Tuna musubi is an islander's dream with rice, fish, and delicious flavors.

TUNA MUSUBI

**photo coming soon

Musubi wasn’t a thing while I was a kid on Guam. However, in the summer of 2021 I had my first musubi – tuna musubi at that. It was from Gayineru Store in Yigo, and it was much more delish than their SPAM musubi. Unfortunately, it didn’t have enough tuna, and the rice wasn’t seasoned. For best results, make the tuna salad component up to one day ahead. Here’s my rendition, and it’s most delicious when eaten fresh. Use a musubi maker as it’s just so efficient and is the perfect thickness. If not, an empty can of SPAM with plastic wrap will suffice. Or, you could simply layer the components in a dish and enjoy with a spoon.

Makes 5 musubis.

INGREDIENTS

Set 1

2 – 5 ounce cans tuna packed in water

Set 2

½ cup Primal Kitchen avocado mayo, or your favorite mayonnaise

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Set 3

1 ½ cups raw Calrose-style, short grain rice

¼ cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Set 4

5 sheets seasoned seaweed sushi wrappers

Furukaki

Tools: strainer, adult dinner spoon, small bowl, rice cooker, scissors, ½ cup measuring cup, ¼ cup measuring cup, musubi mold or empty can of SPAM, plastic wrap

DIRECTIONS

Empty two cans of tuna at a time into a strainer. Use an adult dinner spoon to press the tuna against the mesh, draining as much water as possible. Scrape the tuna into a small bowl. Add the mayonnaise and the black pepper and stir to combine. If using Primal Kitchen’s avocado mayo, you will not need additional salt. If using regular mayo, you may need to add a little bit of salt. Cover and chill overnight, or while you prepare the rice.

Rinse, drain, and cook the white rice using a rice cooker or on the stove. Follow the directions of your rice cooker. In general, you’ll need equal amounts of rice and water. For instance, if you measure the depth of the rice with your middle finger from the bottom of the pot to the top of the rice, you’ll need an equal depth of water. That is, measure the water from the surface of the rice to the same spot on your finger.

While the rice is cooking, cut the seaweed to measure the entire length of the musubi mold. For tuna musubi, you need to wrap the musubi in its entirety. Save the extras to snack on, to crumble on rice for later, or for additional seaweed to eat alongside the musubi.

Once the rice is cooked, transfer to a large glass bowl. Immediately add the rice vinegar and the sugar. Spread and smear the mixture around in the bowl until the rice has cooled down to barely warm.

Line a tray with wax paper and set aside.

Lay a sheet of wax paper on the table. Set one strip of seaweed wrapper down then lay the musubi mold in the center of the wrapper. Measure a ½ cup of sushi rice then empty into the mold and press down firmly with a small spoon. Top with a generous portion of furukaki to completely cover the rice. Add a ¼ cup of the tuna mixture. Top with another ½ cup of sushi rice. Firmly tamp the layers down with the musubi press. Gently push down on the press as you pull the mold up. Set the tools aside. Fold the bottom of the wrap up to cover the top only; tear off or tuck under any excess seaweed. Set the finished musubi on the wax paper-lined tray until you have finished making the remaining musubis.

Wrap each musubi in a sheet of plastic wrap….or just eat it already!! Within 2 hours, the rice will lose a bit of moisture. Still yummy, but better if eaten within the hour.

You might also like Guam Style Tuna Mac Salad

Return to More Recipes

SATISFYING YOUR GUAM RECIPE CRAVINGS SINCE 2006.

Effective March 2021, PaulaQ will begin replacing Canola and vegetable/seed oils in recipes with pure lard from Reverence Farm, coconut oil, and avocado oil.

GUAM FOODOPEDIA

LOOKING for something on Paulaq.com? Enter your keyword in the search box below:

PURCHASE YOUR BOOKS TODAY

© Copyright Paula Quinene. Check out Guam cookbooks and Chamorro cookbooks, A Taste of Guam and Remember Guam, for more Guamanian recipes and Chamorro recipes that are tested, tried and true. Get Macarons Math, Science, and Art, for foolproof macaron recipes and techniques. Enjoy a Guam romance novel in Conquered. Most photos courtesy Paula and Edward Quinene.