It’s hard to ignore the appeal of onigiri: compact, portable, and infinitely customizable. The Japanese rice balls can be plain, simply seasoned with salt, or filled with anything from umeboshi to fish roe, and snugly wrapped in a sheet of nori or rolled in furikake.
This spicy tuna mayo version mostly relies on pantry ingredients, making it a go-to for lunch or dinner. The lemon zest is an unusual but bright addition. It adds a fresh sparkle, relieving the filling of any tinny taste while mayo acts like a rich salve. Use Japanese sushi rice for the best texture. Once it all comes together, tins of budget tuna will suddenly feel fun and craveable.
If this is your first time, assembling the onigiri can be an adventure. These onigiri are purposefully generous, almost overflowing with filling. It’s okay if the triangles are more like blobs; they’ll taste great regardless. If all else fails, abandon the filling and shaping and simply scoop warm rice into bowls and top with the tuna mayo and sprinkles of furikake.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 8
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring 2 cups short-grain white sushi rice, rinsed until water runs almost clear, and 2½ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and cook until water is absorbed, 12–14 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit (still covered) 15 minutes. Gently fluff rice with a fork. Let sit until cool enough to handle but still warm.
Step 2
Meanwhile, using a fork, mix 6 scallions, dark green and pale green parts only, thinly sliced, finely grated zest of 1 large lemon, two 5-oz. cans oil-packed tuna, drained, ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. sriracha, 2 tsp. soy sauce, preferably low-sodium, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a small bowl until well combined. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Step 3
Set up a workstation with a small bowl of water, a small bowl of kosher salt, cooked rice (still in pan), tuna filling, and eight 6" squares of plastic wrap.
Step 4
To make 1 onigiri, line an 8-oz. ramekin or bowl with a square of plastic wrap. Dip your hands in water to moisten, then rub with a little salt. (This prevents the rice from sticking to your hands and also flavors the onigiri.) Scoop ½ cup rice into your nondominant hand (keep remaining rice covered) and shape into a ball. Transfer rice ball to prepared ramekin and press onto bottom and up sides, making a well in the center. Fill with 3 Tbsp. tuna filling. Using plastic wrap as a guide, bring rice up and over filling to enclose; squeeze tightly to seal. Remove onigiri from ramekin and form into a triangle shape or a ball; transfer to a platter. Repeat with remaining rice and tuna filling, dipping your hands in water and rubbing with salt each time.
Step 5
Just before serving, place ¼ cup furikake on a small plate. Unwrap onigiri and roll in furikake, adding more furikake to plate as needed. Serve immediately.
