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!

The Tuna Daydream Roll is a Crafty Cookbook original roll. It's a California roll on the bottom (crab salad, avocado, and cucumber) topped with tuna, tobiko, and daikon radish sprouts. Optionally, you can substitute the crab salad in this roll with unseasoned crab stick (to make the roll less indulgent), or with spicy crab salad to give the roll a little kick. The richness of the crab salad California roll pairs nicely with the freshness of the tuna, tobiko, and daikon sprouts, making this a balanced and delicious option!

You can control how much tuna you want to use on top, check out the How to Top Sushi Rolls guide to read more on that!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Don't forget to check out the guides on Buying Fish For Sushi and Buying Other Ingredients for Sushi if you're not sure where to find what you need! I include online product links for reference, but it's typically much cheaper to purchase these items locally, so check out your local options!

Crab Salad

You can find my recipe for crab salad here! It contains imitation crab stick, Japanese mayo, lemon juice, toasted sesame oil, and soy sauce.
Click the link above to learn more about imitation crab stick, but it's important to note that it's more than just "fake crab". Also note, imitation crab is a cooked product, so this does not contain raw seafood.
You can substitute unseasoned crab stick (to make this recipe less indulgent) or spicy crab salad (to give it a little kick)!

Tuna

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!

Tobiko

Tobiko is the name for flying fish roe, which are very small fish roe (eggs) that are naturally red/orange in color. They are about half the size of a sesame seed.
You can find tobiko at a Japanese grocery store or online from a specialty fish market (more info here).
Tobiko is naturally a red/orange color, however other varieties exist that are flavored and tinted different colors. The most common varieties are green (wasabi), yellow (yuzu/citrus), and black (squid ink). Any of these would be fine to substitute in this recipe!
Masago is a similar fish roe that comes from the capelin fish, it is slightly smaller than tobiko but serves a very similar purpose. Masago is typically cheaper than tobiko and generally slightly lower quality. If given a choice I prefer tobiko, however masago can be a great substitute.

Daikon Sprouts

Daikon sprouts are the sprouts of a daikon radish plant. They can be substituted for another microgreen, however they do have a distinct radish taste that other microgreens will be missing.
Daikon sprouts can be found in the fresh produce area of a Japanese grocery store, some other Asian grocery stores may carry them as well, however I have not seen them at a standard American grocery store.

Cucumber Strips

Check out my guide to slicing cucumber for sushi (link ) if you haven't done this before. This method removes the center portion, leaving only the crunchy outside.
The variety of cucumber used doesn't make too big of a difference, but I typically use "Hot House" cucumbers.
You can consider substituting the cucumber strips with avocado, or omitting them completely if desired.

Avocado Slices

Slice the avocado into ~¼" thick pieces. You should use about ~⅙th of a medium avocado.
It's best to use a perfectly ripe avocado if you can. Ripe avocados will be slightly soft when pressed, but not mushy.
I like to buy my avocados while they're still hard, then transfer them to the fridge once they're perfectly ripe. Avocados ripen much slower in the fridge.

Sushi rice

Sushi rice is prepared, medium grain rice that is seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. The seasoning added to the rice is what give it the distinctive taste and sticky texture.
If possible, I strongly recommend picking up the proper kind of rice rather than using whatever rice you have on hand. Other varieties of rice (jasmine, basmati, etc.) will not turn out the same.
Follow my recipe for Simple Sushi Rice before you begin making your sushi. You can find more information there on locating the proper ingredients.

Nori

Nori is the seaweed wrapping used to hold together sushi rolls. After opening, store leftover nori sheets in an airtight bag at room temp with all the air pressed out to maintain freshness.
Packages of nori vary a lot in quantity and price. I've tried out a variety of brands at different price points and have been happy with all of them. I don't think you need to splurge on the more expensive brands.
A Japanese grocery store will have the widest selection of nori. You may be able to find nori in the "Asian foods" section of a large American grocery store, but you can also find nori online if needed.
Nori comes in a variety of sizes, so make sure you pick up full sheets (approximately 8"x7"). These sheets can be cut down smaller when making rolls (if desired). You can read more about this in the How to Make Sushi Rolls post.

Tuna Daydream Roll

Jacqueline Schell

Specialty sushi roll - crab salad, avocado, and cucumber on the inside topped with tuna, tobiko, and daikon radish sprouts.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Course Sushi

Cuisine Sushi

Servings roll

Ingredients

1 full size sheet of nori cut smaller if desired
~¾ cup prepared, seasoned sushi rice

Inside Roll

½ batch crab salad
2 cucumber strips
3 avocado slices (~⅙ of an avocado)

Outside Roll

0.1-0.2 lbs thinly sliced tuna raw, sushi quality
3 tablespoon daikon radish sprouts or sub other microgreen
2 tablespoon tobiko (flying fish roe) or sub masago

Instructions

Cover the sheet of nori in a thin even layer of rice, filling all the way out to the edges. (click for guide)
Flip the sheet of nori over so the rice is face down on a bamboo rolling mat that is wrapped in plastic. (click for guide)
Arrange the fillings (crab salad, cucumber, and avocado) in even lines, 1 inch from the edge along the longer side of the nori sheet. (click for guide)
Carefully and tightly roll up the roll. (click for guide)
Drape the tuna slices over the top of the roll, adjust the angle so the tuna spans the entire length of the roll. (click for guide)
Place the plastic-wrapped rolling mat over the top of the roll and press the roll into a consistent shape. (click for guide)
Place the roll on a cutting board and grab your sharpest knife. Optionally, cover the roll with plastic cling wrap. Run the knife under water for a second, then shake off any excess. Cut the roll into 8 equal pieces using a gentile sawing motion with the knife, running the knife under the water between every 2-3 cuts to prevent sticking. (click for guide)
Plate the roll on your serving dish. Top each piece with tobiko and 2-3 daikon sprouts. (click for guide)

Notes

If this is your first time making sushi be sure to check out the Sushi Beginner's Guide before getting started!

Keyword Avocado, Crab Salad, Crab Salad California Roll, Cucumber, Daikon Sprouts, Roll, Sushi, Tobiko, Tuna, Tuna Daydream Roll

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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!