Tuna Corn Rice

At Tokyo Station recently we grabbed some inarizushi from the basement GranSta food floor area. Inarizushi are deep-fried tofu packets that are simmered in a sweet soy broth and then stuffed with rice. Sometimes the rice is plain, white rice. But often it is seasoned with sesame seeds, minced pickled ginger, or, on this occasion, corn, tuna, and mayonnaise.

We loved this so much we've started making it at home, without the sweet tofu packets. What's not to love, especially now that corn is in season. In a bowl combine cooked rice, cooked corn, canned tuna, and mayonnaise and combine. It also goes well with nori, so feel free to wrap these up into mini hand rolls.

Three Tuna Recipes

Tuna is one of the easiest fish to start with in the kitchen, especially if you find sashimi grade tuna. Check with your fishmonger. At some stores, like some Whole Foods in and around New York City, the tuna is kept in a super-freezer. It's easy to defrost at home. I hope to post on it in the future.

This first recipe is simply sashimi grade tuna that is rough chopped and quickly seasoned with soy sauce and shichimi (seven spice). But feel free to use whatever you want like sesame oil, some Korean kochujan, etc. We marinate the fish for about five minutes and then serve it over rice.

This zuke couldn't be easier. Thinly slice the sashimi grade tuna, put in a bowl with

2 parts soy sauce
1 part mirin
1 part sake

and marinate overnight in a refrigerator. Serve over a bowl over hot rice.

This tuna tataki dish is always satisfying. There is something about the texture of the cooked exterior and the raw interior that makes this an appealing dish. Also, the nuttiness of the sesame seeds is a nice partner to the meaty maguro. Simply roll a sashimi grade tuna steak in sesame seeds, white or black. Then heat up a saute pan, ideally a non-stick one, add oil, and sear all sides. Let it rest before slicing. Serve with soy sauce and wasabi.

One dishes like this are mastered it becomes easier to branch out to cooking with other seafood.

Harumi Kurihara Inspired Carrot Salad 栗原はるみ人参サラダ

NHK recently had a nice program on cookbook author Harumi Kurihara. She talked a dish that was one of her family favorites, this very simple carrot salad. Crunchy julienned carrots with slivers of onions, canned tuna, and a simple vinaigrette. It's quick to assemble and was a hit at our dinner table. I am sure that we will be making this again in the future, especially as the ingredients are always on hand. I didn't include the garlic and liked it that way. She also suggests microwaving the carrots and onions and garlic for a minute but I was looking for a dish more like a cole slaw so skipped that step. This recipe is translated from a recipe I found online.

1 carrot julienned
1/4 onion, thinly sliced
1 can of tuna
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)

1 Tbsp. salad oil
1 Tbsp. grain mustard
2 Tbsp. wine vinegar
soy sauce, salt, pepper to taste

Make the dressing of salad oil, mustard, vinegar and season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. In a large bowl combine the carrots, onions, and tuna. Dress with salad dressing, toss, and serve.

Canned Tuna Hamayaki from Bon Appetit

Canned tuna is something we always have in the house, for that last minute meal or dish. I found this recipe on Bon Appetit's website. It comes from a Japanese chef in Maine, chef Masa Miyake of restaurant Pai Men Miyake in Portland. In the introduction to the recipe he says is a dish Japanese fishermen make. It's quite simple with potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, sake, chicken stock, canned tuna, mayonnaise and shichimi togarashi.

It's a quick and easy dish to pull together at the last minute, and chances are you have all the ingredients at home already. It is a nice change-up from the usual suspects of tuna salad or salad Nicoise. Here is the link to Bon Appetit's tuna hamayaki.