Umami Tuna or Umami Salmon for Sushi

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!

Why let spicy tuna have all the fun? This recipe is minced, flavored sushi fish just like spicy tuna, but focused on an umami (savory) flavor. If you like the flavor of toasted sesame oil you'll love this filling for your sushi!

This recipe can be applied to pretty much any sushi fish! My favorites are salmon and maguro (bluefin) tuna, but you can try this with other varieties of fish such as hamachi or red snapper.

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 this mix this will be enough for one roll. I prefer to add cucumber and/or avocado to my rolls, making 1 batch stretch to fill 2 rolls. One batch can also be used as a topping for two specialty rolls, or for about 12 bite sized pieces such as crispy rice or gunkan.

One batch is enough for:

• 1 very loaded sushi roll
• 2 sushi rolls with other fillings (such as cucumber and/or avocado)
• 2 toppings for sushi rolls (top 2 rolls)
• 12 bite sized pieces (such as crispy rice or gunkan)

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!

Tuna or Salmon

• Make sure you're using fish that is safe to eat raw (more info)
• Salmon is my favorite fish to use for this recipe, but maguro (bluefin tuna) is also great!
• You can substitute pretty much any sushi fish, try it with hamachi or red snapper!

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 a few rolls on this site that call for umami tuna or umami salmon, more will be coming soon!

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!