Spicy Tuna Roll
Chopped raw tuna bound with spicy mayo and a little heat — the American sushi bar's other gateway roll, and a smart use of tuna trimmings.
- Style
- uramaki
- Typical ingredients
- tuna, spicy mayo (sriracha + Kewpie), cucumber or scallion, chili / togarashi, rice, nori
- Calories
- ~290 per 8-piece roll (varies by shop)
- Raw fish?
- Yes
- Vegetarian
- No
- Origin
- Los Angeles, 1980s
Heat, mayo, tuna
The spicy tuna roll is chopped raw tuna mixed with spicy mayonnaise (typically sriracha and Kewpie) and a little chili, often with cucumber or scallion for crunch. Born in 1980s Los Angeles, it was partly a way to use the tuna trim left over from cutting nigiri — delicious thrift.
Raw, but easy
It’s raw tuna, but the mayo, heat and rice make it approachable — a common second step for diners graduating from the California roll.
Calories
Around 290 per 8-piece roll, though the number rides on how heavy the mayo is — that’s where most of the fat hides, not the lean tuna.
Neta inside
Maguro
Maguro is tuna — the emblem of edomae sushi. At a serious counter it means bluefin, graded by fat from lean akami to rich otoro, and it carries real mercury and sustainability baggage.
赤身 akamiAkami
Akami is the lean, deep-red back muscle of tuna — the most traditional cut, all clean iron and umami, and the one with the most mercury per bite.
Related rolls
California Roll
The roll that taught the West to eat sushi: imitation crab, avocado and cucumber, rolled inside-out. No raw fish — which is exactly why it caught on.
Dragon Roll
A showpiece: eel and cucumber inside, fanned avocado 'scales' on top, sweet eel sauce over. Lots of drama, and — despite the looks — no raw fish.