Learn how to make Spicy Vegan Tomato Tuna that is just like the real deal! Perfect for rice bowls, poke bowls, sushi, ongiri, crispy rice and more.
We’ve been having the tomato tuna rice bowl on repeat since we last shared it and lately we’ve been using the leftovers to make spicy tuna! We usually just make a quick rice bowl or poke bowl but tried it with crispy rice and it’s absolutely delicious.
Ingredients for Spicy Tomato Tuna (+Substitutions)
Tomato Tuna
- 2-3 roma tomatoes (250-300g tomato flesh).
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp soy sauce (35ml)
- 1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar (6ml)
- 1 1/2 tbsp mirin (22ml)*
- 1 1/2 tbsp sake (22ml)*
- 1 tbsp neutral oil (15ml)
- 2 tsp kombu dashi granules
- 1 sheet of roasted nori
Spicy Mayo
- 2 tbsp vegan kewpie mayonnaise (32g)*
- 2-3 tsp sriracha, to taste (10g)*
- 3/4 tsp sesame oil (4ml)
How to Spicy Tomato ‘Tuna’
- Prepare tomatoes: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Score the top of the tomatoes and then place them into the boiling water for 45-60 seconds or until the skin starts to peel off. Rotate the tomatoes to ensure even cooking. Scoop the tomatoes out and place in a bowl of ice water to cool. Peel the tomatoes and then slice in half, and then in half again (making 4 segments). Remove the inner seeds and juices from the tomatoes. You should end with a total of 250-300g of tomato flesh.
- Marinate: Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sake, oil and kombu dashi granules to a shallow dish. Add the pieces of tomato and then tear roasted nori on top. Toss everything together, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (preferably overnight).
- Remove tomatoes from the refrigerator and then chop the tomatoes until it starts to look minced. Strain the tomatoes with a sieve to remove excess liquid.
- Spicy Mayo: Mix the mayonnaise, sriracha and sesame oil in a bowl. Taste and adjust to desired flavour. Add the tomato tuna and mix to combine. Serve as desired and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
- Donburi Rice Bowl: Add over a bed of fresh rice for a spicy tuna bowl!
- Sushi / Maki Sushi: Use in maki sushi or hand rolls.
- Crispy Rice: Make some crispy rice and top it off with the spicy tomato tuna.
For the crispy rice
- To make the crispy rice, take 1 cup of cooked (200g) sushi short grain rice and mix with 1 1/2 tbsp of sushi vinegar. To make a quick sushi vinegar, stir 2 tbsp of rice vinegar + 3 1/2 tsp sugar and 1/8 tsp of salt. Use 1 1/2 tbsp of this mixture to replace.
- Add the rice to a container and press to mold. Cover and refrigerate until cooled and hardened. Once cooled, remove from container and cut into desired pieces. Heat a pan over medium heat with some oil. Add the pieces of rice and cook each side until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes per side). You can also air fry these by brushing them with some oil and air frying at 400 F for 12 minutes, flipping half way through.
- Top with the spicy tomato tuna with some sesame seeds and scallions and enjoy!
More Vegan Seafood to Try!
- Eggplant Unagi Donburi
- Vegan Tofu Fish Fillet
- Vegan Teriyaki ‘Salmon’
- Tomato Tuna Donburi Rice Bowl
- Oyster Mushroom Kaki Fry
- Vegan Chili Shrimps
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
If you recreate this Vegan Spicy ‘Tuna’ recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Hungry for more? Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Youtube and Pinterest for more deliciousness!
Vegan Spicy ‘Tuna’ (Tomato Tuna)
- Total Time: 11 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
Learn how to make Spicy Vegan Tomato Tuna that is just like the real deal! Perfect for rice bowls, poke bowls, sushi, ongiri, crispy rice and more.
Ingredients
Tomato Tuna
- 2–3 roma tomatoes (250-300g tomato flesh).
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp soy sauce (35ml)
- 1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar (6ml)
- 1 1/2 tbsp mirin (22ml)*
- 1 1/2 tbsp sake (22ml)*
- 1 tbsp neutral oil (15ml)
- 2 tsp kombu dashi granules
- 1 sheet of roasted nori
Spicy Mayo
- 2 tbsp vegan kewpie mayonnaise (32g)*
- 2–3 tsp sriracha, to taste (10g)*
- 3/4 tsp sesame oil (4ml)
Instructions
- Prepare tomatoes: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Score the top of the tomatoes and then place them into the boiling water for 45-60 seconds or until the skin starts to peel off. Rotate the tomatoes to ensure even cooking. Scoop the tomatoes out and place in a bowl of ice water to cool. Peel the tomatoes and then slice in half, and then in half again (making 4 segments). Remove the inner seeds and juices from the tomatoes. You should end with a total of 250-300g of tomato flesh.
- Marinate: Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sake, oil and kombu dashi granules to a shallow dish. Add the pieces of tomato and then tear roasted nori on top. Toss everything together, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (preferably overnight).
- Remove tomatoes from the refrigerator and then chop the tomatoes until it starts to look minced. Strain the tomatoes with a sieve to remove excess liquid.
- Spicy Mayo: Mix the mayonnaise, sriracha and sesame oil in a bowl. Taste and adjust to desired flavour. Add the tomato tuna and mix to combine. Serve as desired and enjoy!
Notes
- *Mirin and sake can be omitted but please note the flavour will be slightly different. Add 1/2 tsp of sugar.
- **Substitute regular vegan mayonnaise
- ***You can use any chili sauce of choice such as sriracha, sambal oelek or chili bean paste.
- *Prep time does not include marinating time
- Helpful Equipment:
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute
- Category: entree
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: vegan, japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
Okonomi Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you purchase something through my amazon affiliate links, I earn a small commission that helps me produce consistent content at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my plant based kitchen!
This has been on my “to do” list for a while. It was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I’m so happy I saw your video, and followed through to make it!
Made this as a NYE recipe with crispy rice and it was AMAZING. Will absolutely make again!!
So simple and hits hard! Really delicious and a great way to add a vegan option to sushi night ☺️🍣
I have yet to make a recipe from Lisa that disappoints. The marinated tomato + spicy mayo truly does mimic the texture and flavors of spicy tuna, and the crispy rice brings it all home. Really delicious.
So delicious and sooo much more simple and easy than anticipated. I’ve never had real tuna, so I can’t say how it compares. But the nori definitely resulted in a fishy flavor, and it was a lovely texture.
I served it in a poke bowl with seaweed salad, avocado, pickled radish, cucumber, fresh jalapeño, and green onion and it was super clean and delicious.
Thank you for a delicious recipe!
Great recipe, everyone loved it (even the non-vegans!)! It’s easy to make and the taste is spot on. Lisa’s fish substitutes are always the best!
Great recipe! Followed it to a T. I can’t believe it’s vegan. A perfect substitution for fresh sushi.
I didn’t have kombu but substituted with dulse flakes and it was still pretty awesome. Great recipe and will make again and again 🙂
Genuinely one of the BEST vegan recipes I’ve ever tried since going vegan. Never thought I’d be able to have spicy tuna again (it’s my literal fav) and this was SPOT on. Highly highly recommend making this plus the spicy kewpie mayo! Made this two days in a row because I was blown away by the taste. 1000000/10.
Everyone should try this one. It was a hugging for my tongue. Loved it! And it is super simple to made and a total comfort food for me. Thank you Lisa!