How to Make Sushi Taco at Home

Sushi tacos are a crunchy, savoury snack rich in umami. The supple rice and fresh fish provide a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture, while the salty nori shell delivers a delicious crunch.

Furthermore, these nori tacos maintain the iconic taco structure and aesthetic by wrapping seafood-inspired toppings in nori. Meanwhile, abundant helpings of delectable flavours on the inside add an Asian-fusion twist to the experience.

These quick snacks are incredibly versatile and easy to make. Therefore, you can get creative with the fillings for these delicious sushi taco shells. Moreover, it's a lot of fun to prepare.

We've done all the homework and tried numerous recipes to create this perfect recipe to satisfy your hunger. So, the next time you want to make something unique and extra special for sushi night, try our sushi taco recipe.

Jump to:

• What is a sushi taco?
• Sushi Taco Calories
• Sushi Taco Ingredients
• Vegan Sushi Tacos
• How to Make Sushi Taco 
• Sushi Taco Recipe

What is a sushi taco?

This fusion meal consists of a deep-fried nori seaweed tempura shell filled to the brim with sushi ingredients. For instance, these ingredients may include rice, salmon, tobiko and various sauces and garnishes. As a result, you get crunchy sushi taco shells with a unique, fresh spicy salmon filling and hot rice. 

This sushi taco recipe is a novel take on conventional sushi, combining Japanese and Mexican flavours. These snacks are available at many Asian fusion restaurants, especially in cities with significant Japanese and Mexican populations. Moreover, they're also popular at food trucks, pop-up events, and among adventurous home cooks.

Sushi Taco Calories

One serving (one taco) from our sushi taco recipe contains about 390 calories. However, note that the calories may vary according to the number of fillings you add. 

Sushi Taco Ingredients

The ingredients you need to make these seaweed tacos are:

• Nori seaweed
• Sashimi grade salmon
• Sashimi grade tuna
• Sushi rice
• Red onion  
• Avocado
• Tobiko (flying fish roe)

Tempura batter: 

• Egg whites
• All-purpose flour
• Cold water
• Salt 
• Granulated sugar

Condiments: 

• Japanese mayonnaise 
• Sriracha (or hot sauce)
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Rice wine vinegar

Nori

For nori tacos, you can use any full-sheet nori. However, we particularly favour roasted nori sheets since they are easy to handle and have a lovely flavour. These dry square-shaped seaweed sheets are as thin as paper and are packed with nutrients. They also make an excellent snack. They can be found in any supermarket's Asian section.

Seafood

You can make this sushi taco recipe with any of your favourite seafood like shrimp, yellowtail and crab. You will need to use sashimi-grade fish. As tuna is parasite resistant, it is one of the few fish species considered safe to consume raw with minimal processing.

Our recipe will specifically use yellowfin tuna because of its leaner and softer-tasting meat. Alternatively, you can use other tuna species like albacore, bigeye, bluefin, bonito, and skipjack. 

On the other hand, if you purchase salmon to eat raw, you should avoid wild-caught salmon and instead go for farmed salmon. Wild salmon spend most of their lives in freshwater, which is more vulnerable to parasites. Aquaculture raises salmon on parasite-free diets, making them safer to consume. Hence, it is safer to use farm-raised salmon. Ultimately, fresh, high-quality fish is the key to making excellent sushi tuna tacos.

However, if you don't have access to raw fish, you can always use canned fish, though it might not be as fresh. Alternatively, you can use cooked shrimp, chicken, tofu and marinated vegetables for this quick snack. 

Rice

Sushi rice is the best variety for these seaweed tacos. Regular rice has a fluffy texture where the grains tend to separate when cooked. Meanwhile, sushi rice has a stickier and more cohesive texture when cooked. Furthermore, the stickiness of this short-grain rice variety is essential for holding together the ingredients in sushi rolls. The sticky texture also prevents the tacos from spilling out. You can buy it in most supermarket stores in the Asian food aisle. 

Sushi rice requires specific preparation steps to achieve its desired texture and flavour. After rinsing the rice to remove excess starch, it is cooked using an approximately 1:1 ratio of water to rice. When cooking this rice variety, it is better to add a little less water than grains. 

Vegan Sushi Tacos

Our sushi taco recipe is quite customisable, so you can easily make it vegan. To make a vegan sushi taco, you would need to follow the same preparation methods. Instead, you would substitute out all of the non-vegan fillings. 

For example, you can replace the filling with avocado, vegan spicy mayo and rice. Additionally, add in vegetables like radishes, carrots and cucumbers for more texture and flavour.

You could also use vegan tuna or salmon for the perfect meat substitute. Ultimately, you can experiment with our recipe and create a unique, perfect combo. 

Furthermore, you would need to make a vegan tempura batter out of 50g of corn flour, 35g of plain flour, 10g of rice flour, a teaspoon of baking soda and ½ cup of water. Alternatively, you could leave the nori as is and double up to have a thicker shell instead of frying it in the tempura batter. 

How to Make Sushi Taco 

1. Firstly, cook the rice according to the package directions. Afterwards, bring the cooked rice to room temperature in a wooden bowl. 
2. Then, make the tempura batter by combining the egg whites, all-purpose flour and ice-cold water in a mixing bowl. Gently fold to mix. The tempura batter must not be too thick and must be just a little runny for the taco shells to be light and crisp.
3. To prepare the sushi taco shells, cut the nori into circular shapes and dip them in the tempura batter. Remember that the tempura batter must be slightly watery for the nori sheets to be light and crisp. Next, heat the frying oil over high heat. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes or until crispy but not brittle. Remove from the heat and set aside on a drying rack. 
4. Fold the fried nori into a taco shape using tongs or chopsticks, then set aside to cool. We advise purchasing a sushi taco holder to form the nori sheets into shape quickly.
5. Next, chop the tuna and salmon into small 1-inch cubes. Combine the fish with salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha sauce, and Japanese mayonnaise. Mix thoroughly, then store in the refrigerator. 
6. After that, mix and set aside the steamed white rice, rice wine vinegar, and granulated sugar in a separate bowl. Then, finely chop the onion and dice the avocado. 
7. To assemble the sushi tuna tacos, place one tablespoon of the rice mixture at the bottom of a fried nori seaweed taco shell. Then, top it with the fish mixture, diced avocado, tobiko, and red onions. Finally, serve immediately and enjoy. 

You can store this snack in the fridge for up to 24 hours if you keep it in an airtight container. However, the texture and taste may change over time, so they may not be as enjoyable as when freshly made. 

Alternatively, if you wish to prepare all the components in advance, you can leave them separately in the fridge. Once ready to eat, assemble the snack and eat immediately. 

If you loved our sushi taco recipe, try out our Gunkan Maki recipe. Follow us on Instagram @honestfoodtalks for more fusion favourites and seaweed deliciousness.