Shiozake Onigiri — Salted Salmon Rice Balls

⏱ 45 min · Serves 4

The lunchbox hero of Japan: warm, faintly salty rice pressed around flakes of grilled salted salmon, wrapped in a crisp band of nori. Salting the salmon overnight firms it up and deepens the flavour, but a couple of hours will do in a pinch.

Per serving: 393 kcal · 19.0g protein · 60.0g carbs · 8.0g fat

Ingredients

• 300g Japanese short-grain rice (about 2 rice-cooker cups)
• 360ml water
• 2 salmon fillets (about 250g total), skin on
• 2 tsp fine sea salt (for curing the salmon)
• 1 tsp sake (optional)
• 1/2 tsp flaky salt, for shaping
• 2 sheets toasted nori, each cut into 4 strips
• 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
• Soy sauce and pickled ginger, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Cure the salmon: pat the fillets dry, rub all over with the 2 tsp fine salt and the sake, then set on a rack over a plate, uncovered, in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Rinse the rice in cold water, swirling and draining 3–4 times until the water runs almost clear. Drain well and leave 15 minutes, then cook with the 360ml water in a rice cooker or covered pan (bring to the boil, lowest heat 12 minutes, rest off the heat 10 minutes).
3. Rinse the salt off the salmon and pat very dry. Grill or pan-fry skin-side up under a hot grill for 6–8 minutes, until the flesh is just opaque and the edges lightly browned.
4. Cool the salmon slightly, discard the skin (or crisp it up as a snack) and flake the flesh into large pieces, checking for bones. Stir through the sesame seeds.
5. Tip the hot rice into a wide bowl and fan it for a minute so it's warm, not scalding, and glossy.
6. Wet your hands with water and rub a pinch of flaky salt between your palms. Take a handful of rice (about 80g), flatten it, place a spoonful of salmon in the centre, then fold the rice over and press into a firm triangle, turning as you go.
7. Repeat to make 8 onigiri. Wrap each in a strip of nori just before eating so it stays crisp. Serve warm or at room temperature, with soy sauce and pickled ginger if you like.