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Spicy Tuna Onigiri

Spicy Tuna Onigiri

Enjoy delicious Spicy Tuna Onigiri, a flavorful Japanese rice ball featuring spicy tuna and rice, perfect for a quick snack or meal.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cooling Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Snack
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 1 serving
Calories 250 kcal

Equipment

  • rice cooker
  • medium saucepan
  • Fine-meshed sieve
  • Rice paddle
  • Medium bowl
  • small bowl

Ingredients
  

  • cups Japanese short-grain rice (sushi rice) about 2 rice cooker cups
  • 15 fluid ounces cold water 440 mL
  • kosher salt
  • 1 can (4.5 ounces) Portofino Solid Albacore Tuna in Extra Virgin Olive Oil drained
  • tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce
  • ½ teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1 scallion green parts only, finely sliced
  • toasted black sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional)
  • 3 sheets toasted nori cut crosswise in half

Instructions
 

Prepare the rice

  • Place the rice in a fine-meshed sieve and rinse well under cold water, rubbing the grains of rice between your fingers, until the water runs clear. This helps remove any excess starch and improves the texture of the rice once cooked. Drain well.
  • Combine the rice and water, and cook in a rice cooker according to the manufacturer’s directions. If you do not own a rice cooker, combine the rice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook covered for 16 to 18 minutes or until the water has been completely absorbed. Remove from heat, gently fluff rice with a rice paddle or wooden spoon, place a clean kitchen towel over the pot, top with the lid again, and let stand covered for 10 minutes.

Make the filling

  • In a medium bowl, combine the albacore tuna, mayonnaise, hot sauce, and rice vinegar with a fork until evenly combined. Stir in the scallions.

Assemble

  • Set aside a medium bowl of room temperature water and a small bowl of kosher salt for pinching. Once the sushi rice is cool enough to handle, start assembling the onigiri by hand.
  • Lightly moisten your hands by dipping them in the water bowl. Sprinkle both of your palms lightly with kosher salt and rub them together. Grab roughly a ½ cup of sushi rice and gently press into a thick oblong shape in one palm of your hand. Add a tablespoon of the tuna filling to the center of rice and close the rice over the filling.
  • Gently shape the rice ball into a wide triangular shape using your hands and avoid compressing the rice too hard. Sprinkle the outside of the onigiri with black sesame seeds. Wrap each onigiri in a nori sheet and place an additional small spoonful of tuna filling on the top of each onigiri. Serve immediately.

Notes

Unlike sushi, onigiri is made with steamed rice that is lightly seasoned with salt during the shaping process.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 10gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0.5gSodium: 150mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1g
Keyword Japanese snacks, Onigiri, Spicy Tuna Onigiri, Sushi Rice, Tuna Rice Balls
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