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Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice

Let's learn how to make spicy tuna crispy rice at home and even better! Imagine crispy rice cakes topped with creamy avocado, perfectly seasoned sashimi grade tuna, spicy mayo, and sesame seeds. This creation went viral on TikTok and it looked so good not to make my own version of it! Nobu is a famous Japanese seafood restaurant that popularized the spicy tuna crispy rice appetizer. It may seem intimidating to make but if you've ever made sushi or poke, this will be a walk in the park in comparison!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time2 hours
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Ingredients

SUSHI RICE

  • 2 cups sushi rice, rinsed well
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

SPICY TUNA

  • 1 pound ahi tuna, finely chopped into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise, Kewpie mayo preferred
  • 3 tablespoons sriracha
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced

OTHER

  • vegetable oil, for frying
  • soy sauce, for dipping
  • avocado thinly sliced or mashed
  • spicy mayo to drizzle on top
  • toasted sesame seeds to garnish on top

Instructions 

MAKE THE SUSHI RICE

  1. Rinse the sushi rice for a minute or two until the water runs clear. If you have time, soak it in water for 15 minutes prior to rinsing.
  2. Add 3 cups of water to a pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the salt and rice and once boiling, lower the heat and cover to simmer for 20 minutes. After, turn off the heat but leave covered for 10 more minutes. Then fluff it up.
  3. In a small bowl, add the rice vinegar, granulated sugar, and sesame oil. Microwave for 30 seconds or quickly warm it up in a pot just so the sugar dissolves.
  4. Pour this over the rice and mix so that each grain of rice is coated evenly. It should be very sticky!
  5. Line an 8x8 pan or larger with Saran wrap and tightly pack the rice to desired thickness. Cover tightly and pop in the fridge to chill for 1 to 2 hours or overnight. To save time, chill in the freezer for 30 minutes just until it is cold and easily can be sliced.
  6. After the rice is chilled and set, cut into squares or rectangles.
  7. To a large pan, add a little vegetable oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is very hot, add the rice squares and shallow fry in batches to not over-crowd them. Once the bottom is golden, flip over and allow the other side to become golden while making sure to flip carefully to not break it.
  8. Remove from oil and transfer to a wire rack or paper towel to drain any excess oil.

MAKE THE SPICY TUNA

  1. To a bowl, add the finely diced tuna along with mayonnaise, sriracha, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, and sliced green onions. Mix together.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE

  1. Add thinly sliced avocado on top of the fried rice. You can leave it sliced and unseasoned or mash it with a little salt and black pepper and add on top.
  2. Add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the spicy tuna on top. Then add a drizzle of spicy mayo on top along a sprinkle of sesame seeds and enjoy!

Did You Make This Recipe?

If you make this recipe, leave a comment below and let me know how it turns out. I love hearing from you!