Salmon onigiri
Warm rice pressed around flaky salt-seared salmon and wrapped in crisp nori, with salty edamame on the side for a simple Japanese dinner.
- 50 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $4.51 a serving
- 740 calories
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 cup sushi rice
- 8 oz salmon fillets
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 3 nori sheets
From your pantry
- 1¼ cups water
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 740 calories, 41 g protein, 89 g carbs and 24 g fat, and costs about $4.51 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice until the water runs almost clear.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring it in a with the water.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and cook on low 15 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Leave it covered off the heat 10 minutes.
Timer: 10 min
the salmon dry, sprinkle it all over with ½ teaspoon of the salt, then leave it in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: The salt draws out a little water, so the fish sears instead of steaming and tastes seasoned all the way through.Heat the oil in a nonstick over medium. Cook the salmon skin side down 4 to 5 minutes, then flip and cook 3 to 4 minutes more, until it flakes easily.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 8 min
Food safety: Fish is done at 145°F, when the middle looks opaque and flakes apart easily with a fork.
Flake the salmon into small pieces with a fork, leaving the skin and any bones behind, and stir in the sesame seeds.
Put the edamame in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and microwave 3 to 4 minutes, until hot. and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Timer: 3 min 30 sec
Stir ½ teaspoon salt into a small bowl of water, and cut each nori sheet in half.
Wet your hands in the salty water. Scoop about ½ cup of warm rice into your palm, press a dent in the middle, add a spoonful of salmon, and cover it with a little more rice.
Dolly’s tip: Wet, salty hands keep the rice from sticking to you and season the outside. Dip again before every one.Cup your hands around the rice and press it firmly into a triangle, turning and pressing 3 or 4 times. Repeat to make 6.
Dolly’s tip: Firm but gentle, like making a snowball. Squashed rice turns dense and gummy.Wrap a strip of nori around the bottom of each onigiri and serve with the edamame.
Dolly’s tip: Wrap the nori right before eating so it stays crisp.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
