Tuna Kimbap. It's one of Korea's favorite type of Kimbap. It tastes light and savory, a spring tuna salad with crunchy bits of cucumber and cabbage. Not to mention the slight grassy smell of the perilla leaf. A perfect roll to make for the summer!
This recipe is much simpler to make than traditional Kimbap. All you need is a can of tuna and a few fresh veggies.
Substitutions: If you don't like tuna, replace it with canned chicken. For the perilla leaves, there is no real substitute. Perhaps shiso leaves? If you can't find either, skip it or add a few Thai or Lemon basil leaves. It should also add a hint of herbal flavor.
P.s. In Korea, we like to eat Kimbap with a bowl of Spicy Korean Ramen. The two pair well together - Bon Appetit neighbors!

Tuna Kimbap - One of Korea's Favorite Kimbap
Ingredients
Fresh ingredients
- Tuna - 1 can 150 grams
- Gim - 3 sheets
- Cabbage - 1 layer
- Perilla leaves - 6
- Cucumber - small piece length of your pointer finger
- Onion - ¼ whole
Sushi Rice Seasoning
- Cooked white rice - 2 cups
- Salt - ½ teaspoon
- Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
- Sesame seeds - few shakes
Tuna Cucumber Salad Seasoning
- Mayonnaise - 3 Tablespoons Japanese or Korean Mayonnaise tastes great!
- Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
- Black pepper - few shakes
Instructions
Prep ingredients
- Open tuna can. Drain it and squeeze out the oil.
- Take stems off perilla leaves. Cut the ¼ piece of onion into thin small slices. Julienne the piece of cucumber and cabbage leaf into very thin strips.
- Take out a mixing bowl. Mix-in mayonnaise, vinegar and black pepper. Stir it together. Then throw in the tuna, cabbage, cucumber and onions. Mix it together with your hands. Top the mixture with a few shakes of black pepper.
Make gimbap rice
- Put rice into a large bowl. Fan it out so it can lose some steam and cool off.
- Then sprinkle some salt (½ teaspoon) over the rice. Place sesame oil in (1 Tablespoon). Sprinkle on sesame seeds as well. Mix everything together. Set aside.
Roll-up gimbap
- Place a sheet of gim on the cutting board (make sure its dry)
- Place an even layer of rice over the gim - up to about ⅔ of the sheet (reference video). Don't let the rice clump up in one spot - spread it out evenly.
- Place two perilla leaves at the center of the rice. Then put a few scoops of the tuna mixture over the leaves.
- Pull the bottom of the sheet up to the ⅔ line. Then use your hands to gently scoot back the filling, while squeezing the roll to make it firm. Continue to roll to the end.
- Dab your finger in water. Then run it across the edge of the sheet. Roll it and seal the roll off.
- Repeat again to make two more rolls.
Notes
- It should make 3 kimbap rolls
- See video below for more details
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