The most important step is sourcing your “sushi-grade” tuna. If you’re in Portland, Maine, you can head to Harbor Fish Market or get some delivered through SoPo Seafood Market. Otherwise you can pick up some fresh tuna at a high quality supermarket and, to ensure it would be safe to consume raw, freeze it overnight. Freezing it also allows for it to be diced up neatly! If you were looking for a tuna substitute, we’d recommend steaming some shrimp and proceeding with the same preparation. Here we use kewpie mayonnaise, which is a richer, Japanese mayo that really makes a difference, but as always you can make this recipe your own with regular or homemade mayo. Happy Cooking!
Makes 24 bite sized pieces
Ingredients:
For the Tuna
- 1 lb. Ahi or Bluefin tuna
- 3 scallions
- 1 ½ tablespoons SKORDO Asian Sesame Tuna Rub
- ¼ cup kewpie mayo
- 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce, or more to your liking
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
For the Rice
- 2 cups sushi rice
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons SKORDO Asian Sesame Tuna Rub
Additional ingredients:
- Neutral oil, for frying
- Avocado, thinly sliced or diced
- Jalapeño, thinly sliced
- Pickled ginger
Directions:
- Prepare your rice: Rinse sushi rice 3-5 times, drain and add to a pot with water then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a low simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes without opening the lid.
- While rice is cooking, mix rice seasoning of vinegar, sugar and Asian Sesame Tuna Rub. When rice is finished, fluff with a fork and stir in seasoning. Line a dish or baking sheet with plastic wrap and transfer cooked rice to the dish. Pack it down and level it out to create a firm sheet of desired thickness. Wrap + let cool in the fridge.
- Prepare your tuna: Thinly slice scallions and add to a bowl. Dice tuna into small, even chunks and add to the bowl with scallions. Top with sauces and Asian Sesame Tuna Rub, stir to combine. Cover and chill in the fridge.
- Once rice has cooled, cut your rice into bite sized pieces. Preheat a large pan with a shallow amount of neutral oil over medium high heat to fry. Working in batches, fry each rice bite until golden brown on each side and allow to drain on a paper towel. Frying time will vary depending on rice bite size and thickness. When flipping, do so carefully, ensuring not to break up the rice.
- To serve, layer sliced avocado on top of crispy rice bites, scoop on a portion of spicy tuna, and top with a thinly sliced jalapeño. Plate alongside pickled ginger and soy sauce if desired. Enjoy!
