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The spicy tuna roll is one of the most beloved of the sushi rolls! It is simple, fresh and delicious. But sushi rolls can be tricky to assemble, so in this recipe, I will show you how to get the same delicious flavors and ingredients, but in bowl form. It is so simple, the only cooking required is the rice! It is perfect for anything from an easy weeknight dinner, to a sexy date night meal!
Ingredients
- Frozen Sushi Grade Ahi Tuna
- Rice- This can be sushi rice, or any kind you prefer. I usually use Jasmine because it is nice and fluffy and keeps the bowl light!
- Avocado
- Pickled Ginger
- Cucumber- I like using thin skinned English Cucumbers, but any cucumbers will work!
- Wasabi- Every sushi roll needs a little of that signature sinus clearing wasabi. 🙂
- Spicy Mayonnaise- Use this combined with the Sriracha. lemon juice and toasted sesame oil to create the spicy mayo that make it a spicy tuna roll.
- Unagi (Eel) sauce-Made with sugar, soy sauce and mirin. This adds a little salty sweetness to balance the spicy mayo.
- Furikake- This looks a little like fish food, but is actually a combination of seaweed, sesame seeds, a little sugar and salt. Some also contain bonito, or fish flakes.
What is Ahi Tuna?
Ahi is a species of tuna. It ranges in color from medium pink to brilliant red and is jewel or almost translucent. When the fish is exposed to oxygen in the air, it will oxidize, turning it brown. So when you are choosing a piece of ahi, look for good, brilliant color.
Although generally, if you can buy fresh fish, that is the way to go. With ahi it is a little different. Very rarely can you get ahi tuna fresh off the boat, and if you can, lucky you!! Most ahi sold commercially is flash frozen right after it is caught, keeping it super fresh and free from any freshness issues. So in buying a frozen piece of ahi tuna, you know it is still fresh off the boat!
You can find vacuum sealed frozen ahi at your butcher or fish market, or at your local high end grocery store.
Spicy Mayo
The spicy mayo is what makes the spicy tuna roll a spicy tuna roll! It is creamy and a little bit spicy and a teeny bit sweet. It can be easily made with just a few easy ingredients. Sriracha, Mayo, lemon and toasted sesame oil and a little whisking is all there is to it!
With that being said, you can also find spicy mayo in the store if you are short on time, or ingredients.
Spicy Mayo is not just for sushi! Use it on your artichoke in this recipe for Grilled Artichokes with Sriracha Aioli. It would also be an amazing addition to these Candied Pineapple and Jalapeño Sliders! And if you haven’t tried these Poke Nachos, I beg you to make them! They contain similar flavors to the spicy tuna roll and I can confidently promise that you won’t be disappointed!
Unagi (Eel) Sauce
This delicious, salty, syrupy sauce does not actually contain eel. It is something that is traditionally served over grilled eel, and it is something I always ask for when I order sushi. If you like the salty-sweet flavor combo, then you will love this sauce!
Making the sauce is very simple and is similar to making a simple syrup. Just combine the soy sauce, mirin (which is like a sweeter, lower alcohol sake), and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring it to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. It will reduce and get nice and syrupy. That is it!
And, the good news is that it can be stored for several months in the fridge!
You can put it on everything from sliced avocado to noodles, to these Poke Nachos which I gushed about in the previous section! 😉
You can also find Eel Sauce in asian markets, and sometimes in a well stocked asian section of a grocery store. But it is just so easy to make, (and cheaper!) so why not?
The Rice
Of course you would use sushi rice in a spicy tuna roll. However, when it is in bowl form like this, I prefer a lighter, fluffier rice, which is why we use Jasmine rice in this recipe.
But honestly, use your favorite rice. It is the vessel that soaks up all of these amazing flavors and adds some bulk to the recipe, so use whichever type you’d like!
What is Furikake?
Furikake is a combination of Nori (Seaweed) flakes, sesame seeds, salt sugar and sometimes it contains Bonito (fish) flakes. You can find it in the asian section of your grocery store. In this recipe it provides the seaweed portion of the sushi roll. It adds delicious flavor and beautiful texture. It is like tasty sushi bowl confetti!
How to make a Spicy Tuna Roll Bowl
It really is very simple. Start by making your rice according the directions on the package. While that is cooking, assemble your ingredients and make your sauces. Slice your avocado and cucumber thinly, and set aside.
Thawing and Slicing the Ahi
Make sure your Ahi is thawed. It thaws very quickly. If you are able to plan ahead, just take it out of the freezer the night before and place it in the fridge. It will be thawed by the time you are ready to eat.
