Best Salmon Onigiri Recipe Step By Step

Why This Recipe Works?

Using generously marbled salmon ensures the salted salmon flakes stay moist and tender. Steaming the salmon cooks it evenly, giving it a uniformly tender and fluffy texture without any tough or dry bits. Moderately salting the salmon and lightly salting the exterior of the onigiri ensures each rice ball is evenly seasoned. The trick to a light and fluffy salmon onigiri is to squeeze it together just enough to allow it to hold its shape without compressing the rice and making it dense.

Ingredients

Salmon - I like using salmon fillet with fat marbled into the fish to get moist and tender flakes. The area around the belly tends to have the most fat. I also like using salmon with a deep orange or pink hue because it gives the filling a nice color. I used Coho Salmon because it’s in season, but other types of salmon, such as Atlantic, King, or Sockeye, will work. Salt - The salt cures the salmon by drawing out excess moisture from the fish through osmosis. This not only helps to preserve the salmon, but it also seasons it while concentrating its flavors. I like using a traditional Japanese sea salt called mojio (or moshio) because it’s infused with seaweed, which adds umami to the salt. I don’t recommend curing the salmon with soy sauce because it will turn the salmon brown. Sake - I like to steam the salmon with sake because it imparts a subtle, fragrant flavor while amplifying the umami in the fish. If you can’t find sake, water will work, but it won’t be as flavorful. Japanese Short-Grain Rice - Japanese short-grain rice (sometimes labelled “sushi rice”) has a high ratio of amylopectin (relative to amylose), which gives it a sticky texture that allows your onigiri to hold its shape. Long-grain rice will not work as it is not sticky enough to hold together. You can read more about this, as well as how to cook it, in my tutorial on how to make Japanese rice. Nori - Sheets of nori seaweed add a crisp texture and briny flavor that balances out the rich salmon and sweet white rice while preventing the salmon onigiri from sticking to your hands. They’re not paying me to say this, but my favorite brand currently is Numata Nori.

How to Make Salmon Onigiri

The day before you want to make your onigiri, cure the salmon by setting it on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. The paper towels will help drain off any liquid the salmon releases. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt evenly over the surface of the fish. The salted salmon can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to cook the salmon, place it skin-side down in a non-stick frying pan. Add two tablespoons of sake, cover the pan with a lid, and turn the heat on to medium-high. Once the sake reaches a rolling boil, lower the heat to sustain a gentle simmer. Set a timer for three minutes. Steaming the salmon ensures a uniformly tender and fluffy texture while the sake infuses the fish with umami. When the timer is up, transfer the salmon to a clean surface. When it’s cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and remove any pin bones. Now, use your fingers to gently flake the salmon apart. If you want finer flakes, you can rub the flakes between your fingertips to crumble them up even more. To make the salmon onigiri, cut a sheet of plastic wrap in front of you and sprinkle on a pinch of salt. This will lightly salt the exterior of the onigiri. Heap a mound of cooked rice into the center of the wrap and make a small well in the center. Add a generous helping of your salmon flakes into the hole, and cover it with another layer of rice. To form the onigiri, lift the bottom edge of the plastic wrap and fold it over the rice. Bring the top corners down over the rice to make a triangular bundle. Shape one hand like a “U” and place the bundle of rice in it. Shape the other hand like a “V” and press your hands together to lightly compress the rice. The hallmark of a great onigiri is in the delicate balance of pressure that’s enough to hold its shape but not so much that it becomes dense and heavy. Another option is to use a plastic onigiri mold which will make these easier to shape. As for the nori strips, I’d recommend wrapping your salmon rice balls when you plan to eat it. This ensures the seaweed remains crisp, creating a delightful textural contrast with the soft rice and moist salmon. Just drape the nori strip, shiny side out, around the back of the onigiri like you’re putting a blanket over its shoulders and fold the edges over, pressing them gently into the rice.

Variations on Salmon Onigiri

In addition to using the salted salmon flakes to stuff onigiri, they can be folded into cooked rice to make salmon mazégohan (mixed rice). This can then be used to make onigiri. It’s a more colorful alternative to filling these Japanese rice balls because you can see the pink flakes of salmon mixed into the rice. If you go this route, try sprinkling some toasted white or black sesame seeds on the outside of the onigiri. These are also delicious covered with some homemade ikura.

Serve it With

In Japan, onigiri can be served for a quick breakfast, packed into a bento box for lunch on the go, or eaten as an afternoon snack. I like to have these with pickled veggies like my Asazuke or Cucumber Wasabi Pickles. If I’m packing them into a bento, I might add some Tamagoyaki, a rolled omelet that’s both sweet and savory. Karaage, or Japanese fried chicken, is another great addition to an onigiri bento. If you’re having this at home, a soul-soothing bowl of miso soup is a great way to up the comfort food vibes, and in winter, I might serve it with some Tonjiru.