This recipe is a variation on the Spicy Shrimp Crispy Rice (link to buy eel sauce in that post) I made a while ago from Cooking with Cocktail Rings (which has gorgeous food pics btw). This version uses the same technique to make a crispy rice base, but tops it with spicy tuna topping instead of shrimp.
It is SUPER important that you use only sushi/sashimi grade raw tuna for this. It is not safe to use regular raw fish in this kind of preparation. Tuna is the least concerning to eat raw if you are making at home. Sushi/sashimi grade fish follows specifications from the FDA on what makes it safe to eat. Mostly that means the fish is frozen to kill bacteria and parasites. Any raw meat/eggs/seafood carries a small risk of illness, but if you get it from a reputable store it is as safe as you can be. I used sushi grade tuna from Wegmans for this dish.
The spicy tuna topping for this is similar to a spicy tuna roll. Chopped tuna, mayo, sriracha, jalapeno, avocado, scallions, sesame oil and a drizzle of eel sauce. As with the shrimp version, the rice needs to be cooked and chilled ahead of time, to allow it to be fried more easily. See my recipe for making rice here. I can’t do the crispy rice enough justice with words. It is so pleasing to eat. We are big fans of sushi and we really loved this dish.
Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups cooked rice see my post on Asian rice for recipe
- 2 tsp mirin
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 lb sushi grade raw tuna
- 3 tbsp mayo preferably kewpie but any is ok
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 green onion minced
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- oil for frying
- 1 avocado pitted and thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
- eel sauce for drizzling
Instructions
- Mix the cooked rice with mirin and vinegar and toss well. Press into a square cake pan and cover with plastic wrap and chill for a few hours.
- Chop the tuna. You can either chop into small squares like I did or finely chop it more into almost a paste. Mix with the mayo, sriracha, sesame oil, jalapeno and scallion. Season with salt or a little soy sauce to taste.
- Chill while you fry the rice. Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet to about 350. Cut the rice into squares about 2×2 inches and smash them into patties. Fry one one side until golden and crispy, then flip and fry the other side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a tiny bit of kosher salt.
- Fry all the rice patties. Top each with some avocado slices and some of the tuna mixture. Drizzle with eel sauce and serve.