Valentine’s Day 2015 was a big hit. It was seriously one of the best days EVER! It started out with my awesome husband making me one of my favorite breakfasts (egg in a hole), included a lunch date, homemade card, super adorable gift, and ended with…wait for it…homemade sushi!! Sushi is my absolute-complete-over-the-top-by-far-most-favorite-food-of-all-time-no-comparison.
I could eat it for every meal. So Seth surprised me and bought the equipment to make homemade sushi, and we went out and got all kinds of delicious ingredients! We ended up making three different rolls and were both so full we could barely move around to clean the kitchen…it was awesome.
So today we were already planning on having more sushi for lunch with all of our left over prepped ingredients from the night before, and I decided to blog one of our creations — one of my all time faves: the Spicy Tuna Roll.
Spicy Tuna Rolls are so simple, but they are so delicious.
My standard order at a sushi restaurant used to be one Spicy Tuna Roll and one specialty roll so I didn’t end up spending a million dollars. These days Seth and I usually get three specialty rolls and split them, but we decided to make a Spicy Tuna Roll for lunch to put on the blog just because it is so simple. Anyone could do it!
And surprisingly, it’s really not that expensive.
I was expecting sushi grade tuna to cost a fortune, but it actually sells for $7.99 a pound..which isn’t bad at all.
I am SO excited to be able to make sushi now whenever I want!
Here are the things you need to make sushi:
Bamboo mat
Nori strips
Sushi rice (I used Alton Brown’s recipe — he is always a good choice for anything technical: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sushi-rice-recipe.html)
Any fillings your heart desires
Soy sauce (optional, but it makes for an amazing dipper)
And there ya go…sushi. So much fun to make!
Have fun!
Here is the recipe:
PrintSpicy Tuna Roll
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 8 rolls 1x
Ingredients
- For the filling:
- 1 tsp Greek yogurt
- Little drizzle of Sriracha (about the size of a pea)
- 3/4 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup raw, finely chopped sushi grade Tuna (plus a tablespoon or two depending on the size roll you want)
- 1 sheet of Nori
- For the rice:
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- For the topping:
- Black sesame seeds to sprinkle on the rice
- 3 teaspoons Greek yogurt
- 1/4 teaspoon Sriracha
Instructions
- Place the rice in a medium bowl and fill the bowl will cool water – enough to cover the rice
- Drain the water out
- Repeat this step until the water runs clear
- Place the rice and 1/2 cup water into a small pot
- Bring to a boil
- Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes
- When the 15 minutes are up, remove from the heat and let it sit, covered, for another 10 minutes
- Meanwhile, chop your raw tuna and add it to a small bowl
- Stir in the Greek yogurt, soy sauce, and Sriracha until everything is evenly combined
- For the topping, stir together 3 teaspoons Greek yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon Sriracha
- When the rice is done, transfer it to a bowl and set aside
- Add the rice vinegar, sugar, and kosher salt into a small bowl and microwave for 45 seconds
- Add this mixture to your rice and stir until everything is evenly combined
- Place your rice in the freezer until it is cooled to room temperature
- Wrap your bamboo mat three times around with saran wrap so the rice doesn’t stick
- Place a sheet of Nori down on the bamboo mat and scoop 3/4 cup of rice on top of it
- Wet your hands with water and press out the rice so it forms an even layer over the Nori
- Carefully flip it over so the rice is against the bamboo mat and the Nori is facing up
- Spoon the spicy tuna along the bottom edge of the Nori evenly
- Roll the sushi using the bamboo mat (if you search YouTube for a video of this, it is super easy to understand. It is easier than it looks!)
- Sprinkle the black sesame seeds on top of the sushi, and cut the roll into roughly one inch pieces
- Drizzle the spicy yogurt sauce on top
If you make this or any of my other recipes, make sure to Instagram them and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
The sushi rice recipe is Alton Brown’s: Click here for his original recipe!
Annie, this recipe is so cool. The description was super easy to follow out and the result is absolutely delicious. Thanks for the black sesame seed heads-up, mixes up from the usual sushi rolls :)
Tony Chen recently posted…Battera Sushi-Traditional Sushi Recipe
★★★★★
Hey Tony! I’m so glad you loved this recipe – thanks for the comment!
OMG Spicy tuna roll is one of my favorites, but sadly, I am allergic to yogurt, but I can use spicy mayo instead. I usually buy sushi-grade/ sashimi grade tuna for 10 a pound. The one you bought is so cheap
James recently posted…30 Good Ideas for Sushi Roll Fillings
Spicy Mayo would be perfect!!!
Spicy tuna rolls are my all time favorite sushi roll. I made them once but was missing the sauce…what a good idea to use greek yogurt with it! Living in a landlocked country, eating sushi out is soooo expensive, but I did find some sushi grade tuna for a decent price. Time to make my own with the special sauce :)
Caitlin recently posted…Zurich’s Street Food Festival
They are one of my all time favorites too, Caitlin! I know…I hate how expensive eating sushi out is. My husband and I end up spending around 60 dollars when we eat sushi here! We actually found some pretty decent prices sushi grade tuna here too at Fresh Market (I’m not sure if you have those where you live). They go on special for 7.99 each! Not bad at all!
Your Valentine’s Day sounds like it was a perfect day! I know I’d be happy with all of that – I had a great day too :) Anyway, I LOVE sushi. I went through a phase once where I was getting it daily for lunch or dinner. I haven’t had it since going gluten-free, but I’m definitely going to attempt it at home since I can control what goes in and will know it’s safe for me to eat! Spicy tuna is one of my favorites, but seriously who doesn’t love spicy tuna?
Keri @ Fashionable Foods recently posted…Sunshine Smoothie
It was definitely a perfect day! Oh my goodness…I am obsessed. I wish I could eat it for every meal, but it is so expensive! At least in Georgia it is. Maybe it’s cheaper around coastal areas. If so…I need to move there. Spicy tuna is one of my favorites too!
Hi Annie, happy to meet another proud army wife who is doing such a wonderful job! My hubby is an Indian air force pilot and me too very proud and happy about being a defence officer’s wife. Your recipes are just mind blowing! Love it!!! :)
Gonna try this recipe very soon…
Thank you so much, Saritha! Always love meeting other military wives ;).
What a thoughtful hubby!! It looks amazing!!
Jillian
He is pretty wonderful :). Thanks, Jillian!