Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna Recipe – FOOD is Four Letter Word (2024)

September 4, 2021Van

Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna is super trendy lately, but it’s been around for quite sometime. Many people know of this dish from Nobu, but Katsuya in Los Angeles also makes an amazing version. You’ll usually find it on the menu at fusion sushi restaurants, but it’s pretty easy to make at home. Honestly the first time I heard of the dish, I didn’t think I would like it since I typically like sashimi or nigiri, but it really surprised me – the crispy texture of the rice combined with creamy & spicy tuna is a delicious combo – it’s just a completely different genre from traditional sushi. Watch my 30-second recipe video on Instagram here

I have this sushi rice / onigiri mold set (purchase here) and the sushi rice mold is perfect for this recipe.

You can find sashimi grade tuna at your local Japanese or Korean markets. If youreally want to spoil yourself, use chutoro (fatty tuna) for the most amazing flavor and texture. You may not need to use as much mayo depending on how fatty the cut is.

Made with chutoro, topped with a slice of Serrano pepper (seeds removed) and tobiko

If you can’t get a hold of any sashimi grade tuna, Trader Joe’s Sesame Crusted Smoked Ahi Tuna can work as a substitute in this dish – the tuna has a slight smokey flavor and you’llprobably need to add a little extra mayo

Use La-Yu Chili Oil instead of Sesame Oil for a spicier kick

Use short grain rice that has just been cooked (not old rice), if you can’t get short grain rice,you cansubstitute with Calrose rice. When cooking the rice, add a tiny bit more water than usual, so the rice is a little stickier. Pack in asmuch rice as you can into the mold, the rice should be very compressed so it holds it shape when it’s fried. You can use plain short grain rice, but if you want totake it up anotch, use seasoned sushi rice

These are deep fried. At Nobu, theydeep fry the rice and at Katsuya, they grill them on the top and bottom.

Previous RecipeNext Recipe