Spicy Tuna Futomaki Recipes

SPICY TUNA ROLLS

Steps:

• Chop the scallions, reserving some of the greens for garnish.
• Slice the tuna into thin strips and then turn the strips 90 degrees and chop it up. If you want your spicy tuna chunky, you can stop here, or you can continue to chop the tuna up with your knife until the pieces are smaller. I usually add the scallion stems in here and chop them up together with the tuna.
• Transfer the chopped tuna to a bowl, and add the sriracha, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and tobiko, and stir everything together until mixed. Cover and keep the mixture refrigerated until you're ready to use it.
• Make some Tezu by adding a few tablespoons of rice vinegar to a small bowl of water.
• For the Gunkan, you want to cut the nori according to the diagram in the headnotes above.
• Wet your hands with the tezu and grab about 2 tablespoons of rice. Gently press it into a rectangle with your fingers, but don't smash the individual grains of rice.
• Wrap each rectangle of rice with the strips of nori you cut for the gunkan.
• Press the center of the rice to make the rice fill out the nori wrapper.
• Spoon some spicy tuna into each cup of nori. Garnish with scallion greens.
• For Hosomaki, the full sheets of nori should be cut in half according to the diagram above.
• Place the nori at the bottom edge of a sushi mat with the shiny side down.
• Wet your hands in the Tezu and grab a small handful of rice. Place the rice in a line along the nori's top edge working from one side to the other. Be sure to leave a thin margin of nori at the top.
• Wet your hands again if needed and spread the rice to the bottom edge of the nori sheet using a picking and pressing motion. Don't smash or smear the rice.
• Spread a thin line of spicy tuna in the lower half of the rice from one side to the other.
• To roll the spicy tuna hosomaki, use the mat to flip the bottom edge up and over the filling and make sure this edge meets the rice's top edge.
• Pull the edge of the mat away from the nori and push the back of the mat forward, so the seam rolls to the bottom.
• Use your fingers to press 3 sides of the roll against the cutting board to give the roll its shape.
• See the headnotes or watch the video for instruction on cutting a roll.
• For Uramaki, the size of the nori and process is similar, but you need to use a sushi mat that is lined with plastic wrap, or the rice will stick to the mat.
• Place a sheet of nori at the bottom edge of the mat and spread a handful of rice along the nori's top edge. There is no need to leave a border for uramaki, so you will need to use a little more rice than for hosomaki.
• Spread the rice down to the nori's bottom edge in a thin uniform layer, being careful not to smash the rice.
• Sprinkle some black sesame seeds onto the rice.
• Flip the rice over so the nori sheet is facing up, and lay a cucumber strip in the bottom half of the nori.
• Spread a line of spicy tuna from one side to the other.
• Flip the bottom edge of the mat up and over the filling until the rice makes contact with the nori on the other side.
• Pull the edge of the mat away from the rice and press the back of the mat to roll the seam to the bottom.
• Press the top, sides, and bottom of the roll using the mat to give the roll its shape, but do not squeeze it too hard.
• Check the headnotes for instructions on cutting the spicy tuna roll.

SPICY TUNA FUTOMAKI

Steps:

• Seed the cucumber and cut it into thin sticks about 1/8 inch wide and 4 inches long.
• Place the tuna in a medium bowl. Add the chili sauce, sesame oil and Japanese pepper if using and stir gently to combine.
• Lay a half nori sheet textured-side up (smooth/shiny-side down) on a cutting board with one of the longer sides closest to you. Dip your fingers in a small bowl of ice water and gently spread 1/2 cup of the prepared sushi rice evenly over most of the nori, leaving a 1-inch strip of nori without rice on one short edge. Rotate the nori so the short edge with rice is closest to you.
• Place 1 1/2 ounces of the tuna in a line across the rice. Lay 3 to 4 pieces of the cucumber next to the tuna. Slip your thumbs under the near edge of the nori and roll the sushi roll away from you with gentle pressure until the edge without sushi rice is on the bottom, creating a seam. (Don't squeeze the roll too firmly or the filling will squish out.)
• Let the sushi roll sit on the seam for a few seconds and the seam should seal itself. If it doesn't, dip a fingertip into the ice water and swipe a very small amount of water along the un-riced edge of the nori sheet. Let the roll sit on the seam for a few seconds. If you like, use a makisu (sushi rolling mat) to gently shape the roll.
• Dip the tip of a knife into the ice water and allow the water to run down the blade. Slice the sushi roll into 6 even pieces. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, making 4 rolls.
• Garnish each roll with 1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds. Serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi if desired. If using fresh wasabi, peel and finely grate.

