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–+ servings

Salmon Onigiri (Japanese Salmon Rice Balls)

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 4 rice balls

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Heat up a frying pan on medium and add 1 tsp butter. Once the butter is melted, add 100 g salmon fillet to the pan and fry on both sides until it's opaque and cooked through.
    pan-frying a salmon fillet in butter
  • Use a spatula break it up into smaller flakes, remove bones with tweezers or chopsticks if necessary. Then add 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) to the pan, mix well and cook until the liquid is gone.
    pan-fried salmon broken into flakes
  • Turn off the heat and transfer the cooked salmon flakes to a large heatproof bowl.
    seasoned salmon flakes in a glass mixing bowl
  • Add 350 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice, ½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds and 2 tbsp finely chopped green onions to the bowl.
    mixing salmon flakes with rice, sesame seeds and green onions
  • Mix well until the ingredients are evenly distributed through the rice.
    mixed rice to make salmon onigiri
  • Take approx 100-130g of the rice and shape it into a rounded triangle using your preferred method. Make sure to sprinkle salt on your hands/plastic wrap/mold first. If using bare hands, submerge them in ice cold water and rub salt over them before shaping.
    salmon onigiri mixture shaped in an onigiri (rice ball) mold
  • Wrap it with nori right before eating and enjoy!
    salmon onigiri wrapped with nori

Notes

If you use canned salmon or leftover shiozake instead fresh, make sure to adjust the soy sauce amount to avoid making it overly salty.
Reduce the soy-seasoned salmon until the pan looks dry and the flakes turn glossy.
Mix the salmon into rice while the rice is still hot and steamy.
Aim for firm-but-gentle shaping pressure. Over-pressing crushes grains into a dense, gummy "brick," while under-pressing makes the onigiri crack and shed flakes.
If hand-shaping feels fiddly, an onigiri mold is a legit success tool.
Keep the nori separate until you're ready to eat for a crisp "konbini-style" bite. Wrapping too early traps moisture and turns nori chewy from condensation.
For make-ahead efficiency, you can cook and season the salmon flakes in advance, but shape the onigiri the day you'll eat them (or freeze right away).
Serving ideas: Cucumber Tsukemono, Traditional Miso Soup, Japanese Cucumber Salad, Easy Takuan