This quick and easy spicy tuna onigiri with miso scallion dipping sauce is the perfect snack or lunch, full of flavor and depth. Creamy rice and tuna pair perfectly with a salty miso dipping sauce.
Let's be honest, sometimes you need a snack that's more than just… a snack. You need something that packs a punch, something that's satisfying, and something that's just plain delicious. Enter the Spicy Tuna Onigiri: a flavor explosion wrapped in a neat, portable package. And it just so happens that my children go bonkers over onigiri. I mean, what's not to love? Spicy tuna - especially when made with my favorite responsibly wild caught tuna from St. Jude Tuna - and creamy rice are dipped in a sweet and savory miso scallion dipping sauce.
If you love working with canned tuna as much as I do, you're in luck because there are plenty of recipes to choose from. You'll find everything from tuna chikpea patties with lemon caper mayo, tuna sushi bowl, black bean jalapeno tuna salad, Mediterranean quinoa tuna salad, and more!
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Why You'll Love Spicy Tuna Onigiri:
- Flavor Explosion: The combination of creamy mayo, savory tuna, and spicy sauce is irresistible.
- Portable Perfection: Onigiri is designed for on-the-go snacking. It's perfect for lunchboxes, picnics, or a quick bite between errands.
- Customizable: You can adjust the spice level to your liking. Add more sriracha for a fiery kick or tone it down for a milder flavor. You can also add other ingredients like chopped scallions, sesame seeds, or avocado.
- Easy to Make : Making onigiri is a fun culinary adventure and you can use them with the miso dipping sauce or simply on their own.
Ingredients
- St. Jude Albacore Tuna
- Cooked sushi rice
- Mayo (You can use Japanese Mayo, but it may contain MSG)
- Gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos
- Sriracha sauce
- Sesame oil
- Mirin
- White miso
- Scallions
- Garlic
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Nori sheets
See the recipe card for quantities.
Equiment
- Medium bowl
- Small bowl
- A bowl with salted water
- Plate for sesame seeds
- Small saucepan
Instructions
Step 1. Rinse the rice under running water until the water runs clear.
Step 2. Combine 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice stand for 10 minutes. Remove from heat source and let it cool completely. At this point, if you wish you can add a mixture 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoon ricewine vinegar and ½ teaspoon salt. But this is optional.
Step 3. In a medium bowl combine the tuna with mayo, sesame oil, sriracha sauce and coconut aminos (or gf soy sauce). Mix everything together.
Step 4. Wet your hands in the salted water and grab a handful of rice (see the above photos and video instructions), and form it into a ball. Then press it into your palm to make it flat and concave. Add a scoop of spicy tuna and then cover it with additional rice.
Step 5. Form it into a thick triange, dip it in the toasted sesame seeds and wrap it with the nori. You can stop here or you can make your dipping sauce.
Step 6. In a small bowl, combine mirin, soy sauce, and white miso and whisk until you have no clumps left.
Step 7. In a small saucepan, add the scallions, crushed garlic and splash of oil. Cook the scallions on low heat until they warm through and are fragrant - about 3 minutes.
Step 8. Add the miso mixture to the pan carefully and whisk until incorporated.
Step 9. Pour the miso scallion dipping sauce into a small bowl and serve alongside the onigiri. Enjoy!
Hint: You can make the rice ahead of time and even use it the next day.
Substitutions and Variations
The wonderful thing about onigiri is that it's very forgiving, and you can add all kinds of variations.
- Soy sauce - if you're gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos.
- Furikake - instead of (or in addition to), you can use Furikake to dip the onigiri in.
- Spicier tuna - you can add as much or as little sriracha as you'd like.
- Avocado - it's a nice creamy addition you can add when you add the tuna before topping it with additional rice.
- Dipping sauce - if you don't want the dipping sauce, you can omit it, but I think it's a nice addition. You can always just use soy sauce as your dip.
If you're paleo, you can find a spicy tuna sushi bowl recipe on the blog, which is delicious and friendly for those who can't have rice.
Storage
The onigiri can be stored in the refrigerator for two days. You can also make the rice in advance, and assemble it when you're ready.
Top Tip
Make sure you're using sushi rice as it's sticky. Other types of rice will not work as they are not starchy enough.
FAQ
Whenever you make onigiri, you want to use short-grain rice that is used for making sushi.
Sushi rice is typically a short-grain rice that is sticky, gelatinous, and much starchier than this one. Additionally, sushi rice is mixed with vinegar, salt, and sugar to give it extra flavor.
No, nori is specifically used for making sushi, while nori is very crispy and not pliable at all.
Sushi rice is extremely sticky so in order to be able to form the onigiri, you want to to have moist hands to properly work and shape the rice.
Japanese mayo is a great if you can tolerate MSG. I cannot so I don't generally use it. You may be able to find some brands without it.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Spicy Tuna Onigiri With Miso Scallion Sauce
This quick and easy spicy tuna onigiri is the perfect lunch, full of flavor and depth—the creamy rice and tuna pair perfectly with the salty miso scallion dipping sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 cans St. Jude Albacore Tuna
- 1 cup sushi rice
- ¼ cup mayo (you can use Japanese mayo but it may contain MSG)
- 4 teaspoons gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos (divided)
- 4 teaspoons sriracha sauce
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 tablespoon white miso
- 2 tablespoons sliced scallions
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
- 1 nori sheet cut in 3 equal pieces
Instructions
- Rinse the rice under running water until the water runs clear.
- Combine 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice stand for 10 minutes. Remove from heat source and let it cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, combine tuna with mayo, sesame oil, sriracha sauce, and coconut aminos (or gf soy sauce) and break mix with a fork until the mixture is incorporated.
- Wet your hands with the salted water and grab a handful of rice (see the above photos and video instructions), and form it into a ball. Then press it into your palm to make it flat. Add a scoop of spicy tuna and then cover it with additional rice.
- Form it into a thick triangle, dip it in the toasted sesame seeds, and wrap it with the nori. You can stop here or make your dipping sauce.
- In a small bowl, combine mirin, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and white miso and whisk until you have no clumps left.
- In a small saucepan, add the scallions, crushed garlic, and a splash of oil. Cook the scallions on low heat until they warm through and are fragrant - about 3 minutes.
- Add the miso mixture to the pan carefully and whisk until incorporated.
- Pour the miso scallion dipping sauce into a small bowl and serve alongside the onigiri. Enjoy!
Notes
1. Hint: You can make the rice ahead of time and even use it the next day.
2. Make sure you're using sushi rice as it's sticky. Other types of rice will not work as they are not starchy enough.
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