Tuna Mayo Onigiri: The 15-Min "Sea Chicken" Rice Ball Made Simple

Name: Tuna Mayo Onigiri: The 15-Min "Sea Chicken" Rice Ball Made Simple
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Asian, Japanese
Ingredients: 700 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice preferably freshly cooked, still warm); 80 g canned tuna, thoroughly drained; - 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise; - 1 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu); - 1 pinch ground black pepper freshly ground if possible; - 6 strips roasted seaweed for sushi (nori) wrap right before eating for crispiness

6 steps

Prep:15min

In this video, I'll show you how to make delicious tuna mayo onigiri in just 15 minutes! These Japanese rice balls are perfect for quick lunches, bento boxes, or on-the-go snacking. Learn my simple technique for perfectly shaped onigiri that won't fall apart.

Updated at: Thu, 01 May 2025 00:28:50 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

High

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories198.7 kcal (10%)

Total Fat2.3 g (3%)

Carbs35.4 g (14%)

Sugars0 g (0%)

Protein7.5 g (15%)

Sodium93.9 mg (5%)

Fiber4.7 g (17%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

6 servings

700gJapanese short-grain rice

cooked, preferably freshly cooked, still warm

80gcanned tuna

thoroughly drained

1 TbspJapanese mayonnaise

or regular mayonnaise

1 tspJapanese soy sauce

koikuchi shoyu

1 pinchground black pepper

freshly ground if possible

6 stripsroasted seaweed

for sushi, nori, wrap right before eating for crispiness

Instructions

Step 1

Drain canned tuna by squeezing out excess liquid through a colander or sieve.

Step 2

Mix the drained tuna with Japanese mayonnaise, soy sauce, and black pepper.

Step 3

If using an onigiri mold: Sprinkle salt inside the mold, add rice, make a dent, place tuna filling in the center, add more rice on top, then press with the lid.

Step 4

If shaping by hand: Wet hands with cold water, sprinkle with salt, flatten rice, add filling, fold rice over to seal, and shape into a triangle using your palm.

Step 5

Wrap with nori seaweed.

Step 6

Serve and enjoy!