Tuna Stack

These simple Tuna Stacks are an explosion of flavor! We use a 1 cup measuring cup to quickly assemble these stacks which have four easy layers: a simple cucumber mango salad, creamy avocado, lemon-olive oil tuna, and sweet white rice.

Drizzling on some soy sauce and an easy sriracha mayo sauce takes them to the next level. Satisfy your sushi cravings easily from the comfort of your home!

We love the ease of canned tuna; try some of our other popular tuna recipes next: this cheesy one-skillet Tuna Pasta, our classic Tuna Salad, or this potluck favorite: Tuna Macaroni Salad. And if you’re catering to vegetarians, these Vegetarian Sushi Bowls are a great meat-free option.

Tuna Stack

My toddler has a serious obsession with quick hyper-lapse foodie videos. It may be because he watches me make them (and often helps out with them — those adorably fat baby hands you occasionally see are his).

He calls them “yummy videos” and says “yum-mmmmmy” several times throughout each video we watch. It doesn’t matter if the video is for sweet or savory or even a kitchen hack — he loves them all!

One video we watched together was how to make California Sushi Stacks by my incredibly talented friend Gina over at Skinnytaste. After watching that video we both immediately wanted sushi stacks for lunch! But without having several of the ingredients, we whipped up something pretty different borrowing the same concept. Since making our take on those sushi stacks a few month ago, we haven’t been able to quit making them — it’s reached obsession level for sure!

Tuna Stack Tips

• Use canned tuna packed in olive oil for the best flavor. My personal favorite is Genova’s® albacore tuna. Tuna packed in olive oil is richer and has a fresher flavor.
• Ready and fully ripe mangoes and avocados are game changers for Tuna Stacks. The creamy texture and flavor are far superior if both ingredients are fully ripe. (See Quick Tip below)
• I recommend Persian (sometimes labeled as mini cucumbers) or English cucumbers. These cucumbers are nearly seedless and very crisp (instead of watery). They have a sweet, mild flavor and a great crunch; they’re the perfect complement to the other ingredients.
• Tame the bite of red onion. If you’re sensitive to the flavor of raw red onion, soak the diced onions in ice cold, salted water for 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly before using in these tuna stacks.
• For best success in inverting these tuna stacks, lightly grease the measuring cup with nonstick spray before starting. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the measuring cup before inverting the stack. (It’s normal for some of the mango cucumber salad to stick to the measuring cup, just pull it out and sprinkle on top of the tuna stack.)

Shortcut prep tips

• Use leftover cold white rice. We have Tuna Stacks so often for lunches that I will make a huge batch of rice at the beginning of the week to use. If you don’t have to cook the rice, these come together very quickly.
  • Another very quick alternative is Minute Rice®.  It takes 5 minutes to make and, in that time, you can have all the veggies and the tuna prepped. (If you are using Minute Rice, use 1 cup uncooked.)
• Prep ahead of time. The cucumber mango salad and Sriracha mayo can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Note that flavors on both intensify as they sit. (Red onion can become sharper and flavor the other ingredients stronger; Sriracha mayo becomes spicier.)
• Use grocery short-cuts. Many grocery stores have prepared (peeled and cut) mango spears, which save on some prep time. Simply dice up those prepared spears to use in these Tuna Stacks.

More tuna recipes

• Creamy Tuna Pasta with sweet peas
• Avocado Tuna Salad with an avocado-based dressing
• Mediterranean Tuna Orzo Salad with a lemon vinaigrette
• Sriracha Tuna Salad Wraps with fresh veggies

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4.93 from 14 votes

Tuna “Sushi” Stacks

By Chelsea Lords

Tuna Stacks are flavor-packed and so easy! Layer cucumber mango salad, creamy avocado, lemon-olive oil tuna, and sweet white rice for a quick, delicious meal.

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 sushi stacks

Equipment

• Small pot
• 4 1-cup measuring cups

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1/2 cup uncooked white rice plus 1 cup water (207g)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or rice wine vinegar
• ▢ 1 large ripe mango 1-1/4 cup
• ▢ 1/2 cup Persian cucumber or English cucumber; 1/2 English cucumber or 1 Persian cucumber
• ▢ 1/4 cup diced red onion 1/4 of an onion
• ▢ 1 large ripe avocado
• ▢ 1 large lemon divided
• ▢ 5 ounces canned tuna packed in olive oil, well-drained
• ▢ 1/2 cup mayo divided, I love Hellman’s/Best Foods
• ▢ Cooking spray
• ▢ 3 to 6 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• ▢ Salt and pepper
• ▢ Sesame seeds optional, I use black and white
• ▢ 1.5 teaspoons Sriracha sauce

Instructions 

• Add rice and water to a small pot. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10–15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, keeping the pot covered, and let stand and steam for 5–10 minutes. Remove lid, let cool slightly, then toss with rice vinegar and let fully cool.

  Alternatively, use cold leftover rice or white Minute Rice (1 cup uncooked) for a super-quick assembly.
• Meanwhile, dice mango, cucumber, and red onion. Toss together in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
• Peel and remove pit from an avocado. Scoop out the flesh and add to a bowl. Mash the avocado and add a pinch of salt and pepper (I add 1/8 teaspoon of each.) and 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
• Thoroughly drain tuna and flake with a fork. Add to a bowl and mix with 1/4 cup (50g) mayo and another 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Stir gently.
• Lightly spray four 1-cup measuring cups with cooking spray. Divide mango salad evenly into the bottom of each measuring cup and compress it using the back of a spoon. Divide avocado mixture evenly on top, pressing and smoothing into an even layer. Divide tuna mixture on top and again smooth and press into an even layer. Divide rice evenly on top. Use the back of a fork to press down and compress everything into each measuring cup. Repeat in all four measuring cups. As you finish one stack, put it in the fridge; they are slightly easier to remove when chilled for a few minutes.
• Lightly run a sharp knife around the edge of the measuring cup, then invert onto a plate. (I do this by putting a plate on top of the measuring cup, flipping it over, and gently pulling the cup up and off.) Some of the mango salad may be stuck behind in the cup; simply pull it out and put it on top. Drizzle each Tuna Stack with 1–2 teaspoons soy sauce, sesame seeds, and another squeeze of lemon as desired.
• In another bowl, stir together remaining 1/4 cup (50g) mayo with the Sriracha (see note 1) and 1 more tablespoon lemon juice. Drizzle over the Tuna Stacks. Enjoy immediately. These stacks don’t store well.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Add Sriracha sauce to heat preference. This sauce has a pretty good kick to it.

Storage: Store leftover tuna stacks in separate airtight containers: rice, salad, tuna, and avocado stored separately in the fridge. Enjoy within 2 days for best flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 402kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 446mg | Potassium: 504mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 694IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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