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I worked at Kabuki for many years as a young adult, and I love their food! I’m going to be sharing 5 recipes inspired by my favorite Kabuki signature dishes, starting with the Firecracker. This appetizer is a spicy tuna dip with crispy wonton chips. I order it every time I dine at Kabuki!
The Firecracker is almost like tuna poke, but ground up as a dip and served with wonton chips on the side. It’s made with sriracha, japanese mayo, sesame oil, soy sauce, a tiny bit of sugar, and my secret ingredient which I will talk about later!
My best friends and I used to go to Kabuki all the time (even when I worked there), and we’d start off with the Firecracker as an appetizer. One time we were really craving it, but there wasn’t a Kabuki nearby so we tried to see if we could make it at home with some salmon that we had. This recipe is based off that very successful attempt, since I don’t know Kabuki’s actual recipe for the Firecracker.
Ingredients:
- Tuna– you can also use salmon if you prefer, just make sure it is “sushi grade” or safe for raw consumption.
*The term “sushi grade” in itself is not a real thing- more of a marketing term but, it is important to find fish that has been “previously frozen below a specific temperature and for a specific amount of time.” You can find more info about raw food safety here. - Veggies- finely diced tomato, red onion, and cilantro go into the spicy tuna dip, then topped with sliced green onion.
- Sauce- Sriracha, Japanese mayo, sesame oil, soy sauce, a little sugar for balance, and my secret ingredient: pickled ginger brine. Does Kabuki add it to their mix? Probably not. I don’t know for sure. But this specific sauce, which I also use for poke bowls, tastes so much better with some pickled ginger brine. If you’ve ever tried to make a similar sauce at home and felt like it was missing something- it’s probably that.
- Wonton chips- these are super easy to make, all you need are eggroll skins cut into small pieces and lightly fried for 10-15 seconds. That’s it! They add a very nice crunch and flavor to the dish. Perfect for dipping.
Storage & tips:
- I recommend letting the spicy tuna dip marinate (in the refrigerator) for an hour before eating it. You don’t have to, but I do think that hour gives the marinade enough time to really enhance the flavors.
- Do not keep in the refrigerator for more than 1 day. If you have leftovers just make sure to eat them within 24 hours. It may turn to a brownish color but it’s ok to eat during that time.
- If you’re making this for a party or large gathering, you can make the chips ahead of time and store in air-tight containers. They will stay crispy.
- I highly recommend serving with some sliced or cubed avocados!
Kabuki Firecracker Copycat
Ingredients
- 8 oz tuna or salmon, sushi grade
- 2 tbsp red onion
- 2 tbsp tomato
- 1 tbsp cilantro
- 3 8×8 eggroll wrappers, makes 27 chips
- canola or vegetable oil, for frying
Sauce
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp Japanese mayo, American mayo is ok too- just add a pinch of msg.
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp pickled ginger brine
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp sugar
Optional add-ons:
- avocado
- green onion
Instructions
- Mix together all the sauce ingredients and set it aside.
- Mince the tuna into a paste-like consistency. If your tuna has a lot of sinew, you may need to use a spoon and scrape the tuna off the sinew to separate it. Note: You can also use salmon which is what I actually prefer. Always use sushi grade fish when preparing for raw consumption.
- Add the tuna to the sauce, along with finely chopped tomato, red onion, and cilantro. Mix well and set in the freezer (so it firms up a little bit and stays cold) while we make the wonton chips.
- Stack the eggroll skins on top of each other and cut them into 9 squares by making 2 vertical and horizontal cuts (like a tic-tac-toe board).
- In batches, fry in oil for 10-15 seconds, flipping over once. They will look like they are slightly under cooked but just trust me- any longer and they will brown too much. Rest on paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
- Plate then top the spicy tuna mix with some chopped green onions, and that's it! You can also add some avocado slices to the side.
Notes
- I recommend letting the spicy tuna dip marinate (in the refrigerator) for an hour before eating it. You don’t have to, but I do think that hour gives the marinade enough time to really enhance the flavors.
- Do not keep in the refrigerator for more than 1 day.
- If you’re making this for a party or large gathering, you can make the chips ahead of time and store in air-tight containers. They will stay crispy.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this and put it in a poke bowl! It was delicious! Thanks
Seriously, recipes NEVER disappoint! I have made a few of them and this one is another hit!! Thank you for the Mexican-Korean diversity! I am learning so much from you🤗
This recipe and the spicy seafood udon pasta recipe are my faves!!! So nostalgic since I too am a former employee. Now if we can get a recipe for the sukiyaki, my life would be complete !
I am obsessed with this recipe and I love sharing it with my friends and family. Sometimes tuna is a bit strong for me, but I can eat this all day, any day. I’ve never made at home wonton chips until making this recipe and can understand how homemade is a whole different taste. It’s always a fan favorite whenever I make it! Thanks for bursting our pallets with flavor
Loved making this spicy tuna with wonton chips! It was really fun throwing those wonton papers and watching them crisp up and I never knew how easy it was to make! These were a hit!
Love all your content and can’t wait to make the grapefruit cheong next! Thank you for sharing your wonderful meals!!
I can devour all of this in one sitting. The wonton chips 👌🏻. One of the recipes I’ll continue to make 🙂
The crunchy wonton chips with the fish?!!! AMAZING. I especially loved the pickled ginger in the dish. Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
This was great! I used seaweed chips instead and I ran out of red onion so I used white.
Thanks for the recipe!
Any recommendations other than the fried eggroll wrappers? Wife can’t eat due to allergies
I think fried seaweed chips would be a great alternative!