If you're new to making sushi, please see the Sushi Beginner's Guide before getting started! This includes guides to all the basics, FAQ, and how to source ingredients. This site focuses on Americanized/Westernized sushi, check out the Types of Sushi page to learn more!
Spicy tuna is one of the most iconic sushi ingredients in western style sushi, and its no secret why! Luckily this delicious filling is super easy to prepare at home. This recipe for spicy tuna doesn't contain any mayonnaise, which is a commonly used ingredient. I prefer my spicy tuna this way, however I do plan to test recipes for spicy tuna with mayo sometime soon.
This recipe can be applied to pretty much any sushi fish! I make spicy salmon just as frequently as spicy tuna. Try this with other varieties of fish such as hamachi or red snapper.
How spicy is this recipe? I consider this recipe to be mild, which is common for most "spicy" seafood mixes used in sushi. If you're a spicy food lover I recommend making the recipe as written, tasting it, then adding more sriracha sauce to taste until it reaches your desired spiciness level.
Serving Size
The amount of filling used in a sushi roll is completely up to your personal preference. If you plan to fill the roll with only spicy tuna mix this will be enough for one roll. I prefer to add cucumber and/or avocado to my spicy tuna rolls, making 1 batch stretch to fill 2 rolls. One batch of spicy tuna can be used to as a topping for two specialty rolls, or for about 12 bite sized pieces such as crispy rice with spicy tuna or spicy tuna gunkan.
One batch is enough spicy tuna for:
- 1 very loaded sushi roll
- 2 sushi rolls with other fillings (such as cucumber and/or avocado)
- 2 toppings for other sushi rolls
- 12 bite sized pieces (such as crispy rice or gunkan)
Ingredients & Substitutions
Tuna or Salmon
- Make sure you're using fish that is safe to eat raw (more info)
- Maguro tuna (bluefin) is the most traditional option for this recipe
- Salmon is also very delicious in this recipe
- You can substitute pretty much any sushi fish, try it with hamachi or red snapper!
Sriracha Sauce
- This iconic hot chili sauce is a must-have for sushi at home! I recommend the most popular Huy Fong brand, other brands may vary in quality and flavor.
- Sriracha sauce is widely available and can be found at most major grocery stores in the US. It can also be found at Asian grocery stores, or online (link)
Soy Sauce
- Any soy sauce you have on hand will do just fine for this recipe, I typically use Kikkoman brand (regular link) (low sodium link) (gluten free link). This should be easy to find at any major grocery store.
- If you're cooking with soy sauce often, consider stocking up with a large jug (regular link) (low sodium link) (gluten free link) I typically purchase the 64 oz jug.
- There's a wide variety of interesting soy sauce options out there, however their uniqueness will likely be lost in this recipe. I recommend saving those for your dipping soy sauce and using a staple soy sauce such as Kikkoman for this.
- I do NOT recommend substituting ponzu sauce for most recipes. The citrus in ponzu sauce can cook raw seafood (think ceviche) so any prolonged contact/marinating is not recommended.
Toasted Sesame Oil
- Toasted sesame oil (sometimes listed as roasted sesame oil) has a strong umami (savory) and nutty flavor. It is a must-have sauce for homemade sushi!
- Toasted sesame oil is made from toasted sesame seeds, and has a stronger flavor than regular sesame oil. Typically it will be explicitly marked as "toasted" however not all brands make this distinction, including my recommended brand linked below.
- You can find toasted sesame oil at most major US grocery stores, Asian grocery stores (wider selection), or online (link).
Green onions
- In this recipe we will only be using the green portion of the green onion.
- Green onions go by many other names including: scallions, spring onions, salad onions, and green shallots.
- You could omit these from the recipe and still achieve a nice result, but I prefer it with them in there!
White Sugar
- A pinch of sugar helps to balance out the other flavors in the sauce.
- This is regular old sugar (white refined sugar).
What to Make
There are many recipes on this site that call for spicy tuna or spicy salmon, click the link below to see them all, or check out the featured rolls below!
Umami Tsunami Roll (left), Salmon Avocado Roll (middle), Fire and Ice Roll (right) 
High Roller Roll (left), Salmon Avocado Roll (middle), Dragon Roll (right) 
Salmon Siren Roll (left), Eel-ectric Boogaloo Roll (middle), Black Dragon Roll (right) 
Jackpot Roll (left), Umami Salmon Roll (middle), Gunslinger Roll (right) 
Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna (left), Some like it HOTate Roll (right), Seared Scallop with Japanese Mayo Nigiri (front)
Spicy Tuna or Spicy Salmon for Sushi
Ingredients
- 0.2 lbs raw tuna or raw salmon sushi quality
- 2 green onions
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon sriracha sauce add more to taste if desired
- ¼ teaspoon white sugar
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Mince the tuna or salmon to your desired consistency. (click for guide)
- Thinly slice the green potions of the green onions then mince them. The white portions will not be used in this recipe.
- Combine the tuna/salmon and the green onion in a small bowl.
- To the bowl add the soy sauce, sriracha, sugar, and sesame oil. Mix until fully combined.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. Can prepare a day or two in advance of making sushi if desired.
Notes
Send me pictures of your creations -- it'll make my day! Message @CraftyCookbook on Instagram or tag me in a post! Please note, tagged posts are only visible to me if your account is public. Did you make any interesting changes or substitutions for this recipe? Tell me about them in the comment section below!
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