The Skinny Chef's Spicy Tuna Cups. Photo: Jennifer Iserloh

Making proper sushi rice and learning to roll your own takes a lot of practice. But even if you feel overwhelmed wrapping sushi, these little pickled cucumber cups are just the easiest thing to make and you can fill them with all sorts of tasty bites.

These nibbles are made from sushi grade tuna that I buy at The Lobster Place in the Chelsea Market in New York City. But if you don't have a great purveyor locally and aren't a fan of raw fish, you can always use the same amount of baked salmon. It works just as well in my recipe, although the texture will be firmer

So what's the deal with mercury?

Learn more about tuna and mercury and get Jennifer's Spicy Tuna recipe after the jump.

The FDA advises against eating certain types of fish that are very high in mercury, like tilefish, swordfish, shark and king mackerel and suggests limiting the consumption of other types of fish to twice weekly. I have fish once weekly and choose preparations like this one that use smaller amounts of fish per serving and a higher amount of veggies to fill out my plate.

Spicy Tuna Cups

5 small Persian or Kirby cucumbers
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1-inch piece of lemongrass, cut in half
1 scallion, white part only, chopped
1 pound of sushi grade tuna
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayo
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup black or white sesame seeds for garnish

In a small saucepan, heat rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, lemongrass and scallion. Simmer 2-3 minutes until the sugar and salt dissolves. Set aside.

Peel the cucumbers and slice into 1-inch chunks. With a paring knife or melon baller, prepare your cup by hollowing out one side of the cucumber.

Pour the cooled vinegar mixture into a zipper-lock bag and add the cucumber cups. Marinate for 4-5 minutes.

In a food processor or mini-chopper, pulse the tuna. Mix in the mayo and chili sauce. Season with salt.

Remove cucumber cups from marinade and fill with tuna mixture. Garnish with sesame seeds.


Learn more about Jennifer at skinnychef.com, and read her exclusive Slashfood blogs every Monday and Friday.