For a while, I’ve seen these ‘nobu sushi inspired crispy rice’ recipes, topped with sushi grade salmon that look so so good. I never thought that it was a recipe that I could post or develop though as the recipes require sushi grade fish.
Then I realised this recipe wouldn’t just work with sushi grade tuna. I knew it would definitely work canned/tinned tuna, as everyone knows a winning combination is canned tuna and mayo.
The spicy tuna dressing works so well to top our crispy rice with, I honestly prefer it to regular sushi rolls. You have got to try my take on the spicy tuna with crispy rice trend!
I used tuna in water as we’re adding a lot of delicious fats in the spicy dressing but any oil tuna would also work here.
The sushi rice is key here to ensure that the rice sticks together, when placed in the compact container. We don’t want the rice to fall apart, when we add it to the oil!
The sweet, tangy, spiciness to the spicy tuna with crispy rice is thanks to the sriracha.
To make this recipe more budget friendly, I use a combo of mayonnaise and rice wine vinegar instead of kewpie mayo. Use full-fat mayo here for the best flavour – I love Hellmans.
For a burst of umami.
Season the cooked rice with a splash of rice wine vinegar and salt, then transfer the rice into an 8 by 10 inch container. Using a wooden spoon, firmly press the sushi into the container until compact.
Then add some foil onto the top of the container and continue to press. Pop in the fridge for a couple of hours or leave overnight.
Then add the tuna, sriracha, mayonnaise, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar to a bowl and mix together. Also add ⅔ of the thinly sliced spring onion, while reserving some for garnish later.
When you are ready to make your sushi bites, remove the foil and flip the container onto a chopping board and tap until the rice falls out in one piece. Slice into around 20 pieces.
Using a non stick frying pan, add rapeseed oil and increase the heat to high. In batches, fry the rice squares/rectangles for 2 minutes (or until golden and crispy) on each side.
Top the crispy rice with the spicy tuna and garnish with the reserved spring onion. Delicious!
Can I meal prep this recipe/make this recipe ahead of time?
I would make this recipe fresh, as you want the rice to be crispy and tuna to be mixed into the dressing fresh out of the can. The spring onion would also get wilted as a topping.
You could prep the rice a couple days in advance, as long as it’s kept refrigerated and compact in it’s container.
Can I switch the tuna for a different fish?
If you wanted to replicate the spicy tuna with crispy rice , you could use smoked salmon sliced into little pieces instead of the canned tuna.
Can I make this vegetarian/vegan?
A substitute for tuna, that I love is smashed chickpeas so you could use 1 can, drained, rinsed and smashed to substitute the 2 cans of tuna.
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