Ingredients

• • ¼ lb sushi-grade tuna
• • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• • 1 tbsp sriracha (or more to taste)
• • ½ avocado, cubed
• • 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• • 1 tbsp green onion, chopped
• • Flaky salt, to taste
• • Leftover grits (Check out our recipe)
• • Olive oil
• • Chili crisp, for garnish

Around the Morey household, spicy tuna is an obsession. We really love anything with raw tuna – it has a mild, meaty, and subtly oceanic flavor (but not fishy) with a tender, sometimes buttery, texture. It lends itself well with so many different flavor combinations, but we especially love spicy tuna with creamy sriracha mayo.

A surprising fact that has driven me to revamp my previous Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice recipe is how popular that blog is month over month here on Hot Little Suppers. Who would think of heading to Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit for a spicy tuna recipe? We’re happy to have y’all!

This take on the “takeout” classic has been given a Southern spin…While we do love our rice in the lowcountry, we have another Southern grain that we eat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner: grits! I leveled up my Spicy Tuna game by combining them with a Southern delicacy – crispy, fried grit cakes. Simply take leftover grits, form them into an even layer in a lightly oiled or lined rectangular dish and refrigerate until firm. Then, remove from the dish, cut into smaller rectangular pieces and fry up until golden brown. The crispy crunch of the outside, with the warm creaminess of the inside is a wonderful complement to the butter, raw spicy tuna.

I used raw tuna from my local fishmonger, Abundant Seafood or Mount Pleasant Seafood, but if you don't have access to fresh seafood. If you don't like raw seafood, you can always dice the raw tuna and sear it on a smokey cast iron to make it medium rare.

Instructions:

1. To make crispy grit cakes, take leftover grits and press evenly into a lightly oiled rectangular lipped dish or Tupperware until about ¼ to ½ inch thick. Refrigerate until firm. Remove from the fridge and flip onto a cutting surface. Cut out small rectangular pieces about 2 inches by 1 inch size.
2. Preheat a skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to cover the surface of the pan. Once heated, drop in your sliced grit cakes. Cover the pan with a lid and allow to fry until golden brown; flip the cakes and cook to golden brown on the other side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
3. Remove grit cakes from the pan and set aside.
4. Chop tuna into small pieces. Add to a mixing bowl and combine with mayonnaise, sriracha, avocado, cilantro, green onion, and flaky salt. Mix well to coat all the elements in the mayonnaise and sriracha sauce.
5. To serve, top each grit cake with a spoonful of spicy tuna. Garnish with an optional drizzle of chili oil, additional herbs, and a small pinch of flaky salt.
   

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