *I usually start with about 1 teaspoon of sriracha, mix and taste to see how much more to add.
- Now you're ready to roll! Place nori sheet on a bamboo mat (or a gallon size ziplock/plastic bag) and evenly distribute a thin layer of sushi rice (using your hands or back of a spoon). Wet hands and spoon to keep the rice from sticking.
- Spread garlic sriracha sauce in the bottom portion of your sushi roll (see photo), add diced jalapeño, carrot ribbons, cucumber strips, cream cheese, avocado, and ahi tuna.
- Pick up the bottom edge of the bamboo mat with your thumbs, while keeping the fillings in place with your other fingers. Fold bamboo mat over while tucking the fillings in under it. Tightly roll the rest without the bamboo mat until it's completely rolled up. (See video-it’s easier you give you a visual).
- Slice with a very sharp, non-serrated knife and set sliced pieces aside. Top sliced pieces with crispy wonton strips or fried onion straws. Serve immediately with pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi. -Eat & Enjoy!
You make this look so easy and gorgeous! I may just give it a try!
Aw thanks Brooke! It’s so easy when it’s broken down into steps! Definitely try it out! I think you’ll love it 🙂