Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
This delicious spicy tuna crispy rice appetizer is made with crispy rectangles of seasoned sushi rice, fresh avocado slices and a dollop of deliciously creamy, umami flavored, spicy ahi tuna with a slice of jalapeño for an extra kick!
Servings: 32 pieces
Ingredients
Sushi Rice
- 1.5 cups sushi rice rinsed until water is clear
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Spicy Tuna
- 1 pound ahi tuna sushi grade finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon Japanese kewpie mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce for sushi and sashimi preferred
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1-2 teaspoon lime juice
Garnish
- avocado
- toasted sesame seeds
- chives or scallions minced
- jalapeño or serrano pepper sliced
Instructions
Crispy Rice
- Prepare the rice. Thoroughly the rice 4-5 times until the water turns clear. Add the water and salt. Mix and cook the rice in a rice cooker.
- Add in flavoring. In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar and sesame oil until the sugar has dissolved. Once the rice is cooked, toss the mixture with the cooked rice in a large bowl and toss until combined.
- Shape and refrigerate the rice. Place your flavored rice into a small square baking tray lined with plastic wrap and shape your rice into a ½ inch thick square block. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. You can also freeze in the freezer for about 30 minutes. You want to chill the rice so that it is easy to cut into cubes.
- Cut the rice. Once the rice has chilled, cut the rice into bitesized rectangles.
- Pan fry the rice. In a medium skillet, heat about ½-3/4 cup of vegetable oil (or enough to fill an even thin layer on your skillet) on high heat until hot for about 30 seconds. Gently, place the rice into the pan leaving about 2 inches in between each piece. Be careful the oil may splatter. Cook on medium high heat for about 3 minutes or until golden brown and then flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack placed over a lined baking sheet to drain any excess oil.
Spicy Tuna
- Mix the ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, add your chopped tuna, kewpie mayonnaise, sriracha, soy sauce, sesame oil, and lime juice. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Assemble
- Assemble. Add thinly sliced avocado pieces on top of the crispy rice. Then place 1-2 tablespoons of spicy tuna on top. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, minced chives or scallions and a jalapeño or serrano pepper slice.
Notes
* Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness. Check with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or appropriate regulatory agencies regarding food safety recommendations.
- Wash your rice! Washing your rice is always a vital step before cooking rice. Washing the rice removes the excess starch, dirt, dust, and debris from the rice grain. If you don’t wash your rice, the excess starch will gelatinize and make the grains become extra sticky and mushy.
- Pack the rice. When molding the rice on your baking pan, make sure you gently pack in the rice as closely together without actually mashing the rice grains. You don’t want any large air bubbles that will make the rice fall apart when you fry it.
- Chill the rice. You will need to chill the rice block in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour or in the freezer for 30-45 minutes. The longer you chill the rice the easier it is to slice into cubes. You can chill the rice overnight.
- Make sure the oil is hot before adding the rice. Test the readiness of the oil by dropping one grain of rice and if it rapidly sizzles, the oil is ready.
- Cool the rice on a wire rack for maximum crispiness. After the rice is done, place the rice pieces over a wire rack to prevent them from getting soggy.
Nutrition
Calories: 184kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 381mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 831IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg