Smoky Sweet Asian Canned Tuna Rice Bowl

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This delightful Canned Tuna Rice Bowl has recently been my go-to for lunches. It's easy to whip together with only a few ingredients, and it's a flavor explosion in your lunch!

Bowl of rice and tunafish in a white bowl with sliced green cucumbers and sliced green avocado.

I'll admit, I was anxiously awaiting to open the can of St. Jude's Smoked Albacore flavor. I already knew I loved their tuna, so I was eager to see what I could make with this one. And wow, was I blown away. The flavor is pretty spectacular. It has an almost caramelized flavor to it, flaky, smoky, and well-rounded.

It would have been sinful to try and mask this flavor with much else. So I decided to honor the taste of this delightful tuna by letting it stand alone in this smoky and sweet Asian inspired rice tuna bowl. I suppose you could call it a smoked tuna poke bowl too.

Flavorful tuna filets are paired with sticky rice, cucumber, creamy avocado, sesame seeds, scallions, and topped with my super-easy 3-ingredient spicy mayo.

If you love canned tuna as much as I do, check out these other tuna recipes you may like, such as this spicy tuna onigiri with miso scallion sauce, Mediterranean quinoa tuna salad, weeknight tarragon gluten free pasta with canned tuna, canned tuna tacos with chipotle mayo, and much more!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Variations And Substituions
Making Sushi Rice
Storage
Top Tip
FAQ
Related
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💬 Comments

2 cans of pink label tuna, green vegetables, bowl of white rice, bowl of seeds

Ingredients

St. Jude Smoked Tuna
Cooked Sushi Rice
Scallions
Spicy Mayo
Avocado
English Cucumber
Toasted Sesame Seeds
Nori sheets - optional

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Step 1: Cook your rice according to package instructions or simply rinse the rice well and cook it for 20 minutes in 2 cups of water or until all water is absorbed. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Break up the tuna and add it directly on top of the warm rice.

Step 3: Top the bowl with cucumber slices, scallions, avocado slices, sesame seeds, and spicy mayo.

Step 4: Enjoy right away!

Hint: You can use the nori sheets to make little suchi sandwiches if you'd like, or skip the nori and eat it right out of the bowl.

Variations And Substituions

This is your recipe, so add or take away anything you do not like.

Spicy - you can add more spicy mayo if you'd like and make the tuna rice bowl creamier.
Paleo - While this dish ultimately works best with rice, you can use paleo rice or riced cauliflower to substitute the rice.
Adding Nori - You don't have to have nori for this dish, but I find it works well with the creamy rice and smoked tuna.

Making Sushi Rice

To make sushi rice: In a medium saucepan, rinse 1 cup of rice well, add 2 cups of water, and bring the rice to a boil. Simmer and cook the rice on low for 15-20 minutes until all the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat and let the rice stand for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat source and let it slightly cool.

Storage

You could make the rice in advance and serve it when you're ready to assemble your smoked tuna poke bowl.

Top Tip

Working with the rice when it is warm yields the best flavor combination. So if your rice is cold, just warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds so it's warm-ish.

FAQ

Do you need sushi rice for this recipe?

While not 100% imperative, the best flavor and texture ultimately comes from sushi rice, which is stickier and more gelatinous, and will allow all other ingredients to be easily scooped up.

What's the best cucumber for rice bowls?

I always stick with English cucumber. Regular cucumbers are much too seedy and don't work as well.

Do you need spicy mayo?

I can't imagine this dish without it. It truly ties everything together nicely. You can find this 3-ingredient spicy mayo recipe here.

Does this tuna rice bowl store well?

It's best to make this fresh. You can prep the rice and cucumber slices in advance and just assemble when you're ready to eat.

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