SPicy, Seared tuna and avocado sushi bowl

This recipe captures the free-and-easy appeal of scattered sushi with spicy tuna and plenty of salad vegetables, all served in one bowl like Tokyo-style sushi.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 40 minutes, plus sushi rice and ingredient preparation

INGREDIENTS

4 tuna steaks, each weighing about 3¹⁄₂oz (100g) | 2 tbsp sesame oil | 1–2 tsp salt | 1–2 tsp cayenne pepper | 2 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, plus 2 tsp extra to garnish | 1 quantity sushi rice | 2 avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled | 1 large carrot, peeled | ¹⁄₂ cucumber | 4 scallions, white parts only, finely sliced lengthwise into strips | 6 cherry tomatoes, halved | 2 tbsp prepared sushi vinegar | 2 tsp soy sauce

METHOD

1 Preheat a heavy-based griddle pan over high heat. Brush the tuna steaks with the sesame oil and season with the salt and cayenne pepper, then coat each steak in ¹⁄₂ tbsp of sesame seeds.

2 When the griddle pan is almost smoking hot, sear each tuna steak for 1 minute on each side. (This should leave the tuna raw in the middle.) Remove the tuna from the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

3 Meanwhile, divide the sushi rice into 4 individual bowls. Cut each avocado half into ¹⁄₈in (2–3mm) slices, then place your palm over and lightly push down with a twisting motion to create a neat fan of slices. Lift the whole sliced half and place on top of the rice. Using a vegetable peeler, make carrot and cucumber ribbons, each portion weighing about ³⁄₄oz (20g), then arrange in each bowl.

4 Cut the tuna into slices ¹⁄₄in (5–8mm) thick and arrange in each bowl. Add a scattering of finely sliced scallions and 3 cherry tomato halves per bowl. Drizzle some sushi vinegar and soy sauce on top, and add a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds to serve.

Spicy, seared tuna and avocado sushi bowl