Easy Spicy Tuna Rolls recipe for a sushi restaurant favorite that you can make at home with fresh tuna, nori, sriracha, avocado, and rice.
Homemade sushi rolls are much easier than you might imagine and more affordable than going to a sushi restaurant. For the perfect at-home Dinner recipe, you can make your favorite menu items like California Rolls, Dragon Rolls, and Maki Rolls.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Spicy Tuna Rolls Recipe
Spicy Tuna Maki is a traditional Japanese sushi roll with fresh raw tuna and spicy Japanese mayo at the center. It’s perfect if you’re getting into sushi and want to try something with a bit of spice and a step up from imitation crab California roll.
If you follow the recipe instructions, making this inside-out sushi roll is a breeze. It takes some time to prepare the seasoned sushi rice, but once it’s done and cooled, you’ll add it to a layer of nori and use it to roll up the flavorful tuna, avocado, and mayo filling.
Chef’s Note: What Fish for Sushi
It is very important to use raw fish that is marked sushi grade or safe for raw consumption. Sushi grade fish is handled in a specific way when it is fresh caught, then frozen immediately to maintain that freshness. While you can use most types of tuna, like bluefin or yellowfin, and salmon, there are some fish you should never eat raw, like cod and mackerel. Finally, you should use marine fish (from the ocean) and never eat raw freshwater fish because of parasites.
Ingredients
- Rice: To make a sushi recipe, use short-grain rice, preferably Japanese rice. Cook the Japanese white rice the way you would typically cook until it’s softened and the water is absorbed. If you want to make more sushi rolls, you’ll want to cook ½ cup of rice for every roll you plan to make. However much rice you cook, be sure to use two times the water.
- Vinegar Mixture: To make the cooked rice into sushi rice, you’ll need to add seasoned rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. The vinegar’s acidity enhances the sushi’s taste by reducing the fishy flavor and letting the fresh seafood taste shine.
- Tuna: When picking the fish for this recipe, use fresh, sashimi-grade tuna. Chop the tuna into small pieces before adding them to the tuna roll.
- Nori: To keep the Spicy Tuna mixture and rice together, you’ll wrap the roll in Nori sheets. Nori is dried seaweed made into thin, paper-like sheets. The rice is on the outside, and the nori sheet is inside the roll for this recipe.
- Spicy Mayo: To make the spicy filling, use Japanese mayo, sriracha hot sauce, and sugar. Japanese mayonnaise uses only egg yolks without egg whites. Because of this, it has a darker yellow color and more custard-like consistency than American mayo. Adding the hot sauce creates the spicy flavor for the Spicy Tuna Rolls. Adding a little white sugar helps balance the hot flavor with a light sweetness.
- Avocado: Slice one avocado thinly and divide the slices among the four sushi rolls you make. The avocado adds a buttery, rich consistency and balances out the tuna and spicy mixture with a more mild taste.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Large Pot or Rice Cooker: Rice cookers have settings for different types of rice (white rice, brown rice, sushi rice, etc.) and can automatically adjust cooking times and temperatures accordingly.
- Roller Mat: A roller mat, also known as a sushi rolling mat or makisu in Japanese, is typically made from bamboo slats woven with cotton string. This construction allows it to be flexible yet sturdy.
- Rice Paddle or Large Spoon: A rice paddle is an essential tool for preparing and serving rice, especially in Asian cuisine. Rice paddles come in different sizes but are generally small enough to comfortably fit in your hand and maneuver within a rice cooker or pot.
- Plastic Wrap: Plastic wrap is a versatile and practical tool in Asian cuisine. It aids in food preparation and storage and ensures the quality and freshness of dishes.
How to Make
Time needed: 50 minutes.
- Cook Rice:
Add water and white rice to a large pot and turn the stovetop to high heat to bring the water to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and place a lid on the pot. Keep the rice at a simmer while you cook for another 20-22 minutes or until the rice is soft and the liquid is absorbed. If you cook the rice in a Rice Cooker, follow your cooker instructions for preparing short-grain white rice. Once cooked, transfer the soft rice to a bowl and add the sweetened vinegar mixture.
- Prep Ingredients
Thinly slice avocado into strips and finely chop the tuna into long slim pieces.
- Vinegar Mixture
Transfer the rice from the cooking pot to a large mixing bowl. Then, mix the rice vinegar, white sugar, and kosher salt in a small bowl.
- Season Rice
Use a rice paddle or another large spoon to mix the vinegar mixture evenly into the rice without stirring too much. Let the hot rice cool for 20-30 minutes before using it to make sushi.
- Rice and Nori:
To help keep the rice from sticking, wrap your sushi mat in plastic wrap. Then, add a thin layer of sushi rice to a sheet of nori. Place the nori seaweed sheet with the rice side down on the prepared bamboo rolling mat.
- Mix Spicy Mayo
In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sriracha, and granulated sugar. Then, add a thin layer of spicy mayonnaise through the middle of the nori sheet.
- Assemble Spicy Tuna Rolls:
Place thinly sliced avocado and ¼ of the tuna over the spicy mayo. Then, use the roller to roll the Spicy Tuna Roll into a tight log shape. Repeat the same process with the remaining mayonnaise and tuna mixture.
