15-min. Easy Japanese Tuna Onigiri

15-min. Easy Japanese Tuna Onigiri

A delicious rice ball stuffed with tuna, mayo wrapped with dry roasted seaweed. This quick and easy Japanese tuna onigiri is made in 15 minutes with only 6 ingredients. Great for breakfast, as a snack, meal, lunchbox item or picnic food!

5 from 11 votes

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Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Course Breakfast, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Japanese

Servings rice balls

Calories per serving 207 kcal

Ingredients

2 sheets nori or use ½ sheet if you prefer less
1 tsp sesame seeds for garnishing, optional

For the Rice

2 cups cooked short grain rice *if you're making fresh rice, see Notes below
½ teaspoon salt

Tuna Mayo Mixture

5.29 oz canned tuna in oil recommended, or canned tuna in water
2 tablespoon Japanese mayo or regular mayonnaise

Instructions

Transfer hot cooked short-grain rice into a large bowl and season with salt with a rice paddle. Cover and set aside. (If you're using leftover cold rice, cover and microwave it for 2-3 minutes prior to seasoning).
Open a can of tuna and strain the tuna using a fine sieve removing as much of the liquids as possible by pressing it with a fork. Transfer the strained tuna to a small bowl. Mix in the Japanese mayo until combined. Set aside.
For the nori sheets, the amount used is personal preference. If you prefer more dry roasted seaweed, use two nori sheets and cut them into half so you have 4 pieces. If you prefer less nori, use half a sheet and cut them into 4 equal strips. Set aside.
Prepare a bowl of water nearby and dip clean hands into the water. Take ½ cup or 100 grams cooked rice and place it into the palm of your hand. Shape it into a round ball, then flatten into a ½-inch thick pancake. Make a dent in the middle. Place 2 tablespoon or 30 ml of tuna mayo mixture into the dent.
(*If you have an onigiri mold or a large sheet of plastic wrap, use these tools to help easily mold the rice balls to prevent a sticky mess)
Fold the rice over the filling and as you fold, push the filling into the center. Firmly pack it into a ball, flatten it so it's 1.5-inch thick and shape it into a triangle, wetting your hands as needed.
Wrap a sheet nori from the base of the triangle around the sides and repeat this process until you have 4 rice balls in total. Garnish each piece with sesame seeds. Enjoy immediately!

Notes

How much uncooked rice is needed?

Measure out ¾ cup / 160 grams uncooked short grain rice for this recipe.

To cook rice in a rice cooker

Rinse rice in the rice cooker pot with cold running water until it runs clear. Strain out the water.
Fill rice cooker pot with fresh cold water to the instructed water line in the pot.
Press "steam" or "white rice" button on your rice cooker.

To cook rice on the stove top using a pan:

Rinse rice under cold running water until it runs clear and then strain. Transfer strained rice to a medium-sized pot or pan, ideally non-stick.
Then place your index finger above the rice and fill it with fresh cold water to the the first knuckle line of the finger.
Cover with a lid and bring to a boil on medium heat. Then reduce to low heat and keep covered. Cook for 12-14 minutes until most of the water has evaporated. If there's water in the base of the pot, continue to cook on low until there isn't.
Take the pot off the heat. Let this rest covered for another 10-12 minutes so the rice can properly cook through a steaming process. The finished rice will be sticky (not wet) and you should be able to fluff it with a rice paddle.

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