Easy Yaki Onigiri - Grilled Rice Balls
Crispy on the outside. Tender & chewy on the inside. This Salmon Yaki Onigiri recipe comes together in 30 minutes or less & will make your reimagine leftovers - especially when it fits in the palm of your hands!
Servings: 4 Rice Balls
Calories: 349kcal
Ingredients
- 4 oz cooked or canned salmon drained
- 1 ½ tablespoons Japanese mayo
- 1 ½ teaspoon soy sauce plus a little extra for brushing
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon rice vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon sriracha optional
- 1 ½ cup freshly cooked short grained rice*
- Salt
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine salmon, Japanese mayo, soy sauce, rice vinegar, & sriracha (if using). Set aside.
- In the onigiri mold, sprinkle a very small amount of salt, add enough rice to cover the bottom of the mold. Then, add about 1 ½ tablespoon of salmon filling in the center, then more rice on top to cover the filling. Note that the amount of rice and filling depends on the size of the mold. For best results, make sure your rice & filling are really packed in.
- Put the top of the mold on top, then gently & firmly press to make rice tightly packed. You should feel a little resistance, but if you don’t, you might want to add a bit more rice so your onigiri is full & tightly pressed together. Press the back of the mold to release the onigiri.
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Gently place the onigiri onto the skillet & allow to toast for 2-3 minutes or until browned & crispy. Use a spatula & tongs, carefully flip the onigiri & cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Brush the onigiri with a little soy sauce on both side & toast cook for another couple of minutes, or until golden & caramelized on both sides. Keep a close eye so it doesn’t burn.
- Remove yaki onigiri for the pan & enjoy!
Notes
- Protein: This recipe uses cooked salmon, but you could swap it out with canned tuna too.
- Rice: The best type of rice to use is short or medium-grain white rice. Japanese short-grain rice (also called sushi or sweet rice) is traditionally used, but any short or medium-grain rice will do! Long-grain or brown rice tends not to be sticky enough.
- Furikake: Furikake typically has seaweed and sesame seeds, but there are various flavors you can try!
Nutrition
Serving: 1yaki onigiri | Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 288mg | Potassium: 158mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg