Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
Often when you think of bbq, you think of heavy, saucy, stick-to-your-ribs kind of food. But I’m here to tell you that with the Alchemy, live-fire cooking and bbq isn’t just limited to a certain box, there is so much you can do and this recipe is a great example of that. Spicy tuna on crispy rice is a light, crunchy, tasty appetizer you can make for yourself or when entertaining. And it’s pretty simple to make. There is a little bit of prep involved because you have to make the sushi rice ahead of time to allow it to cool to make the crispy rice, but that can be done a day before or earlier in the day before you have company. I started by searing my tuna on the grill with soy sauce and lime juice. The tuna will be cooked medium, so it’s just a quick couple of minutes on each side, then you pull from the grill and let it cool. In the meantime, you’re going to thinly slice a jalapeno and place it in a bowl with seasoned rice wine vinegar and let it pickle for at least half an hour. To make your own spicy mayo for the tuna, mix mayo, sriracha, soy sauce and lime juice, and then add in the chopped seared tuna with a sprinkle of togarashi spice.
You’ll want to cook your sushi rice ahead of time and place it in a square or rectangular container for it to cool and take that shape. Once it’s cold, remove the rice all in one block, so it’s easy to cut into small rectangles for frying. Realistically, you can choose to make the crispy rice as small or big as you like, but I recommend not making the pieces too thick, so they fry well and get crispy. I decided to make smaller rectangular strips of crispy rice, and fried it for about ten minutes in canola oil, drained it on some paper towel and sprinkled on some togarashi spice.
You can decide how you want to make the final plate and presentation of your spicy tuna and crispy rice, but I decided to spread a thin layer of hoisin on the platter, line up my crispy rice, spoon on a generous amount of spicy tuna, garnish each with a pickled jalapeno, and sprinkle some green onions and togarashi spice on top. Not only does this dish look great, it tastes great, too. If you want to find out how to make my Spicy Tuna and Crispy Rice keep reading, or jump to the full recipe.
Season your tuna with 1 tbsp soy sauce on both sides. Add the canola oil to a cast iron pan on the plancha.
Season your tuna with 1 tbsp soy sauce on both sides. Place on the plancha to sear for about two minutes, and squeeze the juice from half a lime over top. Flip, squeeze the other half of the lime over top and let sear another two minutes. Remove from the grill and allow to cool.
Thinly slice the jalapeno pepper and place in a bowl with the seasoned rice wine vinegar. Let pickle for about 30 minutes.
To make the spicy mayo, mix the mayo, sriracha, 1 tbsp soy sauce, juice from one lime and 1 tsp in a bowl and set aside.
Once the tuna has cooled, finely chop it and sprinkle with some togarashi spice.
Add the chopped seared tuna to the spicy mayo, mix and set aside.
Store the sushi rice in a square or rectangular container in the fridge to cool. Remove the rice in one piece from the container and cut into 1 inch by 2 inch rectangles (or whatever size you want your crispy rice).
Place in the oil to fry (385F), flipping midway, about 10 minutes total, or until golden brown and crispy.
Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil. Sprinkle with togarashi spice.
To plate, spread a thin layer of hoisin down on your platter. Line up the crispy rice pieces in a row, but slightly staggered.
Spoon the spicy tuna onto each piece of crispy rice. Top each with a pickled jalapeno and sprinkle with chopped green onion and togarashi spice.
And now for the full recipe...
Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
Serves 2-3 people
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 34 minutes
Ingredients:
12 oz tuna filet
2 tbsp soy sauce, divided
2 limes
4 tbsp mayo
4 tbsp Sriracha
1 cup canola oil for frying
1 cup cooked and cold sushi rice
Togarashi spice
1 Jalapeno pepper
½ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
2-3 tbsp Hoisin
1 green onion
How to Make Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
Add the canola oil to a cast iron pan on the plancha.
Season your tuna with 1 tbsp soy sauce on both sides. Place on the plancha to sear for about two minutes, and squeeze the juice from half a lime over top. Flip, squeeze the other half of the lime over top and let sear another two minutes. Remove from the grill and allow to cool.
Thinly slice the jalapeno pepper and place in a bowl with the seasoned rice wine vinegar. Let pickle for about 30 minutes.
To make the spicy mayo, mix the mayo, sriracha, 1 tbsp soy sauce, juice from one lime in a bowl and set aside.
Once the tuna has cooled, finely chop it and sprinkle with some togarashi spice, then add it to the spicy mayo, mix and set aside.
Store the sushi rice in a square or rectangular container in the fridge to cool. Remove the rice in one piece from the container and cut into 1 inch by 2 inch rectangles (or whatever size you want your crispy rice). Place in the oil to fry (385F), flipping midway, about 10 minutes total, or until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil. Sprinkle with togarashi spice.
To plate, spread a thin layer of hoisin down on your platter. Line up the crispy rice pieces and top with a spoon of the spicy tuna. Top each with a pickled jalapeno and sprinkle with chopped green onion and togarashi spice.
