Spicy Mayo

Quite a few recipes that you’ll see will call for Japanese spicy mayo. This is usually mixed up with chopped tuna to make the popular spicy tuna rolls. It may also be drizzled over other rolls to achieve a spicy or burning mouth taste. Many sushi restaurants will have something called a “flaming joy roll”  that will have spicy Japanese mayo drizzled over it. If you’re looking for some, you have two options:

1. You can purchase some pre-made spicy mayo at the grocery store or asian supermarket. This is usually labeled under the Kewpie brand and is the easier path to take. Just use as much as the recipe calls for.

2. You can mix up your own spicy mayo using American mayo as a base. This is a more authentic way, because you’ll be able to control the flavors in the sauce more precisely and make it the way most Japanese sushi restaurants would make it. There are many different recipes for spicy Japanese mayo. Here is one that I like to use:

American mayonnaise

Sriracha (a Thai seasoning…tabasco sauce will do if you can’t find any)

Pinch of sugar

Dash of rice vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

All you really have to do is add sriracha to your mixing bowl full of mayonnaise until you achieve the right heat you’re looking for (taste test until you are sure of your preferred measurements!). Mix it up with a wire whisk, then add the other ingredients in small amounts until you have all the flavors you need. The sugar serves to sweeten up the mayo slightly, while the rice vinegar complements the sugar with a sweet and sour effect. The sricacha gives it the heat to become spicy mayonnaise and it all will go perfectly on your spicy tuna rolls or served with sashimi or over seafood rolls. Enjoy!