Its time to expand on our RAW capabilities here. And just like the Mediterranean version of the albacore crudo that you’ve already mastered, we are leaning on our Japanese influence of raw efficiencies for our next dish: The Spicy Tuna Don.
“Don” is short for “donburi” which is a traditional Japanese dish where any number of things (egg, chicken, seafood) are served in a bowl over a bed of rice. If you’ve been to Japan, then you know that these are always a safe bet for a simple, really good meal. And if Japan is out of reach, then you can always head to Fukada, an amazing restaurant in the beautiful and worldly culture influencing town of…well, a business park in Irvine.
But no shit, Fukada is so good and the recipe below is modeled after the Spicy Tuna Don you can find on their menu.
The trick here is fresh fish. It’s summer so go find one of your friends who keep taking work off to go fishing, and beg them for a piece of yellow fin. And if they don’t have one, then albacore tuna will work just fine as well.
You want to dice your tuna up nice and small — but don’t let it turn to mush. Mix with a healthy amount of Sriracha and a little mayo. Start small, you can always add more mayo or spice to the fish as you go. If you want to get real fancy, then buy Japanese mayo and add a little bit of chili oil. No measurements here, it all depends on taste (spice) and consistency. You want to flavor the fish, not drown it in sauce. Cover with plastic and place back in the fridge while you do the rest.
Steam some white rice (I like to add a little rice wine vinegar and a pinch of sugar to emulate sushi rice) and thinly slice up some avocado, green onion and cucumbers.
In your best looking cereal bowl, lay down a nice size portion of rice — top with your spicy tuna mixture and vegetables. Garnish with some sliced green onion, dried seaweed and some sesame seeds.
I like to serve mine with a little wasabi ball, shoyu, chopsticks and a fucking ice cold Kirin for the full effect. —Adam Warren