How to Make Decent Sushi When the Only Fish You Have is Canned Tuna

Tons of sushi
Photo by Riccardo Bergamini on Unsplash

Sometimes, you just have a craving for sushi and you absolutely have to have some. Maybe you don’t want to spend money on expensive sushi from a restaurant, so you think to make it yourself only to find that the only fish you have in the house is canned tuna! At first glance, this might look like a reason to give up, but luckily you actually can make decent sushi with canned tuna. It won’t be the same style or taste as sushi with fresh fish, but this Asian-inspired tuna salad sushi recipe works well with the rice vinegar and seaweed flavors. Here’s how to make it.

Start by making sushi rice as you normally would. This usually involves washing the rice to get off as much starch as possible, cooking with some salt, and mixing in a little sugar and rice vinegar after it cooks.

Now, make your tuna salad. Combine the tuna with mayonnaise, Sriracha, a tiny bit of sesame oil, and a tiny bit of soy sauce. You can also stir in sesame seeds and green onions if you like.

Laying out your sushi mat, fill the rice and seaweed with a line of the tuna salad and some thin-cut cucumber, onion sprouts, or whatever else you like to add some crunch. Roll, cut, and dip in soy sauce or teriyaki sauce.