Nothing beats these homemade spicy tuna crispy rice bites made with fresh ahi tuna and sushi rice. Cook the crispy rice on the stovetop or in the air fryer, for the perfect appetizer! They're healthy, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Wash the sushi rice under cold water for 1 to 2 minutes.
In a small-to-medium-sized pot, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Check the package instructions to make sure this is what they recommend (if not, follow those instructions). Add in rinsed sushi rice, reduce to a low simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare spicy tuna (instructions below).
Once rice is ready, remove from heat, keep covered, and let the rice sit for 5 minutes.
Then add in rice vinegar and sugar; gentle mix and fluff the rice. It should be sticky. Let the rice cool completely so you can handle it with your hands.
Form 12 - 14 bites by wetting your hands and pressing about 2 Tablespoons of cooked rice into rectangles. Firmly pack the rice into the shapes, so the bites do not fall apart when cooking. You may need to wet your hands a few times as you make all of them. Alternatively, you can use a sushi rice mold.
Pan Frying: Add oil to a large frying pan and heat over medium-high. Once ready, carefully add the rice rectangles to the pan. Cook for 2 - 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Carefully flip them with a spatula to make sure they don’t break in half. Do not overcrowd the pan! Remove from pan and transfer to a paper towel.
Air Frying: Preheat air fryer to 400°F and lightly brush both sides of the sushi rice rectangles with oil or spray with non-stick olive oil. Evenly space out in preheated air fryer and cook for 15 - 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Check at 15 minutes and keep longer if you want them crisper.
Spicy Tuna:
Add all the ingredients (except the lime juice) into a mixing bowl and gently mix to combine.
Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble everything.
Assembly:
Remove spicy tuna from the refrigerator and mix in the lime juice.
Top each crispy rice patty with about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the spicy tuna. Garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and/or thinly sliced green onion.
Notes
These are best served within an hour of making to ensure fresh, crispy, and crunchy rice bites.Make sure to use sushi-grade ahi tuna, this means it is safe for raw consumption!Soy Sauce: Use coconut amnios or tamari if you are gluten-free.Sriracha: Use chili garlic sauce. This is typically found in the Asian ingredient aisle in the grocery store.Rice Vinegar: Use white wine vinegar instead.