Spicy Halibut Onigiri (Easy Japanese Rice Balls)
November 15th, 2021Inspired by Your Favorite Takeout-Style Sushi Filling
We can’t stop filling our onigiri with spicy Pacific halibut, prepared like your favorite takeout-style sushi filling — minced up with scallions and a touch of sriracha and mayo. It’s salty-spicy comfort food perfection.
Onigiri, if you’re not familiar with it, is a Japanese-style ball of rice filled with a flavorful filling. It’s perfect as an on-the-go, handheld meal. You don’t need any special skills or equipment to make onigiri, nor do you need much time. Once you have a pot of rice cooked, this recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make. Alternatively, you can use this spicy halibut to make your own sushi rolls at home or just use it to top a rice bowl. Or, skip the rice altogether and use this spicy halibut as a topping for crackers or whatever your heart desires.
Pacific halibut is mild in flavor, so it's the perfect blank canvas for the zing of mayonnaise and sriracha. The hearty texture of the fish goes well with the delicate crunch of scallions, which add their own mild bite to the mix.
As for the rice, your best option for onigiri is short-grain white rice as it’s going to have the right level of stickiness for everything to hold together. If you like, you can dress up your onigiri with a strip of nori and roasted sesame seeds or furikake, which add texture, flavor, and flair to an otherwise unassuming ball of rice.
The WAC recipe team featured Spicy Halibut Onigiri in a how-to video! Watch the recording of the cooking demo to see how it's made.
Spicy Halibut Onigiri (Easy Japanese Rice Balls)
By Wild Alaskan Company
You can also use this spicy halibut as a topping for a rice bowl, a condiment for crackers, or as a filling in homemade sushi rolls (aka maki rolls).
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook Time
0 minutes
Total time
10 minutes
Yield
Approx. 6 onigiri
Ingredients
- 1 (6 oz.) portion Pacific halibut, cooked and flaked
- 2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 3 cups cooked short-grain white rice (aka sushi rice), freshly cooked
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 strips of nori, approx. 8” x 1”, optional
- Roasted sesame seeds or furikake, optional
Instructions
1. Combine Pacific halibut, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, sriracha, and scallions in a small mixing bowl. Taste to adjust, adding more mayonnaise and/or sriracha as desired.
2. Fill a medium-sized bowl with 2 cups of water and salt. Use this bowl to wet your palms, then grab a handful of rice and start to create a ball. Make an indentation in the center and fill with a tablespoon of spicy halibut mixture. Cover with more rice, rewetting hands as needed so that rice doesn’t stick to your palms.
3. Shape onigiri as you like, into a ball or a triangle, then wrap with a strip of nori. Roll in or sprinkle with sesame seeds or furikake. Repeat process with remaining rice to make a total of 6 onigiri. Serve while warm or at room temperature.
Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness, especially if you have a certain medical condition. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for cooked fish.
