Not long ago I talked about how sushi was one type of cuisine that I normally leave to the professionals. As a matter of fact, seafood is one of the glaring holes in my culinary game.

My best seafood dish is tilapia filets poached in coconut milk because it’s hard to screw up. I set the target temperature in an electric skillet and can theoretically can let the dish cook all day long without overcooking because the temperature of the fish and the poaching liquid will reach an equilibrium point.

However, when I was perusing recipes for my latest Bee Squad post, I stumbled upon Bumble Bee’s Spicy Thai Tuna Rolls and decided that it was time I make the plunge. I had received a can of their Spicy Thai Chili tuna from their Sensations line and wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with it. This provided the perfect opportunity to sample the product and possibly get past my sushi making fears.

The first thing I needed was a good sushi rice recipe and my man Alton Brown did not disappoint. Then I wanted to make the dish look as much like a plate from my favorite sushi restaurant here in town as humanly possible. So, I noodled over the rest of the ingredients and what I might be able to do. I settled on using cucumber slices and pickled daikon and carrot as my two main garnishes. Those two things combined with a little drizzle of wasabi mayonnaise and sriracha sauce seemed like the perfect way to finish up the plating.

The recipe makes two rolls and my only mistake was that I used way too much rice, which made rolling them more difficult than it needed to be. Also, on my first one I didn’t let the nori paper absorb enough moisture from the rice to make it more flexible, so that one cracked like crazy. When I did get it right the second time around what was left was a spicy and sweet creation with some crunch from the strips of cucumber, carrot and daikon that provided a different textural element.

This is something I’d definitely make again and is a great option for dinner guests that might like the idea of sushi, but aren’t sold on the whole raw thing.

Spicy Thai Tuna Rolls

recipe courtesy of Bumble Bee Foods

Ingredients

• 1 – 5 oz can Bumble Bee Sensations® Spicy Thai Tuna Seasoned Tuna Medley, undrained
• 2 sheets (7 ½ x 8 inches) nori (dried seaweed)
• 2 cups cooked sushi rice
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• ½ small cucumber, seeded and sliced (1/8 x 2 inches)
• 1 medium carrot, sliced (1/8 x 2 inches)
• ½ cup daikon sprouts
• Serve with wasabi mayonnaise and sushi ginger (also available at Asian specialty markets)

Directions

Place nori shiny side down and spread rice over nori. Place tuna, cucumber, carrot, and daikon on top of rice along edge. Fold edge of nori sheet over filling, pressing firmly to start a tight compact roll. Roll to close. Slice roll into 6 pieces. Arrange on plate and garnish with wasabi mayonnaise and sushi ginger.

Nutrition Information

For one serving (346g) – approximately 6 pieces Calories 400(from Fat 60), Fat 7g(Saturated 1g), Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 30mg, Sodium 410mg, Total Carbohydrate 65g, Fiber 4g, Sugars 9g, Protein 18g.

Disclosure: As part of the Bee Squad I receive product information and samples and Bumble Bee is sponsoring my trip to BlogHer ’11. I was not compensated in any other way, nor was I offered or promised anything else in exchange or my review of their products or recipes. All opinions contained herein are my own.