Tuna and Avocado Rolls

Name: Tuna and Avocado Rolls
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 (8-ounce) tuna steak; 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 4 top-split hot dog buns; 1 tablespoon butter, melted; 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced into ½-inch cubes, about 1 cup; ¼ red onion, peeled and finely diced, about 2 tablespoons; 2 green onions, thinly sliced, about 2 tablespoons; zest from 1 lime, about 1 teaspoon; juice from 1 lime, about 2 tablespoons; 1 teaspoon wasabi paste; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper; 1 bunch watercress, washed, dried, and stems removed, about 2 cups; fresh chives

Coastal Mains

Tuna and Avocado Rolls

Print Recipe

The Strategy:

This recipe completely reframes the classic East Coast lobster roll by swapping heavy mayonnaise for a wildly vibrant, highly acidic wasabi-lime vinaigrette and deeply seared, soy-marinated tuna. Tossing perfectly rare, ½-inch cubes of tuna with rich avocado and sharp red onion creates a stunning textural contrast, which is immediately stuffed into heavily buttered, warm top-split buns lined with peppery watercress. Serving these intensely colored, flavor-packed rolls provides a spectacularly fresh, sophisticated take on casual coastal dining that requires zero formal plating.

Serves: 4 | Total Time: 20 minutes till they’re ready

Ingredients

For the rolls and filling

1 (8-ounce) tuna steak
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 top-split hot dog buns
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced into ½-inch cubes, about 1 cup
¼ red onion, peeled and finely diced, about 2 tablespoons

For the dressing and aromatics

2 green onions, thinly sliced, about 2 tablespoons
zest from 1 lime, about 1 teaspoon
juice from 1 lime, about 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
2 tablespoons olive oil

For seasoning and garnish

1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
1 bunch watercress, washed, dried, and stems removed, about 2 cups
fresh chives

Ingredients arranged: a thick raw pink tuna steak soaking in dark soy sauce, halved avocados, bright green limes, sliced red onions, a bunch of crisp watercress, four top-split golden buns, melted butter, olive oil, and bright green wasabi paste around a heavy mixing bowl on a marble prep board.

Instructions

Grill the tuna

Lay the tuna steak on a platter.
Douse with soy sauce, coating all sides.
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
Grill the tuna on one side for 2 minutes. Turn and cook on the second side for 2 minutes more. The top fourth and bottom fourth of the steak should be golden in color, while the center still is pink and rare. Remove the tuna from the grill and cool to room temperature.

Warm buns and make salad

Brush the tops of the buns with melted butter.
Wrap the buns in a sheet of aluminum foil and warm in a low oven or warming drawer.
Dice the tuna into ½-inch cubes and add to a bowl.
Add the avocado and the red and green onions.
Stir together the lime zest and juice with the wasabi paste and olive oil in a separate bowl.
Season with salt and pepper.
Pour this sauce over the tuna and veggies and toss to combine.
Open the buns from the top. Place a layer of watercress leaves into the bottom of the bun. Top with the tuna salad. Garnish with a sprinkle of snipped chives.

A cook's hand using a heavy silver spoon to stuff a vibrant mixture of rare pink tuna cubes and bright green avocado into a golden-brown, buttered, warm top-split bun lined with fresh watercress.

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The Heart of the Table

Serving a tray of massively overstuffed, vibrantly colored tuna rolls immediately signals an atmosphere of high-energy, elevated casual dining. The stark visual contrast of the bright pink, rare tuna against the rich green avocado and bright red onions demands attention, instantly transforming a simple lunch into a deeply intentional, intensely flavorful culinary event.

An outdoor sun-drenched coastal lunch setting with 8 guests gathered around the table laughing loudly, eating with their hands, and drinking ice-cold Japanese rice lagers in tall glasses on a Palm Beach Estate dining patio. A massive board of overflowing Tuna and Avocado Rolls anchors the lively coastal patio lunch party.

Neighborly Grace

THE PRESENTATION: Do not attempt to plate these individually. Arrange the four heavily stuffed, butter-warmed rolls side-by-side on a long, heavy wooden board, ensuring the vibrant pink tuna and green avocado cubes are aggressively overflowing from the top-split buns, heavily showered with fresh chives.
THE POUR: The sharp, intense heat of the wasabi, the bright acidity of the lime, and the rich fattiness of the avocado demand a wildly crisp, intensely refreshing wine or beer. A fiercely chilled, bone-dry Japanese Rice Lager or a razor-sharp, highly acidic Sancerre perfectly slices through the rich tuna and buttered bun.
THE VIBE: Energetic, sun-drenched patio lunches. This is the meal you execute on a bright Sunday afternoon, served outdoors with massive stacks of thick-cut potato chips, demanding a loud, unpretentious, and deeply satisfying coastal dining experience.

Chef’s Recommendations

Something Sharp and Pickled: Pickled Shishito Peppers & Summer Vegetables
Lime, Then Lemon: Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake
The Chips with the Roll: Spiced-Up Potato Chips
Lime, in a Glass: Coconut Margarita Punch

The Estate Table

Build tonight’s menu around this dish.

✦ Set the Table

Tuna and Avocado Rolls

Tuna and Avocado Rolls

The full recipe lives in the Vault

The Heart of the Table

Neighborly Grace

✨ The Gilded Swaps