These hand-held rice balls, known as onigiri, are a common lunch box treat in Japan. In this recipe, we stuff brown rice with heart-healthy wild salmon, though fresh crab or bay shrimp are delicious as well. You can serve the onigiri with low-sodium soy sauce for dipping, though they’re served without in Japan.
Smoked Salmon Brown Rice Balls
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) short-grain brown rice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 ounces (113g) smoked wild salmon, skin and bones discarded, chopped
- 2 tablespoon (30 ml) vegan mayonnaise (such as Just Mayo)
- 1 green onion, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) toasted un-hulled sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 sheets toasted nori seaweed (3g), cut into 1 1/2-by-3-inch rectangles
Directions
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Place the rice, 2 1/2 cups (591ml) water and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until the rice is tender, 40–45 minutes. Transfer rice to a large bowl and refrigerate until it is cool enough to handle but still warm, 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the salmon, mayonnaise, green onion and lemon juice.
Line a small (1/2-cup/118ml-capacity) ramekin or measuring cup with plastic wrap, using enough plastic wrap to hang over sides by a few inches. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the rice mixture into the ramekin, press down firmly with the back of a spoon to compact the rice and make a small indent in the center. Add a teaspoon of the salmon mixture to the indent. Top with another 2 tablespoons of the rice. Bring the plastic up over the rice and twist the ends together to form the rice into a puck, pressing gently to compact the rice.
Unwrap the rice and center it, narrow side-down, on a strip of the nori. Wrap the nori around the bottom and sides of the rice puck.
Spread the sesame seeds on a small plate. Roll the narrow sides of the rice puck in the sesame seeds and place on a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients to make 12 rice pucks. Eat within an hour or wrap the rice pucks individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Let cold rice pucks stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. Serve with soy sauce for dipping, if desired.
Nutrition Information
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 3 rice balls
Per serving: Calories: 286; Total Fat: 8g; Saturated Fat: 5g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 262mg; Carbohydrate: 47g; Dietary Fiber: 5g; Sugar: 2g; Protein: 12g
