Chef Alessandra Ciuffo dazzled her audience with her Culinary Demo of Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice during The Sun Wine & Food Fest 2026, Grand Tasting at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. If you have never had the opportunity to watch Chef Alessandra Ciuffo in action, she is a dynamo of a chef and one that you want to watch. Given only 30 minutes to prepare a dish for a live audience, Chef Alessandra explained the components of making Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice, then made it, and handed out samples at the end of her demo. Having sampled her delectable recipe, we cannot wait to make it at home. Cheers and Bon Appetit!
Chef Alessandra Ciuffo & Chef Plum
Chef Alessandra Ciuffo opened her demo by stating that she is Italian American but that she loves Asian food, so for her 2026 demo on the Coca-Cola stage during The Sun Wine & Food Fest, Grand Tasting at Mohegan Sun on Saturday, January 24, 2026, she made Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice. After explaining her recipe and going over the ingredients with Chef Plum she got to work making her tasty recipe that can be served as an appetizer or as a main course.
Chef Alessandra Ciuffo – Culinary Demo – Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
Sushi Rice Ingredients:
Sushi Rice
Salt
Sugar
Rice Vinegar
Directions: Make sushi rice according to package instructions. Mix salt, sugar, and rice wine vinegar together and pour over cooked sushi rice. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Evenly pat the sushi rice onto parchment paper creating a uniform height (1/2” or less). The rice can be made a day ahead and placed in the refrigerator until ready to use. Cut the rice into rectangles. If the rice has a bit of moisture, coat the rice with some rice flour. Deep fry the rice, then hit it with salt when the oil is still hot so that the salt sticks to the rice.
Chef Alessandra Ciuffo displaying crispy rice
Chef Notes: Chef Alessandra also likes to do this with polenta.
Spicy Tuna Ingredients:
Fresh Sushi Grade Tuna
Fresh Ginger
Ponzu Sauce
Garlic, chopped
Lemon Zest
Soy Sauce
Honey
Chives
Cutting piece of tuna
Directions: Chop the tuna and mix with fresh ginger, ponzu sauce, chopped garlic, lemon zest, soy sauce, honey, and whatever you would like. Spoon the tuna into quenelles onto the fried crispy rice rectangles and sprinkle them with chopped chives.
Chopping Tuna
Chef Allessandra Tip: Pop the tuna into the freezer for a little bit to make chopping easier. Be sure to use a sharp knife! Do not use a food processor. Also, you want to remove the “blood lines” from the tuna.
Spooning Tuna Quenelles on Crispy Rice
Chef Alessandra Notes: In place of Sushi Grade Tuna, you can also use tinned tuna, cooked tuna, cooked salmon, or even avocado.
Seasoning Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
After the demo, the audience had the opportunity to taste Chef Alessandra Ciuffo’s Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice, and it was delicious!
Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
Until next time, cheers and Bon Appetit!
Follow Chef Allesandra Ciuffo on Instagram at www.Instagram.com/flavorsbyalessandra
Enjoying Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
Alessandra Ciuffo
Instagram: @flavorsbyalessandra
You might also like to read the Gastronomy feature on The Sun Wine & Food Fest 2026, Grand Tasting at Mohegan Sun.
While The Sun Wine & Food Fest is held annually in late January, Mohegan Sun has many concerts, sports tournaments, comedy shows, and special events throughout the year so be sure to check out their website for all the latest information: www.mohegansun.com
Mohegan Sun
1 Mohegan Boulevard
Uncasville, Connecticut 06382
United States
General Information: +1-888-226-7711
Hotel Information: +1-888-777-7922
Website: www.mohegansun.com
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