Fresh Tuna Kimbap (Seaweed Rice Roll with Tuna)
A simple tuna kimbap kept light and fresh with quick-pickled onions and seasoned sushi vinegar.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This easy tuna kimbap comes together with simple fillings. Well-drained tuna is paired with perilla leaves and tangy quick-pickled onion to cut the richness and keep each bite crisp and light. Seasoning the rice with sweet vinegar makes it flavorful and satisfying enough for a full meal or a packed lunchbox.
- Servings
- about 3 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Not spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Cooked rice3 bowls
- Canned tuna1/2 can
- Perilla leaves8 leaves
- Sliced onion (or cucumber pickles)a little
- Crab stick (crami) (or imitation crab stick)
- Mayonnaise2 tbsp
- Mustard sauce1 tbsp
- Ground black peppera little
Seasoned vinegar
- Vinegar3 tbsp
- Sugar1.5 tbsp
- Salt1 tbsp
- Instead of pickled onion, you can use cucumber pickles or cucumber lightly pickled in sweet vinegar.
- You can use regular imitation crab sticks instead of crami.
- Adjust the seasoned vinegar ratio to suit your taste.
Steps
1. Place the tuna in a sieve and press down firmly to drain off all the oil.
2. For 1/2 can of tuna, mix with 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp mustard sauce, and a little ground black pepper.
3. Roughly shred the crami along the grain. (Regular crab sticks work too.)
4. Add a little sugar, salt, and vinegar to thinly sliced onion to quick-pickle it lightly, then pat dry.
You can also lightly pickle cucumber in sweet vinegar instead. Pickles are even better.
5. Here are the prepared filling ingredients.
6. Spread the rice over dried seaweed sheets, layer the perilla leaves and other fillings on top, and roll up like regular kimbap.
Seasoning the rice with sweet vinegar cuts through the richness of the tuna.
7. This is a nude kimbap (inside-out roll). Spread the rice over the dried seaweed sheet, cover with plastic wrap of a similar size, flip it over so the seaweed faces up and the plastic wrap is on the bottom, add the fillings, and roll it up while lifting the plastic wrap and the bamboo mat together.
8. 4 kimbap rolls are made.
Ppunwife's tips
- Seasoning the rice with sweet vinegar cuts through the richness of the tuna.
- The sauce drizzled over the nude kimbap is made by mixing 3 tbsp tonkatsu sauce, 1 tbsp ketchup, and 2 tbsp water, then adding a little potato starch slurry and simmering briefly.
FAQ
Can I substitute other ingredients for the sliced onion?
Lightly pickling cucumber in sweet vinegar or using cucumber pickles works very well.
Can I use regular imitation crab sticks instead of crami?
Yes, you can shred regular imitation crab sticks along the grain and use them instead.
How do you roll a nude kimbap (inside-out roll)?
Spread the rice over the dried seaweed sheet, cover with plastic wrap, flip it over, place the fillings on the seaweed, and roll while lifting the plastic wrap and bamboo mat together.
How do you make the sauce that goes well with nude kimbap?
Mix 3 tbsp tonkatsu sauce, 1 tbsp ketchup, and 2 tbsp water, add a small amount of potato starch slurry, and simmer lightly.
