I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot, but, I know you all will love this recipe so much. I’m so excited about it! I think we all know that when my brothers are home, I make Red’s favorite spicy poke bowls all the time. Like at least once a week. Both Red and Kai love these bowls. When I can find good-looking Sushi grade Ahi tuna, those poke bowls are usually what I make. We love love them. Plus they’re pretty simple to throw together, so that’s of course an added bonus! And if you have the HBH Every Day cookbook, you’ve probably seen my tuna stack, which is essentially a tuna roll, stacked. It’s one of my favorite recipes I share in the book. I had so much fun creating it. When the boys were home over Christmas, I really wanted to make the tuna stack from the cookbook for them. They haven’t ever had the recipe and I knew it would be something fun, delicious, and a little different from the poke bowl. But then, I saw something about fried crispy rice. Almost immediately I was in the kitchen making a tuna roll stacked high on a crispy fried rice round. I’ve literally never come up with, decided on, finalized, and completed a recipe so fast. I was overly excited to create these. Thankfully, they lived up to the picture I’d envisioned in my head.
Details
Start with the rice, aside from the tuna, it’s the heart of the recipe. You need to use sushi rice, which you can buy at pretty much any grocery store. I cook mine just like I cook any other rice, it’s super easy. To make it sticky, you will add a mix of vinegar and the smallest amount of sugar to the rice, then toss it all together until the rice becomes very sticky. It’s honestly so simple and easy. Then pat the sticky rice into a baking dish. I line the dish with parchment first, then pack in the rice. I then chill the rice until I can easily cut it by popping the whole pan into the freezer for 20-30 minutes. When the rice is chilled you can cut it into squares, rectangles, or use a circle biscuit cutter to make circles. However, cutting into squares is the simpler route! Now the tuna, cube it, you will need sashimi grade tuna. For the marinade, I like to keep mine simple: tamari (soy sauce), sesame chili oil, ginger, green onions, and toasted sesame seeds. I’ve found this to be the combo everyone loves most. If you don’t like spicy food, just use sesame oil. We always eat out tuna rolls with a spicy mayo on top, so that comes next. It’s usually just kewpie mayo and sriracha mixed together. This is great and super simple, but I like to swap the sriracha with gochujang chili paste and then add tamari, plus a small amount of honey to balance the spiciness. The added salt and sweetness make the sauce just a little more special. It’s creamy and honestly so delicious. And we’re not really a mayo-loving family either, but this is so good. Ok, now fry the rice. This is super easy. I use avocado oil in a skillet and do a shallow pan fry until both sides of the rice are golden brown and very crispy. To layer the tuna, you will need a 1-cup measuring cup. Layer in the tuna, then cucumbers, then avocado. And finally, invert the tuna stack directly onto the crispy, fried rice. I know it sounds tricky, but it’s actually very easy. The tuna should slide right out of the measuring cup. If you’re having trouble, you can take a knife and run it around the edge of the cup to loosen it.
Everything else
I made these bowls extra special with some wontons and then my homemade candied ginger jalapeños. Both are definitely extra, but so delicious. I think you can buy fried wontons too! Everyone in my family has agreed that they could easily eat this once a week. It’s definitely on rotation when Red and Hailey are home – and Red comes back home tonight! The crispy fried rice is a GAME CHANGER, so delicious you all! Looking for other seafood? Red’s Favorite Spicy Tuna Poke Bowls Crispy Honey Ginger Salmon Bowl Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos with Fried Avocado Coconut Curry Salmon with Garlic Butter Honey Garlic Salmon Soba Noodle Bowls Lastly, if you make Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna Stacks, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
