Tuna Cucumber Sushi Rolls

Are you ready for the easiest, most fun and most delicious no-cook meal... ever? They're called spicy tuna cucumber sushi rolls, and you're about to fall in love.

Albacore tuna, sushi rice, jalapeno, avocado and radishes are rolled up in thinly sliced cucumber smeared with spicy mayo and topped with sesame seeds.

Featured Ingredients

• English Cucumber: You want these wonderful, thin skinned cukes for your sushi rolls!
  • Because the skin is delicate, you don’t get any sort of bitter notes that you can get from regular garden cucumbers.
  • Bonus: They have much smaller seeds than garden or even pickling cucumbers.
• Mayonnaise or Cream Cheese: You want a pretty neutral base layer for your flavorful tuna salad ingredients.
  • So, either mayonnaise or cream cheese is perfect in the spicy tuna cucumber sushi rolls.
  • However, you can also substitute in plain full-fat Greek yogurt if you’d like a little tang.
  • Also, Neufchâtel is a great substitute for cream cheese if that’s what you normally have in the fridge.
  • It’s slightly lower in fat, and spreads as easily as cream cheese.
• Pickled Ginger: Also known as “gari,” this tangy and spicy little condiment brings a couple of layers of heat to these sushi rolls.
  • If you’re feeling adventurous add more than 2 tablespoons to your rolls!
• Jalapeno: As a general rule of thumb, if you’d like the jalapeno aspect of the sushi rolls to be pretty spicy make sure to leave the seeds and membranes intact.
  • If you’d like them to be a little milder, make sure to remove the seeds and membranes.
• Radishes: Cherry Belle radishes tend to be the type of radishes that you see in the grocery store.
  • They’re easily recognizable by their bright red exterior, and crisp white interior.
  • Any crunchy veggie will work in these little rolls.
• Avocado: Look for avocados that are heavy for their size that have a nice dark sheen to their skin, with a touch of green.
  • Try to avoid avocados with dents, or loose skin. Also, if you’d like them to ripen within a couple of days, the trick is to store them on the counter in a bag with an apple, or even a kiwi.
  • Both of those fruits produce ethylene, which is a gas that will speed up the ripening process for avocados.
  • Also, a nice way to keep avocados from prematurely browning, is to give the flesh a quick spritz of lime or lemon juice once the pit has been removed.
• Tuna: Always grab your favorite to cook with, but for me it’s albacore tuna all the way.
  • I love the color, the flavor, and the health benefits of albacore.

How to make tuna cucumber sushi rolls

1. First, get your ingredients ready, also known as mise en place (everything in its place).
2. Next, use a vegetable peeler or a mandolin to thinly slice the cucumbers lengthwise, so you have long strands of cucumber to use as your nori/seaweed.
3. Lay the cucumber slices out on a cutting board.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise or cream cheese and Sriracha.
5. Spread a layer of the mixture on each cucumber slice.
6. About 1-inch from the end, place a small scoop of sushi rice and tuna on each slice, then layer a few pieces of jalapeno, avocado, radishes and pickled ginger on top of each dollop of rice and tuna.
7. Season each piece with a dash of salt nad black pepper.
8. Roll each, tucking the filling ingredients tightly in. Secure each with a toothpick.
9. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with soy sauce.

Prep & Serving Tips

• Use white or black sesame seeds for a garnish. I think a mix of the two always looks stunning!
• Sriracha is my go-to hot sauce, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
• Did you know you can freeze sushi rice?
  • That way you can always have little cooked batches on hand for quick weeknight meals
  • Just place the rice in a microwave safe bowl and use the defrost function.
• If you're not in the mood to make sushi rolls, make a bowl! Layer the rice and veggies in a bowl and top with Sriracha mayo.
  • (This way you don't have to thinly slice the cucumber, either. You can simply dice it).

Other fabulous cucumber recipes:

• Strawberry Cucumber Salad
• Mango Cucumber Salsa
• Sesame Pork Meatballs with Cucumber Salad
• Spicy Refrigerator Dill Pickles

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