Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Cakes
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Crispy soy rice cakes are topped with homemade spicy tuna and diced chives for a delicious, Japanese dish, perfect for a sushi dinner!
Welcome to the second recipe from what I now lovingly refer to as “Ahi Week”!
After purchasing a large amount of Ahi Tuna at the Whole Foods Del Mar grand opening, I first headed home and whipped up these delicious Mango Avocado Ahi Poke Fillo Baskets.
Next on the list to make was my sushi restaurant favorite and yours, Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Cakes.
And just how do I know they’re your favorite? Because I worked at a sushi restaurant in college and trust me, they are everyone’s favorite!
This post contains the making of three different recipes:
- Spicy tuna
- Sushi rice
- Crispy rice cakes
At the end, they will all be combined into these delicious little sushi favorites!
Spicy Tuna Ingredients
- 1 lb sushi-grade ahi tuna
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp hot chili oil
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise or Vegenaise
- 1 tbsp chives (chopped)
Spicy Tuna Instructions
Begin by gently dicing the ahi tuna, then add it to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to allow the spicy flavors to soak into the ahi.
Meanwhile, prepare the sushi rice, then rice cakes.
Sushi Rice Ingredients
(Recipe adapted from Food Network)
- 2 cups sushi or short grain rice
- 2 cups water, plus extra for rinsing rice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (for the rice cakes)
- 2 tbsp sesame oil (for cooking rice cakes)
Begin by rinsing the sushi rice well, then combining the rice and 2 cups of water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat, keep the rice covered away from the heat for 10 minutes.
Next, combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.
Place the cooked rice in a glass bowl and add the vinegar mixture to the rice, combining well.
Allow the rice to cool, then form the rice into small rectangles using your hands, a cookie cutter or this sweet little contraption, also known as a sushi rice mold.
This nifty little tool was part of the “Sushi Party Kit” I picked up at the Japanese Market for $3.50. Have I mentioned how much I love that place?
Once the rice is formed into tight rectangular shapes, cook them lightly on each side over medium heat with 1 tbsp of sesame oil.
Remove from the skillet and dip the rice cakes into the soy sauce.
Next, cook the rice cakes for an additional 2-3 minutes in 1 tbsp sesame oil on each side or until crisp and golden brown.
Remove from the skillet and top with the spicy tuna, then garnish with additional chopped chives.
These scrumptious little bites are just as good as the ones you get in the restaurant and probably even better because of all the tender, love and care that you put into making them at home! 😉
Try these with other sushi restaurant favorites such as shishito peppers and miso japanese eggplant.
Favorite Whitney Bond Recipes
- Bacon Meatloaf
- Thai Yellow Curry
- Chili Seasoning Recipe
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- Shishito Pepper Recipe
- Pumpkin Spice Cookies Recipe
- Pumpkin Cresent Rolls
- Candy Cake Recipe
Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Cakes
Ingredients
Spicy Tuna
- 1 lb sushi-grade ahi tuna
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp hot chili oil
- 1/4 cup vegenaise, or mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp chives, chopped
Sushi Rice
- 2 cups sushi or short grain rice
- 2 cups water, plus extra for rinsing rice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar, or white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
Rice Cakes
- 1/2 cup soy sauce, tamari for gluten free
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
Spicy Tuna
- Gently dice the ahi, then adding the rest of the ingredients to the tuna and mixing well.
- Place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
Sushi Rice
- Rinse the rice well, then combine the rice and 2 cups of water in a medium pot.
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cover.
- Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat, keep the rice covered away from the heat for 10 minutes.
- Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.
- Place the cooked rice in a glass bowl and add the vinegar mixture to the rice, combining well.
Rice Cakes
- Allow the rice to cool, then tightly form into small rectangles.
- Cook them lightly on each side in a skillet over medium heat with 1 tbsp of sesame oil.
- Remove from the skillet and dip the rice cakes into the soy sauce.
- Cook the rice cakes for an additional 2-3 minutes in 1 tbsp sesame oil on each side or until crisp and golden brown.
- Remove from the skillet and top with the spicy tuna, then garnish with additional chopped chives.
Nutrition Facts
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11 Comments on “Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Cakes”
Can the rice cakes be made in advance at all? I realize they may be less crispy but I don’t really want to slave over a hot oily skillet while entertaining guests? Perhaps they can be made in advance and briefly toasted in a toaster oven to obtain more of a crisp?
Hi Christopher, you can definitely make them in advance and store them at room temperature for 6-8 hours, before topping and serving them.
I used to work at a sushi restaurant that made these and they would make all of the crispy rice at the beginning of the night, then top them and serve them as they were ordered. If you wanted to heat them up a little before topping and serving, you could, but I don’t think it’s necessary.
Enjoy!!
Perfect recipe. My husband really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful, so happy to hear that Maggie!
My rice cakes fell apart when I tried to turn them over. I molded them by hand & packed them pretty tightly. Any suggestions?
Hi Sarah, maybe too much liquid or the rice didn’t cool enough. If the rice was cooled completely before you made them, I would try using 1/2 tablespoon less vinegar.
Great recipe. These turned out great. Thanks for sharing.
Smon
I like to make little cups from sushi rice and nori fry to a crisp and fill it with tuna or salmon.
Such a fabulous twist on traditional sushi!!!!
Thanks so much! It’s fun and yummy 🙂
Wow, thanks LLB, now I am hungry. Really hungry. Might just have to go more Ahi just to make these!