Tuna Rolls
By: Amy Mearkle
Updated: January 7, 2011
Tuna Roll
Guest Chef: Armondo Balderas Chef Saint Francis University Loretto PA
Servings: 1 roll
Sushi Rice – yields 3 oz.
1½ fl oz rice vinegar
2½ tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1. Combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in an enamel bowl and hear slowly till the sugar has dissolved, staring constantly.
2. Remove from heat and cool.
Sushi Rice – yields 5 cups
1¾ cup white, short grain rice
2 cups water
3 fl oz. sushi vinegar
1. Wash rice until the water runs clean and drain in a colander for 1 hour.
2. Place the drained rice in a rice cooker or in a pot with a close-fitting lid and add water. Cover and bring the water to a boil over medium heat.
3. Cover and boil over high heat for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and boil for another 5 minutes.
4. Over a low heat, cook for 15 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed.
5. Remove rice from hear. Take off the lid, spread a clean kitchen towel over the top of the pot, replace the lid and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Empty rice into a nonmetallic bowl and spread with spatula. Run the spatula through the rice in a right and left slicing motion to separate the grains. As you do this, slowly add the sushi vinegar mixture. You may not need all of it. Avoid using too much; the rice must not be mushy.
7. Continue the slicing motions with the spatula as you add the vinegar. All the while you do this, have a helper fan the rice with a fan or a piece of cardboard.
8. The fanning and mixing take about 10 minutes, that is until the rice reaches room temperature. Do not refrigerate the rice, but keep it in the bowl, covers with a clean cloth, until you are ready to use it. Sushi rice lasts only one day and does not lend itself to the usual ways of dealing with leftovers.
Tuna Roll – yields 1 roll
1 ea nori seaweed sheet
¾ cup sushi rice
2½ oz ahi tuna, sliced thin
1 ea scallion, sliced in half lengthwise
¼ oz soy sauce
to taste pickled ginger sliced
to taste wasabi paste
1. Take nori sheet, cut I half lengthwise, then cut ¾” from bottom of each sheet. You should have 2 sheets, each about 4 x 6½”.
2. Place nori sheet lengthwise on a bamboo rolling mat, shiny side down. Position nori sheet about 1” from the edge of the mat closest to you, and leave some space on each side of nori.
3. Wet your hands and take a golf ball sized handful of sushi rice. Gently squeeze rice into an oblong ball and put on center left of nori sheet.
4. Then use your fingers to squeeze rice into a log along center of nori.
5. Spread rice evenly over nori, working from left to right, leaving ¾” strip of nori on the far side uncovered.
6. Place tuna strips along center of rice with the scallion halves.
7. Place fingers flat over tuna strips to hold them in place, then use your thumbs to lift the edge of bamboo rolling mat closest to you.
8. Roll mat away from you, pressing tuna in to keep roll firm. Lift rolling mat over slowly until it covers rice and near side and far sides of rice join together, but you still have a ¾” strip of nori rice free. Covering roll (but not rice-free strip of nori), hold rolling mat in position and press all around to make the roll firm. Use your index finger on top and fingers and thumbs on the side to press roll together gently.
9. Lift up to of rolling mat and turn roll over a little more so that strip of nori on the far side joins the edge of the nori to seal roll. Use your fingers to make sure toll is properly closed.
10. Roll entire roll once more, exerting gentle pressure.
11. Slice roll in half, then cut both halves into half, then those four pieces into half to give you 8 pieces.
Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi and the soy sauce
