Salmon Nigiri
on Nov 27, 2023
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Salmon Nigiri made with sashimi-grade salmon and fluffy Japanese sushi rice! It’s so much cheaper than eating at a restaurant and incredibly EASY to make at home.
I love Japanese seafood sushi like Spicy Salmon Roll, Tuna Nigiri, and this delicious salmon nigiri. It’s great for lunch, dinner, or evening snack!
Nigiri is a popular type of sushi with a slice of raw fish or another protein on top of a mound of vinegary sushi rice. Usually, a small amount of wasabi is placed between the fish and rice. It’s so easy to make at home with a few simple tips.
Salmon Nigiri – Why We ❤️ It:
- Easy – Nigiri looks fancy, but it’s really easy to make at home. Follow the instructions for homemade nigiri and you’ll be a pro too!
- Melt-in-your-mouth salmon – Unlike cooked salmon, raw sashimi-grade salmon has a different texture and is smooth and extremely tender.
- Seasoned sushi rice – tastes much better than plain steamed white rice.
Watch Easy Salmon Nigiri Recipe Video
3 Tips to Make Perfect Salmon Nigiri
- Make Tasty Sushi Rice
Properly prepared sushi rice is fluffy and flavorful. It won’t get smashed easily. You’ll need to:
- Use high-quality Japanese short-grain sushi rice.
- Add less water than cooking the regular rice. I recommend a 1:1 ratio between rice and water so that your rice won’t get mushy when squeezed.
- After the rice is cooked (in a rice cooker, or on the stovetop), transfer it to a large bowl and season with sushi vinegar (or the mixture of white vinegar, sugar, and salt).
- Use Sashimi-Grade Raw Salmon and Slice it Properly
- Buy sashimi-grade salmon – Salmon that can be eaten raw is labeled as “sashimi-grade”. It’s higher quality fish and usually more expensive. You can find it at local Japanese grocery stores or seafood markets.
- Slice the salmon for nigiri – Cut the salmon against the grain, with about 30 to 45-degree angle. You’ll need to adjust the angle from time to time to get the proper length and thickness. I recommend cutting it into 3-inch long, 1-inch wide, and 1/4-inch thick pieces.
Note: If your salmon is too thick, it won’t be shaped properly on top of the rice, but if it’s too thin, it will lose the flavor. The best thickness is about 1/4 inch.
- Squeeze the Rice Gently and Tightly
- Shape the rice – Take about 3 tablespoons of rice in your right hand. Squeeze it together until it rolls into a firm oval shape. Try to make the bottom FLAT with a rounded top.
- Assemble – Place the salmon slice on the root of your fingers. Then take a pea-sized portion of wasabi, and spread it in the middle of the fish. Place the rolled sushi rice onto the salmon. Press down the rice to the salmon.
How to prevent rice from sticking to your hands?
You can make Tezu, a hand-dipping liquid made with water and vinegar. Wet your hands with Tezu before handling rice.
To serve, arrange them on a plate and serve them with optional wasabi, soy sauce, along with pickled pink ginger.
Storage
Salmon nigiri is best eaten right away. If you have leftovers, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and place them into an airtight container. Store them in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Don’t freeze salmon nigiri!
Variations
- Use different types of fish or proteins such as Octopus Nigiri. Check out our nigiri post to learn basic nigiri staples and the difference between nigiri and other types of sushi.
- Roll the rice and filling with a nori seaweed sheet and turn it into sushi rolls such as Spicy Salmon Roll and Spicy Crab Rolls.
- Make Sashimi without sushi rice such as Yellowtail Sashimi.
Salmon Nigiri Sushi Recipe
Ingredients
For Sushi Rice
- 1 cup sushi rice*, (uncooked, it’s best to use Japanese short-grain sushi rice)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon sushi vinegar**, or mixing 1 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt
For Salmon Nigiri
- 8 oz sashimi-grade salmon***
- 2 teaspoons wasabi ****, optional
For Serving (Optional):
Instructions
- Make the Sushi Rice: Wash and rinse the rice with cold water. Add the rice and water to the rice cooker. Cook according to the instructions. (You can also cook it in a regular saucepan on the stovetop)
- Once cooked, transfer the rice to a large bowl and let it cool down slightly. When it’s still very warm, stir in the sushi vinegar (or the mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt).
- Cut the Salmon: Slice the salmon against the grain, with an angle of 30 to 45 degrees. I recommend cutting it into 3-inch long, 1-inch wide, and 1/4-inch thick pieces. (You’ll need to adjust the angle from time to time to get the proper length and thickness.)
- Shape the Rice: Take about 3 tablespoons of rice in your right hand. Squeeze it together until it rolls into a firm oval shape. Try to make the bottom flat with the rounded top. You can dip your hand in tezu water (see recipe notes) to prevent sticking.
- Assemble Salmon Nigiri: Place the salmon slice on the root of your fingers. Then take a pea-sized portion of wasabi, and spread in the middle of the fish.
- Place the rolled sushi rice onto the salmon, and bend your fingers to cover both the fish and rice together. Press down the rice using the index finger from the other hand.
- Turn the fish and rice and let the salmon slice sit on top of the rice. Serve with optional wasabi, soy sauce, along with pickled ginger.
Notes
- *Use Japanese short-grain rice for the best result. Here are some of my favorite sushi rice brands.
- **Sushi vinegar is used to season the rice and add more flavor to the dish. To substitute: Mix rice vinegar, sugar, and salt as a replacement.
- ***Traditional salmon nigiri contains raw sashimi-grade salmon. If you’re not a brave raw fish eater, you can substitute smoked salmon or thinly sliced grilled salmon.
- ****Wasabi helps bring out the flavor and can kill microbes in the fish. It also helps stick the salmon slices to the rice. It’s an optional ingredient and you can skip it if you don’t have it at home.
- To prevent the rice from sticking to your hands, you can make tezu water to dip your hands. Simply mix together 1/4 cup water and 2 teaspoons rice vinegar.
- It’s best to eat the nigiri the same day, as the raw fish won’t taste as fresh the next day. If you have leftovers, wrap them tightly and store in the fridge for 24 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
I wanted to make nigiri at home and followed this recipe. It came out great. We loved it!
My hubby loves nigiri but I had never attempted to make it at home – this recipe made it so easy for me to give it a shot! Came out great.
Thanks for the picture for how to slice salmon. I tried to make sushi a few weeks ago and it was terrible cause I was not able to cut properly to make sushi. I ended up mixing the salmon with rice like chirashi sushi. I am going to make this in coming weekend.
Hi there, thanks for letting me know. When you make this next time, note that you can always adjust the angle to get your preferred thickness. Hope you enjoy it!