EMERIL'S INSIDE-OUT SPICY TUNA ROLL WITH SPECIAL SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, chile paste, hot chile oil, and sesame oil and stir to combine.
• Place 1 piece of toasted seaweed on top of a sushi roller (makisushi), with the short end closest to you. Using lightly wet fingers, press enough rice onto the seaweed to completely cover the seaweed, and press firmly so that rice adheres to seaweed. Turn seaweed over so that rice side now faces down. Arrange strips of tuna on top of seaweed, with the tuna strips running vertically in line with the short side of the seaweed, about 1/3 of the way into the seaweed sheet.
• Spread a small amount of wasabi on the tuna, then sprinkle with sliced scallions. Using the sushi roller as a guide, carefully begin rolling the seaweed up, pressing as tightly as possible so that the roll is firm and compact. Once the roll is completely rolled, reposition roll on sushi roller and press again. Sprinkle sesame seeds on a flat surface and lightly roll in seeds to coat. Allow roll to sit for a few seconds before slicing with a sharp, damp knife.
• Cut roll into 6 or 8 pieces and serve with dollops of sauce spooned on top, or alongside for dipping. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• In a large bowl, add rice and cover with lots of water. Stir rice in water with your hands, then pour off most of the water, and agitate 10 to 15 times by quickly moving your hand back and forth, swishing rice against side of bowl. Rinse the rice several more times, until the water that drains off of the rice is almost clear. Transfer the rice to a colander and let drain for 1 hour, undisturbed. Transfer the rice to a rice cooker, add the water, cover and cook as directed by manufacturer's directions.
• While the rice is cooking, bring rice vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, and then remove from the heat. Add sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• When rice is done, allow cooked rice to remain in rice cooker for 10 minutes. Transfer rice to a large shallow mixing bowl (traditionally a wooden tub, called a hangiri), so that rice forms a mound in the center of the bowl. Using a diagonal slicing motion, gently cut into rice with a wooden paddle (called a kijakushi), and pour cooled vinegar mixture over top of rice. "Cut" rice several times to evenly distribute vinegar mixture, then allow to cool. Gently turn rice over from time to time with paddle so that rice cools evenly. You might want to consider using a fan if time is of the essence. When rice has cooled to body temperature, it is ready to use for sushi rolls. Rice can be kept at the proper temperature by placing it in an insulated container such as a small ice chest, covered with a damp kitchen towel.

FIVE-SPICE TUNA TATAKI

Steps:

• Roll tuna steaks in cracked black pepper. Heat 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil in a small nonstick skillet over high heat. Sear tuna for 2 minutes. Turn and sear second side 2 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and thinly slice.
• Mix soy sauce, remaining tablespoon sesame oil, garlic, and five-spice powder together in a small bowl. Serve sliced tuna and spoon sauce on top. Sprinkle with grated daikon radish.

SPICY TUNA FETTUCCINE

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Cook fettuccine at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, return to the pot, and stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil so the noodles don't stick to each other; set aside.
• Slice chile peppers and discard seeds. Soak peppers in hot water for 10 minutes; drain.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tuna and tomatoes. Add sliced, drained chile peppers, parsley, and basil; season with salt and sugar. Stir well, lower heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add fettuccine noodles and tuna sauce; stir-fry until evenly coated. Sprinkle in Parmesan cheese and stir-fry until heated through, 5 to 10 minutes.