Get your sushi fix without anything fishy! If your love for sushi is stopping you from going vegan, this Vegan Spicy Tuna Roll will break down any excuses you have left. This is hands-down the easiest recipe for a vegan spicy tuna roll that you can make without the need for any sushi equipment or fancy ingredients. It will satisfy even the pickiest sushi connoisseurs. 

For many people, sushi is their biggest holdback from going fully vegan. And it’s completely understandable – you can get plant-based burgers anywhere these days, but when you go to a sushi restaurant as a vegan, your options are still limited to avocado and cucumber rolls. 

This recipe will prove to you that craving raw fish is a thing in the past! The taste and even texture of this spicy “tuna” will blow your mind, and best of all – it’s so quick and easy to make at home.

The documentary Seaspiracy (2021) not only exposes the unsustainable and harmful practices of the fishing industry, it also illustrates how unhealthy it can be to eat fish today. 

Fish unfortunately are living in plastic and mercury-filled oceans, and eating that fish means we’re ingesting all that toxicity. Studies found that at last one-third of our fish contain plastic, and all fish contain degrees of mercury. 

Whether or not that concerns you is your choice, but why not try a more sustainable and healthy version of sushi if it’s so easy to make at home? 

If the thought of tomato tuna is weird to you, trust me – I thought the same. Any one of my friends will tell you that I have an adverse relationship with tomatoes. 

But when marinated correctly and for just a few minutes, tomatoes are the perfect ingredient to achieve a fishy, sashimi flavor and texture. Best of all, it comes with none of the icky stuff from fish farming. 

Ingredients

Vegan Spicy “Tuna” Marinade

1 cup water

Kelp or nori for soaking in water

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp lemon juice

⅛ tsp white pepper

1 – 2 drops liquid smoke optional

Sushi filling

1 large tomato peeled and seeded

1 sheet sushi nori

1 cup white rice cooked

1 small avocado or cucumber sliced

1 tbsp vegan mayo

1 tbsp sriracha

½ tsp rice vinegar

Note: This sushi roll can easily be made without a sushi mat, plastic wrap, etc. but those tools are available if you don’t trust your bare rolling skills. Get a sushi-making kit here.

Instructions 

First cook the white rice according to directions on the package.

To make the spicy “tuna,” first place the large tomato whole in a pot of boiling water, and boil until the skin starts to peel off (about 3 minutes boiling). Immediately transfer the tomato into a bowl of ice water to stop from cooking further. 

Peel the skin off the tomato once cooled, then cut the tomato in half. Scoop out the seeds from the center with a spoon, then slice the tomato into 6-8 small pieces, similar to sashimi slices. 

For the marinade, combine all the marinade ingredients in a glass Tupperware and stir. Place the tomato slices in the marinade, close the lid, and keep in the fridge to marinate for at least 10 minutes. 

While the tomato marinates, transfer 1 cup of cooked rice to a bowl and mix in ½ tsp of rice vinegar to season the rice. Set aside to let the rice cool. In a separate small bowl, combine the vegan mayo and sriracha to make a spicy mayo.

When it’s time to assemble the sushi, lay down a sheet of nori horizontally with the rough side up. Evenly spread and press down 1 cup of the white rice over the nori, leaving about an inch bare at the top. Spread a strip of the spicy mayo across the rice toward the bottom of the sheet, then add an even layer of sliced avocado or cucumbers and top off with the sliced spicy “tuna.” 

To roll your sushi, start from the bottom of the nori sheet and tuck in all the ingredients for the first roll. Tightly roll the sushi across and stop when you reach the bare strip of nori at the top. Wet your fingers with water and lightly dab the nori dampen. Roll your sushi all the way so that the wet part of the nori is sealed. 

Using a sharpened knife, carefully cut the sushi into small, even pieces about ½ an inch thick, making sure to wipe your knife with a damp towel after every cut. You should end up with around 8 rolls. 

Finally enjoy the sushi with a side of soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi! 

If spicy tuna rolls aren’t your thing, you can use this vegan tuna recipe to make your own poke bowls, sashimi, nigiri, and more! 

If you love vegan versions of your favorite Asian recipes, you have to try these next. Best of all – they’re just as easy to make! 

• Vegan Spam Musubi

• Vegan Egg Drop Soup

• Vegan Korean Kimchi Jiggae