Salmon Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls) & Fish For Sushi

Japanese cuisine. How well do you know it? And how well do you like it? It's one of my favorite cuisines, actually my top 3 if you really want to know. Being a fish lover, it really fits my palate. Fresh and minimal Asian ingredients in simple yet delicious compositions.

Dishes coming out from Japanese kitchens call out to be enjoyed. Maybe for that reason, you will always find me on a stool facing revolving sushi bars with a slightly greedy look of wanting everything going around the rotating conveyor. Visually stunning little dishes with different kinds of seafood, rice and vegetables go around the bar. Ha! What more can I ask for?

In spite of my love for Japanese food, I know very little about it. My knowledge is limited only to restaurant food, especially their sashimi and sushi. Meeting Nami virtually of Just One Cookbook opened my eyes more to the world of Japanese home cooking. I realized how much I didn't know about one of the cuisines I love most. From her own kitchen she prepares homecooked Japanese meals that will leave you more enthralled with their food. Her blog is followed by thousands of followers all over the world, all waiting for new dishes that she comes up with. 

I have done my share of cooking from Nami's recipes and not once did any of them fail me. One of the simple recipes that I picked up from her site is this one, the Salmon Onigiri. Not only are they so easy to prepare but also, I get to use leftover salmon too. I always serve grilled salmon to the kids and sometimes, the leftovers get a new life with these rice and salmon balls. They're simple, easy and economical.

Nami's expertise doesn't end there because recently, she and her husband launched a sashimi online shop in the U.S. that carries the name Fish for Sushi. Their aim is to sell high quality super frozen fish that retains the freshness from the boat until your table. The super freezing process is the best method used to preserve the freshness of the fish. As soon as they are caught, they are immediately gutted in the fishing boats then placed in super freezers where they are frozen at a very low temperature of -76°F (-60°C). And that is how fresh the fish will be when it arrives to you. It's all about the concept of "Catch to Kitchen".

Delivery takes 2 - 3 business days.

 

The pictures below were provided by Fish for Sushi. From top to bottom: Salmon Sashimi, Tuna Sashimi and Scallops Sashimi.

For more information, please visit Fish for Sushi. 

Thanks for dropping by and have a good week everyone! 

Salmon Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)

Original recipe taken from Just One Cookbook

Ingredients:

Serves 2

• 200 grams or 1 fillet cooked salmon, broken up to small pieces
• Extra virgin olive oil (or olive oil)
• 2 cups uncooked Japanese or sushi rice
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 5 sisho leaves (in place of this one, I used parsley), chiffonaded 
• 1 tablespoon cooking sake
• 1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated
• nori seaweeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Over high heat, in a medium pot, cook the rice with 3-1/2 cups of water. When it boils, lower the heat to the lowest, cover but leaving a little space open leave until cooked through, about 15 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, over medium heat, in a medium saucepan with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, sautè the salmon.
3. Add the cooking sake, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and sesame seeds in the saucepan and mix well.
4. When the rice is cooked, mix it together with the salmon. 
5. When the rice has cooled down a bit but still warm, shape the mixture to rice balls or triangular shapes with moist hands.
6. Wrap them with nori seaweeds if you are using them.