Island Trollers Spicy Tuna Roll is a delicious sushi roll that you can make at home. And if you don’t like raw fish, this one takes all that worry out of it for you and uses delicious cooked tuna!
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Sushi is a popular snack
I don’t know if sushi is as popular everywhere as it is in California, but almost every party I go to now they have sushi. People just love it here! So, I thought it would make a great Tailgating Snack. Make it early, pack it in the fridge or in the cooler (depending on where your tailgate party is), and you’re good to go with a nice healthy yummy tailgate snack!
It’s amazing and super fun to make your own sushi at home. And, it saves money, if you’re looking at a budget. You can also customize the sushi to your own liking. Add more avocado if that makes you happy (and, oh yes, that makes me very happy!). Add Carrot Slaw to a Spicy Tuna Roll. Make the tuna spicier or less spicy. It’s all good. And, this Island Trollers Spicy Tuna Roll is so good; you’ll be so happy you made these, and so will your tummy!
Sushi isn’t a beginner recipe. It takes a little learning, and a bit of practice. But, once you get the hang of it, it’s fairly easy. At first your rolls may not look beautiful. That’s ok! They will taste amazing! This should be a fun and entertaining day of sushi making. We usually stand around nibbling and chatting while we make sushi. And, it makes for a great evening with a couple of good friends. My inspiration for this whole recipe is Use Real Butter.
I highly recommend that you seek out Sushi Rice or shari. It makes for nice sticky rice. In a pinch I’ll use medium grain Calrose Rice that I normally buy for dinners, but the short grain sushi rice is best for this, and it gets sticky without being too sticky that you can’t work with it. I make the rice in the (affiliate link) rice cooker (it’s just easier that way). When removing the rice from the rice cooker or the saucepan, be careful not to scrape the browned rice from the bottom of the pan. You don’t want that brown color in your sushi rice, nor do you want the crunchy bits of browned rice in your sushi.
If you like your food really spicy hot, feel free to use more Sriracha, or start with Island Trollers Habanero Albacore Tuna
instead of Island Trollers Jalapeno Albacore Tuna. Find Island Trollers Tuna here.
If you’d like to read about how I met them, hop over here. And, right now (until Oct 19, 2015) I have a giveaway going on where you can win some Island Trollers Amazing Tuna! Hop over here to enter!
Sushi rolls
We made 3 cut rolls out of one can of Island Trollers Tuna (minus the little nibbles I took off of the tuna just with a fork).
I might be unusual, but I prefer my sushi without wasabi, soy sauce, or pickled ginger. So, you don’t see any of those in the pictures. If you like them, please feel free to add them to your sushi plate. You could also serve this with some awesome homemade Teriyaki Sauce. We used the Teriyaki Sauce in the Dan Roll, a Teriyaki Steak Roll (find it here).
There is a right side and a wrong side to use for the nori. As you look at the nori, you’ll see a shiny side and a dull side. If you make a roll with the rice on the inside, you want the shiny side out, and the dull side in. If you do an inside out roll (which is a little more difficult), put the rice on the shiny side of the nori. Also, as you look at the nori, notice that there are lines, almost like perforations. The lines go in the same direction as the rolling mat, so that you are rolling up the sushi with these lines, and not against these lines.
I’ve placed each part or step of the Spicy Tuna Roll in a separate recipe card, and they’re in order of the way I would make them. I felt this was a much more manageable way to look at this recipe and work off of it. While the rice is cooking/cooling you can make the other parts (like the Creamy Sriracha and the Spicy Tuna) and store them, covered, in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
I’ve added the recipe for Carrot Slaw though it isn’t traditional in a spicy tuna roll, nor did I put it in the pictures, it’s delicious! (We made some rolls with the slaw that we simply ate and didn’t photo.) You will see that I used the Carrot Slaw as a garnish on the plate. I first posted the recipe for Carrot Slaw along with my California Roll Sandwich Recipe; you’ll find it here.
Inside out roll
We also made an inside out roll. This is a little more difficult because you don’t have the nori holding everything inside. Below are some detailed photos of the inside out roll if you’d like to try making one.
