Ingredients (makes 6–8 rice balls)
- 500 g Japanese round-grain rice (sushi rice)
- 100 g salmon fillet
- 2 tbsp oil
- Salt
- Optional: nori (dried seaweed sheets) or black sesame seeds (usually available in the Asian aisle of supermarkets)
Instructions
- Place the rice in a sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold water, washing away the excess starch. Leave to soak in a bowl of cold water for 1 hour.
- While the rice soaks, lightly salt the salmon fillet and let it rest in the refrigerator.
- Drain the rice and place it in a large saucepan. Fill the same bowl (that was used for soaking) with cold water up to the same level as the rice was, and add this to the saucepan.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to very low, cover, and cook gently for about 10 minutes until the rice has completely absorbed the water.
- Remove from heat and leave to steam, covered, for another 10 minutes. The rice should be perfectly sticky.
- While the rice cools slightly, rinse the salmon to remove excess salt and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cook in a lightly oiled pan, then flake with a fork.
- Fill a bowl with cold salted water. Wet your hands in the bowl (this prevents sticking and seasons the rice slightly). Take a handful of rice and press it into your palm. Make a well in the centre and place some flaked salmon inside.
- Close the rice around the filling and press firmly into a triangular or oval shape. For a traditional finish, wrap a strip of nori around the base.
- Sprinkle with black sesame seeds to serve.
良い食欲！ 🍙🇯🇵 (Yoi shokuyoku — Bon appétit in Japanese!)
Tip: Onigiri are best eaten fresh, but can be wrapped in cling film and kept at room temperature for a few hours. Don’t refrigerate — cold rice becomes hard and loses its texture.