Crispy Raw Tuna Salad

There’s a whole genre of crispy rice salads on the internet, and for months I scrolled past them. Every single one used fried chicken or some kind of heavy protein that felt like it defeated the point. I wanted the crunch. I wanted the freshness. I wanted something that actually felt light while still hitting hard on flavour.

So I went back to basics: raw fish. Sushi-grade tuna, barely dressed, with cold cucumber and avocado and spring onions. Then a deeply savoury, slightly spicy gochujang mayo sauce with ginger and garlic that ties everything together. And the rice — baked in chili oil until deeply golden and shatteringly crispy — plays the starring textural role.

The result was genuinely a masterpiece of varied textures and bold tastes. It sounds dramatic but I stand by it. Raw tuna + gochu mayo = always a banger, and here it’s been brightened up with lime juice, rice vinegar, and ginger so it sings. I like it better after 1 hour in the fridge, but honestly it doesn’t last that long.

Crispy Raw Tuna Salad – About the dish

This salad sits somewhere at the intersection of Japanese poke culture, Korean gochujang cooking, and the crispy rice trend that took over social media recently. Crispy rice as a vehicle for toppings is a format borrowed from onigiri and sushi culture — rice pressed, seasoned, and crisped until it holds its shape and delivers crunch in every bite.

Gochujang (고추장) is a Korean fermented red chili paste — thick, deeply umami, moderately spicy, with a subtle sweetness that comes from the fermentation process. It’s one of those ingredients that elevates anything it touches. Combined with Kewpie mayo (the Japanese mayo made with egg yolks and rice vinegar, creamier and richer than Western mayo), it creates a sauce that’s both addictive and remarkably balanced.

The inspiration came from all those crispy rice salads using fried chicken, but raw fish is simpler, fresher, and — if you ask me — infinitely better. This is the version I wanted to exist. And if you’re nervous about raw fish, just make sure you’re using properly labelled sushi-grade tuna from a trusted fishmonger or quality supermarket.

Crispy Raw Tuna Salad – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

• Japanese rice: 300g, for 3 servings. Short-grain Japanese rice is ideal here — it’s sticky enough to hold together and crisp up properly in the oven. Wash it well before cooking to remove excess starch.
• Chili oil (without the flakes): 1.5 tbsp. You want smooth, pure chili oil here — no crunchy bits, which would burn and turn bitter in the oven. Lao Gan Ma smooth chili oil or plain chili-infused oil both work. If heat is a concern, sub half of it with neutral oil.
• Sushi-grade tuna: 300g, diced. Make sure it’s labelled sushi-grade or sashimi-grade — meaning it has been handled and frozen safely for raw consumption. Dice into large cubes so it holds up in the toss.
• Avocado: 1, diced. Use a ripe but firm avocado — soft enough to eat but not so soft it turns to mush when you toss the salad. Cut it at the last moment to avoid browning.
• Cucumber: 1/2 large, sliced (not too thin). You want half or quarter-moons about 5mm thick. Too thin and they’ll go soggy. The cucumber provides crunch and freshness to contrast the richness of the sauce and avocado.
• Kewpie mayo: 3 tbsp. Made with only egg yolks and rice vinegar — creamier, richer, slightly tangier than regular mayo. Regular mayo works too, but Kewpie is worth tracking down. Find it at Asian grocery stores.
• Gochujang: 1 tbsp. Korean fermented chili paste. It brings heat, depth, and umami in one ingredient. If you’re very heat-sensitive, start with 1/2 tbsp and taste.
• Furikake: 1 tbsp (optional but recommended). Japanese seasoning blend — dried fish, sesame, nori, and salt — that adds a final layer of umami and crunch. Find it at Asian grocery stores. If unavailable, toasted nori and sesame seeds work.
• Crispy onions/shallots: 2 tbsp (optional but recommended). Store-bought fried shallots from an Asian grocery work perfectly. They add the final textural hit and a subtle sweetness.

Recipe – Advice & key points

• Cook, cool, and split the rice: Cook the rice as usual, then spread it out and let it cool completely — warm rice will steam rather than crisp in the oven. Once cool, set exactly half aside for the salad. Toss the other half with chili oil, soy sauce, and sesame oil, spread on a baking tray, and bake at 220°C for about 30 minutes until deeply golden and crispy.
• Keep the crispy rice dry: The key to great crispy rice is no moisture. Make sure the rice is fully cooled before baking. Spread it in a single, even layer — don’t pile it up. Parchment paper underneath helps prevent sticking.
• Mix all sauce ingredients first: Combine Kewpie mayo, gochujang, soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, grated garlic, grated ginger, and sesame seeds in one bowl. Taste and adjust.
• Toss gently, don’t smash: When assembling, add all salad ingredients and toss carefully — especially the avocado and tuna. You want everything coated in sauce without crushing the avocado or breaking up the tuna. Add the crispy rice and toppings last.
• Serve immediately or rest in the fridge: Good right away, but genuinely better after 1 hour in the fridge. The flavours meld and the tuna absorbs the sauce. The crispy rice softens slightly but develops an almost chewy-crispy texture that’s arguably even better. Serve cold.
• Heat control: Use less chili oil and more neutral oil for the rice if you can’t handle much heat. The gochujang sauce is flavourful but not aggressively spicy — more warming than burning.

This is the kind of dish that looks like a lot of components but actually comes together fast once the rice is done. The rice can be baked ahead and kept at room temperature. The sauce keeps in the fridge for days. The actual assembly takes five minutes. A fantastic make-ahead lunch or a slightly impressive dinner that takes almost no effort to pull off.

Enjoy !