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This Temaki Sushi with canned tuna (AKA Tuna hand roll sushi) is low carb and takes minutes to make! Because everybody knows it’s easy to make a quick meal with canned tuna, everybody should have these tuna temaki rolls up their sleeves! With creamy roasted sesame dressing, buttery soft avocado, and baby butterhead lettuce, who says sushi can’t be low carb?
Temaki Sushi Low Carb (Tuna Hand Rolls)
Temaki Sushi “手巻き寿司” literally means Hand Rolled Sushi. Most often, and traditionally speaking, temaki rolls are made with raw fish/shellfish (tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab meat…etc.), wrapped in nori sheet and rolled to a cone shape.
To make today’s Temaki Sushi much simpler and more accessible for everyone, I use canned tuna instead. My husband told me that canned tuna is quite common in American households. I have to admit that originally I was not a fan of canned tuna but one early afternoon after an intensive workout session I realized I had nothing in the fridge and out of desperation I reluctantly opened a can of tuna that was hidden all the way in the back of my pantry.
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Now think about it the only reason (besides I was super hungry) that I decided to give canned tuna a try is because I had a jar of my homemade Roasted Creamy Sesame Dressing. With a few sprinkles of chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds, OMG it was so easy and so yummy. Who knew Asian-inspired tuna salad can be so delicious?
How To Make Temaki Rolls Low Carb
So here are the 3 things that will make you fall in love with my tuna Temaki Sushi even if you’ve had meh canned tuna experiences in the past!
- A really great creamy dressing – most often, I see people use plain mayo but I think we can dial up the flavor a bit with my roasted sesame dressing that’s creamy and nutty delicious. This is the sauce carrier that drives the flavor so don’t skip it!
- More color and higher in nutrition – I also add carrots and cucumber noodles, using a julienne peeler and avocado slices for good fat. Mix the tuna with loads of spring onions to keep it light and refreshing.
- Easy to roll and no cook – Instead of using sushi rice, use butterhead lettuce instead. The lettuce will hold the moisture from the tuna and help the nori sheets stay drier longer.
Like I mentioned, this is an easy no cook Temaki sushi. It tastes just as delicious as the regular temaki rolls but much lower in carb.
How To Make Tuna Hand Roll Temaki Sushi
- Cut a large square nori sheet into half to get 2 rectangular nori sheets
- Place the shining side down and overlap 2 butterhead lettuce leaves at a 45 degree angle to the top left corner of the nori sheet
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of the tuna salad, avocado slices, carrots, and cucumber.
- Roll the bottom left corner up to the middle of the top edge of the nori to form a triangle.
- Continue rolling until you form a cone shape.
- Dap with a small drop of water to the tip end of the nori to secure the folds.
What else can make with canned tuna?
- Nori wraps with canned tuna (tiktok-inspired!)
- Tuna spaghetti (lemony delicious!)
- Spicy tuna bowl (with crispy rice and bang bang sauce)
More Easy Low Carb Meals
- Dim Sum – Shumai
- Vietnamese Garlic Shrimp Recipe
- Thai Basil Chicken
- Paleo Egg Rolls with Coconut Wraps
- Thai Larb (Larb Moo)
- Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Chinese Spicy Pepper Pork Lettuce Wraps
- Bulgogi Beef Sushi Rolls
Temaki Sushi Low Carb (Tuna Hand Rolls)
Ingredients
- 10 oz. canned tuna this is the one I use, drained well
- 2 bulbs scallions finely chopped
- ¼ – ½ tsp garlic powder
- 3-4 tbsp roasted creamy sesame dressing
- Dash of hot sauce optional
- Half one whole avocado
- 2 whole persian cucumbers
- 1 medium carrot optional
- 4-5 pieces whole nori sheets
- 20 pieces butterhead lettuce
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix well ingredients from tuna to hot sauce, if using, to make tuna salad.
- Make avocado slices. Cut the cucumbers and the carrot into match stick shape or use a julienne peeler like I did.
- Cut the square nori sheets in half so it turns into two rectangular sheets.
- Take a piece of nori sheet and place it shining side down. Overlap 2 butterhead lettuce leaves at a 45 degree angle to the top left corner of the nori sheet
- Add about a tablespoon of tuna salad over the lettuce and spread it evenly.
- Layer 2 avocado slices, carrots, and cucumber. Try not to overload it with too much food.
- Roll the bottom left corner up to the middle of the top edge of the nori to form a triangle. Continue rolling until you form a cone shape.
- Dap the tip end with a few taps of water to help secure the folds.
- Enjoy them right away so the nori sheets will remain crunchy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Make It A Full Meal With –
- Paleo Asian Coleslaw
- Paleo Asian Meatballs
- Chicken Yakisoba Noodles
- Chinese Pepper Steak
- Keto Scallion Pancakes
- Paleo Cauliflower Gratin
- Crispy rice sushi with smoked salmon avocado!
Very tasty! and you won’t feel bloated as sometimes with rice.
Thank you so much Chihyu, your recipes always mean delicious!
Thanks so much, appreciate it!
It says 8. How many would a reguar person eat for dinner? Thanks in advance
To me, I usually have 2 for lunch! 🙂
Delicious recipe! The sesame dressing is what makes it! I didn’t have butter lettuce so just used iceberg lettuce. It added extra crunch but it didn’t roll or look as pretty as a result. My non low carb husband said he didn’t notice the lack of rice and asked me to make it again for lunch tomorrow! Thanks again. You are doing Gods work with your recipes! 😊
So happy to hear. Thanks for sharing, Dee. 🙂
Girl! This recipe is amazing! Tried it with Canned Salmon as well. That was also a hit. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You should do another cookbook. I got Asian Paleo and I love it.
Hey Ada! Thank you! You are super cute and thanks for sharing the canned salmon tip as well!
Really loved the flavors, we just had difficulty rolling them properly. If you could add an instructional video it would be greatly appreciated
Thanks, Dece. I listed a few photos above the recipe in the post itself on how to make a cone shape of the hand rolls. Not sure if you see them. I’ll try to find a time to make a video when I can! Thank you!
We made it! And the kids love these hand rolls. My husband loves chicken so for him, I used shredded chicken instead but with the same creamy sesame dressing. It was DELICIOUS and the meals come together literally no time. Thank you so much for sharing this easy recipe!
Yay! So happy to hear. Love the Chicken twist, too!
We made this hand roll sushi! OMG it was so easy and delicious. We didn’t have enough nori sheets at home but the tuna salad with the Asian dressing combo was creamy delicious and with a light toasted sesame flavor. This is going to be one of our go-to quick meals for sure!