- Serve:
Garnish the Spicy Tuna Rolls with toasted white sesame or black sesame seeds. Then, use a sharp knife to cut each sushi roll into 6 pieces and serve them with ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Sushi Rice:
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups uncooked white rice
- 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Spicy Tuna Roll:
- 12 ounces sushi grade fresh tuna , sliced into thin strips
- 1/4 cup Japanese mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 4 sheets nori dry seaweed
- 1 avocado , pitted and thinly sliced
- toasted white sesame seeds
To Serve:
- pickled ginger for garnish.
- low sodium soy sauce
- wasabi paste
Instructions
Sushi Rice:
- Add water and rice to a large pot on high heat and bring water to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium low and cover, simmering for 20-22 minutes until rice is soft and liquid is absorbed.
- Carefully remove from pot into a large bowl.
- Mix together rice vinegar, sugar and salt.
- Using a rice paddle or large spoon add in the rice vinegar evenly, cutting it in (do not excessively stir).
- Let cool for 20-30 minutes before using sushi rice.
Spicy Tuna Roll:
- Wrap your sushi mat in plastic wrap (this helps prevent rice from sticking.
- Add a thin layer of rice evenly on the nori sheet on a clean surface.
- Put the nori sheet rice side down on the rolling mat.
- Stir together mayonnaise, sriracha and sugar in a small bowl.
- Through the middle of the roll add a thin layer of spicy mayonnaise followed by some thinly sliced avocado and ¼ of the tuna.
- Using the roller, roll up the spicy tuna roll into a tight log.
- Garnish with toasted white sesame seeds if desired.
- Cut into 6 pieces and serve with ginger, soy sauce and wasabi.
Nutrition
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
Can this be made ahead of time?
Sushi rolls don’t keep well for more than a day or two after assembling them. However, if you want to get part of the recipe prepped, you can make the sushi rice beforehand. Just cook the rice as usual, then cut in the vinegar mixture. This speeds up the process of making spicy tuna rolls because you don’t have to wait to cook the rice or for it to cool on the day you assemble and serve the sushi rolls.
Nutritional Facts
What to Pair with Spicy Tuna Rolls
- Asian Dishes: Miso Ramen is a cozy soup with layers of flavor perfect for a main dish served with sushi. Asian Cucumber Salad is a cool, crunchy salad with a tangy dressing.
- Drinks: Serve up Spicy Tuna Rolls with classic drinks from a sushi restaurant. Try an Asian beer like Sapporo or Asahi, and maybe add a bit of dry sake served hot or cold. For a non-alcoholic drink, try a fresh brewed iced green tea.
How to Store
- Serve: After assembling the Spicy Tuna Rolls, it’s best to enjoy them fresh. Do not leave out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: To keep leftover sushi rolls fresh, cover them in plastic wrap or in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for 1-2 days.
- Freeze: Unfortunately, sushi doesn’t freeze well, so it’s better to enjoy this recipe fresh or after a few days.
Ideas to Serve Sushi Rolls
- Dipping Sauces: Be sure to serve Spicy Tuna Rolls with your favorite dipping and garnish options for an authentic sushi restaurant experience. You can enjoy the sushi with pickled ginger, soy sauce, wasabi paste, dark sesame oil, and eel sauce. You can also put some Spicy Mayo out as a dipping sauce to add some extra heat.
- Sushi Bowls: Instead of using a bamboo mat to roll the ingredients into a log like you typically would, you can add a handful of rice to a serving bowl. Then, layer the spicy tuna mix, avocado, and pieces of nori over the top for a spicy tuna sushi bowl. You could also add pieces of tofu to make the bowl more filling and protein-packed.
Frequent Questions
This simple sushi roll has spicy mayo and chopped raw tuna at the center. You can get raw tuna that’s safe to eat by picking up sushi-grade tuna. “Sushi grade” is a label used for the highest quality seafood that is safe to eat raw.
The tuna itself isn’t spicy, but the recipe includes homemade spicy mayo, which you’ll spread over the inside of the roll before adding the tuna. Depending on how spicy you like your food, you could add more or less hot sauce to the mix. You can also serve the rolls with extra spicy sauce for dipping.
Yes, this sushi roll is popular in sushi restaurants throughout the US and is a traditional Japanese sushi recipe. This recipe, a classic Japanese Spicy Tuna Roll is made with sashimi-grade tuna, spicy sauce, and other optional fillings according to taste.
Variations
- Veggies: For fresher flavors, add delicious vegetables to the center of the sushi roll. Try layering diced green onions, carrot sticks, shredded cabbage spinach, or Japanese cucumber slices over the sheets of nori.
- More Seafood Options: A classic Spicy Tuna Sushi Roll only contains tuna. However, you could add other kinds of seafood to the center for more variety. Authentic cooked crab meat or imitation krab sticks are classic sushi filling options. You could also add sliced pieces of yellowtail, Shrimp Tempura, and cooked eel.
More Delicious Homemade Sushi Recipes
