Island Trollers Spicy Tuna Roll

Island Trollers Spicy Tuna Roll

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 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!

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.

Both sides of the nori. The piece on the left shows the shiny side, and the piece on the right shows the dull side. Also, you can see how we cover the bamboo rolling mat with plastic wrap. This keeps the mat clean as you roll the sushi (it’s nearly impossible to clean if you get rice all inside the mat).

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.

The inside out version (meaning that the rice is on the outside of the nori) of the Spicy Tuna Roll

Lay the nori on the plastic wrapped sushi mat and top with sushi rice, leaving a strip of nori without any rice (this is where the roll will seal). Top with the fillings, being careful not to overfill.

Gently roll the sushi up using the mat to assist

Shape the roll and don’t worry if a little filling escapes, just nibble on those little snacks!

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.

Place the rice all over the nori for an inside out roll. Then flip over and start filling the nori.

The nori has been flipped so the rice is underneath. Now start filling the nori, again trying not to overfill the roll.

Gently roll it all together using the sushi mat

Start cutting the rolls by cutting the whole thing in half. Then cut each half in half, and so on so you get 8 pieces

Island Trollers Spicy Tuna Roll Recipe

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Spicy Tuna

Author Debi

Ingredients

• 1 can 7.5 ounce Island Trollers Jalapeno Albacore Tuna, undrained
• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Sriracha

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the tuna and Sriracha together with a fork, breaking the tuna into small pieces as you mix.

Recipe Notes

Note:
And remember, if you’re making this recipe with Island Trollers Albacore Tuna, you don’t want to drain off those tasty juices from the can; they’re the juices from the fish itself, not just plain ol’ water or oil. Those juices are loaded with Omega 3s. So, it might feel a little weird not to drain the tuna, but don’t do it.

Print

Island Trollers Spicy Tuna Roll

Author Debi

Ingredients

• Bamboo Sushi Mat
• Plastic wrap
• 1 package of sheet nori
• Cooked Sushi Rice recipe above
• Prepared Spicy Tuna recipe above
• 1 ripe avocado peeled, pitted, and sliced
• Carrot Slaw optional (recipe above)
• Sesame Seeds
• Creamy Sriracha recipe above

Instructions

1. 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 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the roll. Serve with Creamy Sriracha Sauce if desired.