Spicy Tuna Salad With Crispy Rice Recipe (2024)

Wouldn’t it be better to use day-old rice, like for fried rice? Less moist = more crisp?

2 cups rice, 2 cups water. 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar. 2 cans tuna. Less mayo, more sriracha. May not need soy sauce if tuna is salty.

This was terrific! Five stars. Used sushi rice and followed the crisping directions once ready and it turned out perfect. We seasoned a bit differently with less mayo, more vinegar and Sriracha, Korean chili flakes and added chopped celery and carrots for more veggies and crunch. We topped with green onions, toasted sesame seeds and some sliced jalapeño pepper.

@Sidrah, I finally found the key to cooking brown rice! It's totally counter-intuitive: treat it like pasta! Bring a pot of water to boil (at least 4 or 5 times as much water as rice, but it doesn't need to be measured). When its boiling, salt the water and add your rinsed brown rice. Medium boil (between rolling and simmer) 30-35 minutes, drain into a fine mesh colander, immediately return to the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes off the burner. It will be tender, firm and with separate grains.

I used brown rice! I never seem to cook it right on the stove top. This is my culinary goal of the year, good brown rice! I have to say, even though it had too much moisture going into the pan it crisped up so beautifully. I just had to leave it be to get an outstanding crunch. I also used sesame oil mixed with canola. Delicious!

I made the rice in the rice cooker (with slightly less water than called for) and then transferred it to a skillet to crisp it up. Worked just fine. I recommend eating with nori sheets!

I agree that drying old rice would be easier. I also found the rice needed more rice vinegar and the tuna could be cut in half (1 can per person is A LOT), mayo reduced, and sriracha increased. My family did love it and we always have these items on hand!

We use baked salmon filet instead of tuna (1 filet for every 2-3 people) and Kewpie brand mayonnaise, richer mayonnaise found in Asian food stores. Crumble a small sheet of dried seaweed into the rice for a slight briny taste that enhances the fish. Mix in some avocado for an even richer taste. A small bowl of this dish is delicious and filling.

We live in a peak capitalist dystopian economy still recovering from a pandemic-induced global supply chain breakdown, Steve. Not everybody can afford better tuna.

I chilled the cooked rice, cut it into wedges and cooked crispy rice cakes with spray-on oil in my air fryer—cooler, easier and healthier!

LOL - buy better tuna! Get a good olive oil-packed tuna.

made this tonight, and it turned out beautifully!! for my rice, I used short grain white rice, cooked in my instant pot per NYT cooking instructions. I substituted 2 tablespoons plain rice vinegar for the water. While the rice was cooking, I quick, pickled the cucumbers in some seasoned rice wine vinegar. Once the rice was done, I poked the holes in it and then switched my Instant pot over to sauté. Took a while to browned the rice, but I ultimately got a beautiful golden color.

We are watching our carbs, so served this over chopped watercress and romaine. Excellent!

I made this for lunch yesterday, but didn't have mayo in the house. So instead, I went the super lazy route with a can of Freshe Thai Sriracha Tuna and it tasted great! I also steamed the sushi rice in my instant pot then transferred to a med-hot oiled cast iron skillet for crisping, and it worked great, with no sticking.

I made this tonight, faithfully following the recipe. I gave the recipe THREE stars. Why? It is simply a decent tuna salad served on crispy rice. Nothing more. I suppose if one was addicted to tuna salad, one would give this prep a higher rating.

This has become a staple in our house! Delicious. Try using canned salmon for the tuna for a change. Also, serve with avocado slices - it takes it right over the edge to super delicious!

Huge hit at our house, and super easy to make! The rice took a little longer to crisp up than the recipe indicates. I put the Siracha on the side as not everyone wanted the tuna spicy.

No matter how you slice it this still tastes like a tuna salad sandwich 😬

Excellent! This is great for those of us who love Japanese food and sushi. The sriracha and soy sauce give it an extra bite that distinguishes it from basic tuna salad. I made this with regular white rice, not sushi and it was great. Avocado was a nice touch as well.

Delicious, as others have noted rice cooker rice works fine. Furikake is a great seasoning choice if you have some around (and you should!)

This is the recipe that made me come around to canned tuna. I use day(s) old rice and also added panko breadcrumbs to my tuna mixture for some extra crunch. I also swapped out the soy sauce for banchan’s sauce- so so good!!

I make this all the time, almost exactly as written. I’ve made it with fresh rice and day old - both work well!! Serve with some avocado too. Yum!!

This was excellent! Made it for a quick lunch yesterday. Cut the recipe in half for my husband and myself and still have plenty leftover for lunch today. My husband said he was a little skeptical about the dish to begin with but then asked if I would make it again! Definitely a keeper!For the recipe itself, I didn’t change a single thing. I served it with sliced cucumbers, sliced carrots, and cherry tomatoes.

So delicious! I add a bit more lime and vinegar and slightly less mayo to the tuna. Also added grated ginger and lime zest.

My 15yr old son declared this "The best dish you have ever made, Mom!" And he happily ate the leftovers the next day with equal enthusiasm! We used a commentor's tip to crumble seaweed sheets over the rice before adding the tuna on top. Gave it the perfect umami/crunch. Thanks for this recipe, Ali!

OMG! This is literally one of the best dinners I've ever made not to mention one of the best recipes I've EVER found on NYT Cooking!Thank you SO MUCH for such a fabulous recipe!!!

We liked this a lot. Next time will season rice with more vinegar and salt. Used regular (not toasted) sesame oil to brown it. Added light slaw made of Napa cabbage and scallions for crunch. Light dressing of rice vinegar, soy, toasted sesame oil and Japanese pepper. Quick, easy, tasty.

I have also used dungeness crab meat--I understand it's not as cost effective, but it was great!

My daughter is a vegetarian, so used chickpeas instead of tuna and gave it a few pulses in the food processor. I also grated two carrots on top as well as some sliced avocado. It was quite tasty this way.

This is fabulous. Used roasted salmon instead of tuna -- done to perfection -- and added more of all condiments and seasonings, to taste. Used kewpie mayo and definitely included soy sauce as it imparts flavor not just saltiness. This is the kind of recipe you can play around with a bit and have a different taste profile every time. Loved.