Halloween Sushi (with Spicy Tuna and Cucumber)

Name: Halloween Sushi
Prep time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 150 grams sushi rice; 300 ml water; 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar; 50 grams tuna (drained); 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; 1 teaspoon sriracha; 4 snack cucumber (peeled); 2 sheets nori (seaweed); 3 tablespoons soy sauce; sea salt (to taste)

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Halloween Sushi is surprisingly easy to make, and when it’s shaped like little eyeballs, you’ve got the perfect spooky meal!

A round white plate holds six sushi rolls decorated to look like eyeballs, surrounded by plastic eyeballs and black plastic spiders on a gray surface.

These delicious sushi rolls with rice, tuna, cucumber, and sriracha sauce are ideal for your next Halloween party or family dinner.

A hand holds a sushi roll designed to look like an eyeball, with rice, seaweed, and other ingredients forming the iris and pupil.

You can even send them off in a lunchbox if your kids love scary food. And if you’re looking for more kid-friendly ideas, don’t miss my Halloween spaghetti or spooky sausage rolls.

Recipe Tip

These rolls are suitable to make ahead – just top with mayo when ready to serve.

Halloween Sushi Ingredients

Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details!

Sushi rice: Short-grain white rice.
Water: For cooking the sushi rice.
Rice wine vinegar: To flavor the rice with a slight tang.
Tuna: I prefer tuna in olive oil or water. Drain it as much a possible.
Mayo: To make the tuna filling creamy.
Sriracha: Adjust to your taste.
Snack cucumbers: The small size.
Nori: Crispy square seaweed sheets. Face the glossier size down when assembling.
Soy sauce: To serve.

How to Make Halloween Sushi

A hand spreads white rice onto a sheet of seaweed using a spoon, all placed on a wooden board with a gray background.

Prepare the sushi rice according to the package instructions. Arrange the cooled rice onto a slice of nori. Keep the top 2 cm (1 inch) of the nori free from rice.

A hand spreads a tuna mixture over sushi rice on a sheet of nori, placed on a wooden board.

Mix the tuna, three tablespoons rice, and mayo. Season with sea salt. Spoon it on top of the bottom half of the nori sheet.

Hands placing cucumber slices on rice and seaweed, with a line of sriracha sauce visible.

Drizzle the tuna with sriracha and top with the snack cucumbers.

Two hands roll Halloween Sushi with rice and cucumber slices on a sheet of nori, placed on a chopping board.

Roll up the sushi tightly. Secure the end with water.

A hand is slicing a Halloween Sushi roll with a knife on a wooden cutting board.

Slice the sushi into about 8-10 pieces.

Round sushi rolls arranged on a white plate, designed to look like eyeballs for Halloween Sushi, with fake plastic eyeballs and spider decorations nearby. A hand is squeezing mayo onto one of the sushi rolls.

Arrange the sushi on a serving plate. Top with nori pupils (cut by hand with scissors) and a dollop of mayo for the eye’s highlight.

Tips for Success

Let the rice cool before assembly.
Use water to glue the sushi roll together.
When you slice the sushi, it helps to wash the knife between each cut.
The ‘end pieces‘ won’t look as nice so I always eat them myself (chef’s prerogative)

Possible Variations

Tuna mixture: Swap for hot smoked salmon, cooked prawns, crab, sushi grade tuna or salmon.
Snack cucumbers: Use a regular English cucumber and cut it into batons. Or try bells pepper, carrots, avocado, mushrooms, asparagus, radish, pickled red onion, or cooked sweet potatoes.
Sriracha: Any chili sauce, tabasco, ketchup, gochulang, or your favorite condiment.
Nori: Overlapping cucumber slices are an alternative like I used on my cucumber tuna rolls.

How to Store Leftovers

Keep the rolls in an airtight container in the fridge. They are best enjoyed within 1 day.

FAQs

Can I make the sushi in advance?

Yes. You can make it a few hours ahead. Keep the sushi covered in the refrigerator. Wait to garnish the rolls with the nori pupil and mayo until just before serving.

My rice is too sticky. What can I do?

I find a wet spoon or wet hands the best way to deal with sticky rice. Wet them again once things start to get too sticky.

How long will the sushi last?

Be sure to enjoy the sushi with in one day for the best taste, as the cucumber will get soggy over time.