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Spicy Tuna Roll Recipe
Island Trollers Spicy Tuna Roll Recipe
Ingredients
Spicy tuna filling
- 7.5 ounce can Island Trollers Jalapeno Albacore Tuna undrained
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Sriracha
Sushi Rice
- 2 cups uncooked short grain sushi rice or shari
- 3 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons rice vinegar divided use
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups + ½ cup water divided use
Creamy Sriracha
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Carrot Slaw
- ¾ cup shredded carrot
- ¾ cup julienned jicama
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons water
- ¾ tablespoon sugar
Assemble sushi (additional items needed)
- Bamboo Sushi Mat
- Plastic wrap
- 1 package sheet nori
- 1 ripe avocado peeled, pitted, and sliced
- Sesame Seeds
Instructions
Make spicy tuna filling:
- In a medium bowl, mix the tuna and Sriracha together with a fork, breaking the tuna into small pieces as you mix.
Make sushi rice:
- Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer, and rinse until all the cloudy white is gone, and the water runs clear. Drain rice. Combine ½ cup water plus 2 tablespoons vinegar, and set aside. In a separate small bowl, make the dressing by combining 3 tablespoons vinegar, salt, and sugar in a small bowl, and stir until dissolved; set aside.
- Rice cooker: Combine the rice and 2 cups water in the bowl of the rice cooker, and cook according to the instructions on your rice cooker.
- Stove top: Soak rice in water to cover for 30 minutes; drain. Combine rice and 2 cups water in a saucepan and cover. Place the pan over moderately high heat. When the water boils, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the rice to steam undisturbed, without removing the lid, for 10 minutes.
- Wet a large bowl, preferably a wooden one, with water. Wipe off excess water with a paper towel. Wet the bowl a second time with vinegar water that you made before. Wipe off any excess water.
- Take the rice out of the rice cooker, or saucepan, being careful not to scrape any browned rice off the bottom of the pan. Place the cooked rice in center of the wetted wooden bowl. Allow the cooked rice to cool in the bowl for 10 minutes. Pour the dressing over the rice, and mix the dressing in evenly with a large spoon or rice paddle. While mixing, fan the rice to cool it. The rice is ready to use when it reaches body temperature.
Make creamy sriracha:
- Mix all creamy sriracha ingredients (sour cream, sriracha, and sesame oil) in a small bowl.
Make carrot slaw:
- Place shredded carrot and jicama in a large bowl and set aside. Combine vinegar, water, and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly; pour cooled dressing over carrots and jicama. Let stand 15 minutes; drain.
Assemble the rolls:
- Wrap the bamboo sushi mat in plastic wrap. Place one sheet of nori shiny side out, and the dull side in on top of the mat. (If you do an inside out roll, put the rice on the shiny side of the nori). The lines of the nori go in the same direction as the rolling mat, so that you are rolling up the sushi with these lines, and not against these lines. With wet hands, grab a small handful of sushi rice and evenly spread across the nori being sure to place the rice all the way to sides of the nori, while leaving a strip at the end of the roll, about ½ to 1-inch. Press the rice down to ensure it sticks to the nori.
- Lay a thin line of the spicy tuna on top of the rice, and stack the avocado strips on top of the tuna. This is the point to add the Carrot Slaw if you’ll be using that. Be careful not to overfill the roll or it will be difficult to roll and eat.
- Holding the mat, gently start rolling the fillings up inside the rice and nori. Gently squeeze the roll to tighten it up. Using your finger, wet the open edge of the nori with a little water. This will help seal the roll shut after rolling it up.
- Use the bamboo mat to firm up the shape and compact the roll. Remove the bamboo mat and the plastic wrap from the roll. Dip a very sharp knife in water (to keep the roll from sticking to the knife), and cut the roll in half. Continue cutting the pieces in half until you have 8 pieces.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds over the roll. Serve with Creamy Sriracha Sauce if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
I love making my own sushi so I can control what goes in. This is a great spicy tuna recipe and I’m going to try it.
Love this recipe (and all your helpful photos)! I’ve tried making sushi before, and I’ll admit I need more practice 🙂 This looks so tasty & look forward to trying it!
Those look amazing! Love the step by step pictures!
You have done an amazing job here.
These looks so good!! I definitely need to learn to make sushi!
This is awesome! I have not attempted making sushi before. Well done!
This is SUCH a wonderful post! From the detailed instructions to the wonderful photos, it’s just perfect.
Sushi certainly isn’t as popular here as in California, but I still really enjoy it! I loved your step-by-step pictures, they were so helpful- a phenomenal guide. AND, your sushi sounds delicious. It was great to find your blog through Gluten Free Fridays, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.