If I had to pick my last meal on earth — sushi would be up there. A huge regret I have in this life is that I lived in Japan for an entire summer in college and never once touched the stuff. Not ONCE. Get it together, 19 year old Kristin!
Happily in the here and now I thoroughly enjoy every type of sushi I can get my hands on, but for the days between devouring a gorgeous piece of nigiri or fun speciality roll, my Spicy Tuna Roll Bowl is crushing it in the quick, dynamite, and CRAZY-good department.
No sushi grade tuna on hand? No problem! This deconstructed spicy tuna roll recipe turns a can of good quality tuna into a fresh, filling, and protein-packed meal that’s good for lunch, dinner, and any meal in between. I cannot wait for you to try it!
Spicy Tuna Roll Bowl = Deconstructed Sushi Roll
A bed of cooked rice — white, brown, or cauliflower – your call! — is topped with plenty of fresh vegetables and sushi toppings plus canned flaked tuna that’s been mixed with an easy spicy mayonnaise, ie spicy tuna salad. YUM. Before serving, the bowls are drizzled with gluten free tamari or soy sauce, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, and drizzled with more spicy mayonnaise.
In my recipes I often suggest what you can use as ingredient swaps if you don’t have something on hand, but I highly recommend you add every single ingredient listed in the recipe to your spicy tuna bowl because the combination of all of them together in one bite make it a dead ringer for a real sushi roll.
I credit the diced avocado, sliced seaweeds snacks, and drizzle of tamari the most, but truly they all combine to make one remarkable forkful.
Make it Low Carb
Something I learned while managing gestational diabetes with my youngest is that, although you wouldn’t think there’s a ton of rice in a standard sushi roll, it really adds up. I remember eating one tiny roll then checking my blood sugar afterwards and it was through the roof!
That said, the Spicy Tuna Roll Bowl is just as good with sauteed cauliflower rice as it is with cooked white or brown rice if you’re watching carbs, plus it really pumps up the health factor of these tuna roll bowls.
I like to saute frozen riced cauliflower in a spritz of avocado oil spray until tender, seasoning with a little garlic powder and pepper. Refrigerate until slightly cooled then top and serve. SO GOOD.
The Canned Tuna Matters
I also highly recommend springing for a can of high quality tuna like this Wild Planet Albacore Wild Tuna. I also buy these at Costco, although my local grocery store and Target, etc sells them too.
The tuna stays in big, firm flakes making it very pleasant to eat. The can says not to drain but we’re definitely doing that, mmkay?
Perfect for Meal Prep
This recipe for Spicy Tuna Roll Bowl makes enough for two bowls so, if you’re not sharing with a friend or partner, pack the other half away for lunch the next day. Super easy, super fresh, and SO nice to have a healthy meal you can pull out and be eating within minutes.
What do you say — ready to dive into this bowl of deliciousness?!
Try this Take-Out Fake-Out Recipe
How to Make a Spicy Tuna Roll Bowl
Start by mixing up the spicy mayonnaise that’s mixed with the flaked tuna and drizzled on top of the final bowls. We’ve got:
- Mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise
- Sriracha
- Sesame oil
- Lemon juice
Stir together. That’s it!
Add 1/4 cup of the spicy mayo (or more or less depending on how saucy/creamy you like your spicy tuna salad) to a can of tuna that’s been drained then flaked into a bowl. I like to leave the tuna in bigger flakes vs mashing it finely.
Scoop the spicy tuna salad over a bed of cooked white, brown, or cauliflower rice, then top with allll the fixins’. We’re talking:
- Cucumber
- Carrots
- Green onions
- Shelled edamame
- Sliced raw jalapenos
- Sliced seaweed snacks
- Drizzle of gluten free tamari
- Toasted sesame seeds
This recipe is the actual best! I hope you love every single bite — enjoy!
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Spicy Tuna Roll Bowl
Description
Dress up a can of tuna and make Spicy Tuna Roll Bowls! These light and healthy yet protein-packed bowls pack a flavor PUNCH!
Ingredients
- 5oz can tuna, drained (Wild Planet Albacore Tuna recommended)
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 mini cucumber or 1/4 English cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup shelled edamame
- 1 green onion, sliced on the bias
- 1 jalapeno, very thinly sliced
- .35oz package dried seaweed snacks, cut into strips (see notes)
- For serving: slightly cooled cooked white, brown or cauliflower rice, gluten free Tamari, toasted sesame seeds
- For the Spicy Mayonnaise:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise or vegan mayo
- 2 Tablespoons sriracha
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Directions
- For the Spicy Mayonnaise: combine ingredients in a small mixing bowl then set aside.
- Add tuna to another small mixing bowl then add 1/4 cup spicy mayonnaise (or more or less) and mix to combine.
- Scoop cooked rice into two bowls then divide tuna mixture between them. Top with remaining ingredients then drizzle bowls with gluten free Tamari and more spicy mayonnaise, and then sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.
Notes
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
Wow, this recipe was phenomenal!! It tasted EXACTLY like a scrumptious spicy tuna roll! My husband requested I make it every week and I just may have to oblige. The spicy mayo was killer, and the seaweed absolutely made it! Also loved the tuna recommendation – first time trying that brand and it really was great quality and taste!. Thank you, thank you!!
Ahh, so glad it was a hit all around, Megan!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating, I really appreciate it!
We absolutely loved this! We’ve made it twice in the last week. Recommended it to some friends and they’ve also had it twice!
You made my day, Stacy!! So glad this recipe is a hit with you and your friends!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This was bright and delicious on a cold Wisco day! I love raw tuna but have always been leery about canned tuna because of the smell, no matter how it’s dressed up. Kristin is right–the Wild Planet Albacore tuna tastes fresh and doesn’t smell “fishy” at all! The mayo is delicious, my husband wants it on everything now. The seaweed snacks make it taste just like the sushi but people who aren’t into sushi would love this as a salad without the seaweed snacks. A keeper for sure! I am not gluten free but I found your website years ago and have tried many recipes that are always in permanent rotation, and I send people here all the time, gluten free or not! Thanks Kristin!
You have made my entire day, Joanne – I am so glad you and your husband loved this dish!!! Thank you so much for your recipe rating and comment, and also for your support of my site. So kind, so thoughtful – thank you, thank you, thank you!
This is a fantastic recipe Kristin! Chock full of flavor and healthy goodness! My husband is obsessed with sushi and he was so impressed! Thank you!
Can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that, Jen! You both made my day. :) Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating, too!
So good! Like a poke bowl but with ingredients I normally have handy. The seaweed snacks put this over the top. This’ll be in lunch rotation for sure.
I totally agree – it’s the flavor out of all of them that really screams “sushi”! I’m so glad you loved it, Beth!
This was sooo good! My whole family loved it; everyone was able to make their own version. It was super easy to make with things we usually have on hand
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Kris!! So glad it was a hit with the whole fmaily!
Okay, I’m drooling over the pictures of this dish, but I have one major question before I try making it. Does the spicy mayo help cover the smell of the tuna? I LOVE raw tuna and could eat it all day, but the smell of canned tuna made me so nauseous as a kid that I’ve avoided it like the plague my whole entire life.
It helps cover the smell though you can still taste cooked tuna. That said, that Wild Planet brand is FAR AND AWAY less “fishy” smelling/tasting than Starkist, for example. If you still just can’t do it this is an awesome vegetable sushi bowl drizzled with the spicy mayo, or you could poach up some shrimp, OR use raw tuna and make it into a spicy tuna poké bowl instead. :D