Spicy tuna on crispy rice is a very popular appetizer you can get at Nobu restaurant. Personally, I've never gone to Nobu, but I have seen this dish many times on social media. The crispy rice is surprisingly easy to make with a few steps and ingredients.
One day I will go to Nobu! There's no Nobu where I live in Vancouver, but I hear about them all the time on American social media. I even have a copy of their 2001 cookbook. The two most popular dishes I always hear about are their "crispy rice with spicy tuna" and "miso black cod", both of which I have made before.
The spicy tuna sauce I've come up with is easily the best part of the recipe. It has scallions, Japanese mayonnaise, sriracha, toasted sesame oil, and lemon juice. It's spicy, creamy, and a little bit acidic. I actually use it whenever I need "spicy tuna" in a recipe like my tuna kimbap or canned tuna rice bowl.
How to make the rice
Firstly, you will need short-grain rice (sometimes called sushi rice). You want to press it firmly into a baking dish, then freeze for one hour and then refrigerate for another hour. What this does is firm up the rice and allow it to be cut into rectangles.
Once the rice is cut into rectangles, you want to shallow-fry it in oil until the bottom is crispy. I have also heard of people air-frying this, but personally I have not tried it. I think the rice needs a good amount of oil to actually taste good.
What tuna to use?
The tuna you use is totally up to you. Today, I'm using "sashimi quality" poke tuna that I got from an Asian grocery store. Initially, I thought my tuna might be too lean, but actually, the mayonnaise in the sauce helps it taste much richer. Here's a picture of my tuna. The packaging says it's Yellowfin:
How to prepare the tuna
I recommend cutting the tuna into a fine mince. I did this by continually chopping the tuna until it became very small pieces. The reason I prefer a fine mince is because the tuna topping becomes more cohesive and is more stable (less likely to fall off) when you put it on the rice.
Spicy Tuna On Crispy Rice
Ingredients
For the crispy rice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups cooked sushi rice
- ¼-¾ cup oil (for frying)
For the spicy tuna
- ½ pound sashimi quality tuna (I'm using Yellowfin today but the kind of tuna does not really matter since it'll be drenched in mayonnaise)
- ¼ cup Japanese mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sliced scallions
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
For topping
- thinly sliced avocado
- thinly sliced jalapeno
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Heat this over high heat until the sugar dissolves. While the cooked sushi rice is still warm, fold this mixture into it.
- Line a rectangular dish/tray with plastic wrap. Scoop the rice into it and press into a ½-inch thick rectangle. Cover with more plastic wrap and freeze for one hour, then refrigerate for another hour. Alternatively, you can just refrigerate it 6 hours.
- While the rice is refrigerating, lay the tuna on a cutting board and chop it repeatedly until it becomes a fine mince. Transfer to a small bowl with the rest of the spicy tuna ingredients and mix well. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
- Remove the rice to a cutting board and cut into small rectangles.
- Heat ¼ cup of oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick pan (you can also use 2 tablespoons if you're oil-adverse). Add the rice and cook each side for 4-6 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a wire rack to drain excess oil. If the heat is too high, reduce to medium heat.
- To assemble, lay a few slices of avocado onto the rice, followed by a scoop of tuna and a slice of jalapeno.
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