If you forgot, or don’t have time, not to worry! Ahi thaws very quicky. You can speed it up a little by keeping it in the package, then putting it in a bowl of very lukewarm water. You don’t want the water hot or very warm, just lukewarm. It will be enough to thaw it.
And even then, not to worry if it isn’t completely thawed. Partially frozen (but NOT completely frozen solid) ahi is actually very easy to cut. Then it will finish thawing and be thawed by the time you are ready to assemble your bowls.
When cutting your ahi, slice it thinly at a slight angle and against the grain. Use a good fillet knife. You can see the one that I use, HERE on Amazon. It will be so soft and tender and melt in your mouth good.
Assembling the Bowls
Divide the rice between 4 bowls.
Top each bowl equally with the sliced ahi. Arrange the avocado and cucumbers next to the tuna.
Next, in the center on top, arrange the pickled ginger. I like forming a little rosette by rolling up the little slices.
Place a tiny dollop of wasabi in the center of each rosette. And I mean, “tiny”! Your guests can always add more, but you don’t want to light them up by accident! Trust me on this, people. I may or may not be speaking from experience here… Ha!
Drizzle a small amount of spicy mayo and eel sauce around the base of the ingredients. Follow this up with a sprinkle of furikake and >voila!<; Spicy tuna roll bowl!
Serve with extra spicy mayo, eel sauce and soy sauce on the side and enjoy!
More Favorite Recipes with Asian Flavors
- Poke Nachos– I can say enough about these. They are just so good.
- Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts with Gochujang Glaze and Yuzu Aioli– So much flavor packed into these little sprouts!
- Thai Fresh Rolls with Peanut Sauce– So fresh and flavorful. I could eat these every day.
- Blistered Shishito Peppers– Such an easy recipe and so delicious!
- Rockfish with Yuzu Butter Sauce– Another recipe that is perfectly simple and so good.
- Spicy Sweet Candied Ginger– A spicy sweet treat!
I hope you enjoy making these Spicy Tuna Roll Bowls! I would love to hear what you thought, in the comments way at the bottom! 🙂 Thank you and thank you for visiting Mollie in Montana~*!
Spicy Tuna Roll Bowl
Ingredients
Spicy Tuna Roll Bowl
- 2 cups Uncooked Rice of your choice! (I use Jasmine)
- 1 lb Frozen Sushi Grade Ahi Tuna
- 1 Avocado, thinly sliced
- ½ English Cucumber, thinly sliced
- ½ cup Pickled Ginger
- 1 tsp Wasabi
- 2 Tbsp Furikake
Spicy Mayo
- ½ cup Mayonnaise (Kewpie or other quality brand)
- 2 Tbsp Sriracha
- ½ tsp Lemon juice (a good squeeze of a lemon wedge)
- ½ tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
Unagi (Eel) Sauce
- ½ cup Japanese Soy Sauce
- ½ cup Sugar
- ½ cup Mirin
Instructions
Eel Sauce
- Combine Soy Sauce, Mirin and Sugar in small saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir until sugar is dissolved and then allow mixture to come to a simmer.
- Once it starts simmering, turn the heat to medium low and allow to simmer gently for about 15 minutes until it thickens and reduces slightly. Stir occasionally.
- Remove from heat and set aside until you are ready to assemble the bowls.
Spicy Mayo
- Combine Mayo, Sriracha, Toasted Sesame Oil and Lemon juice in a bowl and whisk until it is well combined and creamy. Cover and place in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
Assembling Spicy Tuna Roll Bowls
- Cook Rice according to directions on package. When it is done, keep it in the pot with the lid on until you are ready to serve.
- Distribute rice evenly between 4 bowls.
- Slice Ahi thinly (about ¼ inch thick) and at an angle, across the grain. Top each bowl with sliced Ahi.
- Add cucumber and avocado slices next to the Tuna on each bowl.
- Roll up several slices of pickled ginger to form a little rosette and place on the top, in the center of the bowl.
- Add a small (¼ tsp) dab of wasabi in the center of the rosette. Start small, your guests can always add more! 🙂
- Drizzle the bowl with Spicy Mayo and Eel Sauce, and sprinkle with Furikake.
- Serve with extra spicy mayo, eel sauce, soy sauce and wasabi on the side.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Notes:
- If you’d like to do a quick pickle on the cucumbers, simply place the sliced cucs in a bowl and cover them with rice vinegar. It doesn’t take long, just let them soak while you make the sauces and rice and then when you are ready to assemble, the cucumbers will be ready too!
- Serve the bowls with extra Spicy Mayo, Eel Sauce and Soy Sauce for guests to add it to their liking!
- Be aware that most Soy Sauces contains gluten, so if you are trying to avoid gluten, make sure you choose a gluten free option. You can also use Tamari or Coconut Aminos in place of soy sauce.
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