The Japanese man I buy my fish from gave me this recipe. One day I noticed that he was making hand rolls for lunch from the trimmings of a No. 1 grade A tuna loin. He let me have a roll since I’m such a good customer, and I have to say it was the best spicy tuna roll I’d ever had. You’ll get the hang of rolling these in no time—practice makes perfect.

Ingredients

　　3/4 cup mayonnaise

　　3 tablespoons red chili paste, such as sambal

　　Juice of 1/2 lemon

　　2 tablespoons dried bonito flakes

　　1 tablespoon flying fish roe (tobiko)

　　Sea salt

　　1 pound sushi-quality tuna, such as ahi (yellowfin) or bluefin, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

　　4 sheets nori seaweed

　　2 cups prepared sushi rice (page 80)

　　Finely chopped green onion, for garnish

　　In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chili paste, lemon juice, bonito flakes, fish roe, and a pinch of sea salt. Put the tuna cubes in a mixing bowl and gradually fold in the mayonnaise mixture a little at a time to coat the fish. There will be some left over. Cut the nori sheets in half. Place half a sheet, shiny side down, in the palm of your hand. Dampen your fingers and spread a thin, even layer of sushi rice over half the sheet covering your palm side. Spoon a generous tablespoon of the spicy tuna down the center of the rice. Now, read this next part a few times before you attempt it—it’s a little tricky: To form a cone, start with the inner corner that is closest to the palm of your hand. Fold it in toward the center of the paper, covering the rice. Continue to roll until it forms a cone; then dab the far edge with a little water to seal the cone. Top it off with a little more of the spicy tuna so it looks full, and garnish with chopped green onion.

　　Reprinted with permission from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen by Tyler Florence. © 2003 Clarkson Potter