Background: One of my favorite things to eat is sushi. When I lived in Maryland we met and became friends with a sushi Master who had worked many years all over the world, and we tried all kinds of sauces and flavors with him. I haven’t mastered the art of sushi yet, but this dish is inspired by that Chef.

Ingredients Sushi rice sticks: 8 oz uncooked sushi rice; 12 oz water; 3 tbsp sake divided; 3 tbsp jalapeno or Thai pepper cored and finely chopped; 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds; 3 tbsp ginger finely chopped; 1 tsp mirin; 1 tbsp rice vinegar; ¼ cup peanut oil.

Ingredients Tuna: .5-.75 lb. tuna loin; 1 large avocado peeled and sliced; 1 lime; 3 tbsp “Magic Sauce” (in a squeeze bottle); 1 tbsp peanut oil.

Steps:

  1. Make the rice per package directions (don’t rinse it though), replacing 2 tbsp water with sake. Once it’s done add the remaining ingredients except peanut oil and mix well.
  2. Line a 9 X 9 or similar sized baking pan with wax paper then spoon in the rice mixture. Level it off with the spoon and press down with another pan until its compressed. Move the refrigerator if made early or the freezer so that it firms up prior to cooking.
  3. Cut the lime in half and squeeze all over the slices of avocado, salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
  4. Once the rice is hard, remove from the baking pan by turning upside down, cut the block in half and then cut “sticks or blocks” about ¾” wide. I usually freeze half since I’m only making two servings.
  5. In a large cast iron skillet, drop in the ¼ cup peanut oil and bring up to about 375F. Drop the rice blocks in and cook on all sides, turning carefully- watch the heat it needs to stay at 375 or a bit higher!
  6. Once the rice blocks are done move them to plates, drop the other tbsp of peanut oil into the pan, check the temp and drop in the tuna loin. Sear the first side about 90 seconds, turn over and sear the other side another 90 seconds. Then pick it up with tongs and run the sides of the loin on the pan and remove, allow to rest.
  7. Drizzle the “Magic Sauce” (I use Helen Rennie’s recipe) over the rice blocks on the plates, slice the tuna on the bias and lay over the blocks, then lay the avocado on top. Done.