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Close-up of Korean kimbap rolls filled with tuna, egg, carrots and pickled radish

Tuna Avocado Kimbap

5 from 1 vote
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Korean
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 5 sheets Gimbap Gim Nori/Dried Seaweed (Using 1 and a half sheets per roll)
  • 660 g Cooked Rice About 200-220g per roll
  • 150 g Canned Tuna oil thoroughly drained
  • 2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
  • 1 Cheongyang Pepper Green chili (Optional)
  • 1/4 Onion
  • 1 Cucumber
  • 1 Carrot
  • 3-4 pieces Yellow Pickled Radish Danmuji
  • 2 Eggs
  • 3/4 Avocado
  • 6 sheets Perilla Leaves Kkaennip (or 6 sheets of lettuce)
  • Sesame Oil or Perilla Oil
  • Salt
  • Toasted Sesame Seeds Optional

Instructions
 

Cook the Rice. (Use Korean short-grain sticky rice.)

    Prepare Vegetables.

    • Julienne the cucumber, place it in a bowl, mix with a pinch of salt, and let sit for 20 minutes.
    • After 20 minutes, squeeze the water out of the cucumber as much as possible.
    • Julienne the carrot. Sauté the carrot in a dry pan with a pinch of salt. When cooked to your liking, finish by adding 1 teaspoon of Sesame Oil (or Perilla Oil).
    • Whisk the eggs, season with 1/3 teaspoon of salt, and cook until golden brown in a pan with oil or butter.
    • Once the eggs have cooled slightly, julienne them.

    Prepare Fillings.

    • Drain the tuna using a sieve to remove the oil as much as possible.
    • Mix the drained tuna with 1 chopped Cheongyang pepper (optional), chopped onion, a dash of black pepper, and mayonnaise. Adding enough mayonnaise to make it nicely moist is delicious, but adjust to personal preference. You can also serve extra mayo as a dipping sauce.
    • Slice the avocado lengthwise.

    Season the Rice.

    • To the slightly cooled rice, add 1/3 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil per 220g (one roll's worth). Mix gently with a spatula. Do not mash the rice with your hands.
    • Tip: Salt should be added incrementally until the rice is just a little bland, as all other ingredients are seasoned. For 3 rolls (660g rice): 1 teaspoon salt / 1.5 tablespoons sesame oil.)

    Assemble the Huge Gimbap.

    • Stick one and a half sheets of Gim together using water and a brush. The shiny side of the Gim should be facing outwards (down).
    • Spread the seasoned rice as thinly as possible onto the Gim. (Fill the starting edge completely, and leave a 4-5cm gap at the finishing edge.)
    • First, lay down the perilla leaves or lettuce barrier. (This prevents the moisture from the filling from soaking the rice, and it adds flavor.)
    • Place the firmest fillings (like pickled radish) first at the bottom.
    • Start placing the ingredients about 3-4cm from the edge closest to you.

    Roll and Seal.

    • No bamboo mat is needed. You can do this by hand.
    • Roll the starting edge over the fillings, then use your fingertips to tuck the Gim in and gather the ingredients as you roll.
    • Cup your hand around the ingredients to form a tight, solid bundle, and press down firmly. Hold for about 5 seconds.
    • Wet the remaining end of the Gim with water and finish rolling to seal the seam.
    • Leave the seam side down to stick well.

    Slice.

    • Slice the Kimbap. Use a saw-like motion when slicing the roll, but press down with force when you reach the final part to cut cleanly. (Note: Remember to oil your knife slightly before slicing!)

    Video

    Notes

    [ TIPS ]
    ▶︎ Since all fillings are seasoned, only season the rice to be slightly bland.
    ▶︎ When rolling, press gently to gather and then hold firmly for about 5 seconds for a tight roll.
    ▶︎ Depending on the amount of filling you add, this recipe may yield 3 or 4 rolls.
    ▶︎ It's perfectly fine if you're missing some ingredients. You can still have delicious Gimbap even if you just stick to the eggs.
    Keyword avocado, kimbap, rice, roll, tuna, vegitables