Spicy Tuna Hand Roll

Name: Spicy Tuna Hand Roll
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: makes 8
Ingredients: 1 1 ⁄ 2 cups short-grain Japanese rice; 1 1 ⁄ 2 " pieces konbu (dried sea kelp); 2 tbsp. sugar; 1 tsp. salt; 2 tbsp. rice vinegar; 10 oz. very fresh yellowfin or bigeye tuna, chopped; 1 scallion, trimmed and finely chopped; 4 tsp. sriracha chile sauce; 4 tsp. Asian chili oil; 2 tbsp. masago (smelt roe); 4 sheets yaki-nori (toasted seaweed), halved crosswise

Serves
makes 8

CHRISTOPHER HIRSHEIMER

This Japanese specialty requires very fresh fish.

Ingredients

1 ¹⁄₂ cups short-grain Japanese rice
1 ¹⁄₂" pieces konbu (dried sea kelp)
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
10 oz. very fresh yellowfin or bigeye tuna, chopped
1 scallion, trimmed and finely chopped
4 tsp. sriracha chile sauce
4 tsp. Asian chili oil
2 tbsp. masago (smelt roe)
4 sheets yaki-nori (toasted seaweed), halved crosswise

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Instructions

Step 1

Put rice into a medium pot, cover with water, and swish around with your hand until water clouds. Drain; repeat process 3–4 more times, until water remains clear. Drain again, return rice to pot, add sea kelp and 1¾ cups water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until liquid barely covers rice, 8–10 minutes; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and steam until rice is tender, 15–20 minutes more; discard sea kelp.

Step 2

Transfer rice to a large bowl. Allow to cool briefly. Dissolve sugar and salt in vinegar in a small bowl, add to rice, and gently stir with a wooden spoon until rice is just warm.

Step 3

Combine tuna, scallions, chile sauce, oil, and roe in a bowl and set aside. Position 1 sheet of seaweed, shiny side down, with long edge parallel to edge of work surface. Spread ¼ cup of the rice onto left third of seaweed. Spread 2-3 tbsp. of the tuna mixture over rice. Beginning with the left side, roll seaweed around rice and tuna on the diagonal. Repeat process with the remaining seaweed, rice and tuna.

Put rice into a medium pot, cover with water, and swish around with your hand until water clouds. Drain; repeat process 3–4 more times, until water remains clear. Drain again, return rice to pot, add sea kelp and 1¾ cups water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until liquid barely covers rice, 8–10 minutes; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and steam until rice is tender, 15–20 minutes more; discard sea kelp.
Transfer rice to a large bowl. Allow to cool briefly. Dissolve sugar and salt in vinegar in a small bowl, add to rice, and gently stir with a wooden spoon until rice is just warm.
Combine tuna, scallions, chile sauce, oil, and roe in a bowl and set aside. Position 1 sheet of seaweed, shiny side down, with long edge parallel to edge of work surface. Spread ¼ cup of the rice onto left third of seaweed. Spread 2-3 tbsp. of the tuna mixture over rice. Beginning with the left side, roll seaweed around rice and tuna on the diagonal. Repeat process with the remaining seaweed, rice and tuna.