Discover how to make salmon nigiri with this easy-to-follow guide. Perfect if you're starting out with homemade sushi, this recipe covers everything from selecting the sashimi grade salmon, slicing it for nigiri, and how to handle sushi rice so it's just the right consistency.
Whether it's your first time making nigiri at home or you're looking to refine your skills, you'll be able to enjoy restaurant-quality salmon nigiri sushi (or sake nigiri) at a fraction of the cost. Plus, you'll be ready to apply the skills and techniques to other types of nigiri, such as tuna nigiri and shrimp.
Jump to:
- Why you'll love this recipe
- Ingredients
- Ingredient Notes
- Quick Recipe Video
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Buying Sashimi Grade Salmon
- Which type of salmon to use
- Cutting Salmon for Nigiri
- Making sushi rice
- Hand water (Tezu)
- Getting the perfect rice-to-salmon ratio
- Expert Tips
- How to Eat Salmon Nigiri
- People Often Ask
- More recipes you'll love
- Printable Recipe Card
- Salmon Nigiri
Why you'll love this recipe
- Beginner friendly. Equipped with all the information and tips you need, you'll be sure to get delicious nigiri on your first attempt.
- Loaded with troubleshooting advice to guide you through common sushi-making challenges.
- Utilizes everyday kitchen tools, with no need for specialized equipment.
- Homemade sushi saves $$$ on dining out, without compromising on taste or quality. With a little practice it will get even better.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Sushi rice: Cooked and seasoned with sushi vinegar.
- Sashimi grade salmon: Allocate about 0.5oz (15g) raw salmon per piece, sliced to pieces 1 inch wide and 3 inches long.
- Wasabi: Optional, but adds a zesty kick when a little is added between the salmon and rice.
- Rice vinegar: For making hand water ('Tezu') to prevent the rice from sticking to your hands. You can substitute with apple cider vinegar.
Quick Recipe Video
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix water and rice vinegar in a bowl to prepare hand water (tezu). Lightly moisten the palm of one hand with Tezu before rubbing your hands together. Repeat this often to keep your hands moist and prevent the rice from sticking.
Step 2: With your dominant hand, grab enough sushi rice to form a small oval rice ball. Gently shape the rice into a rounded rectangular block by lightly compressing it without squashing the grains. Rotate the rice in your palm a few times to achieve a uniform shape.
Step 3: With your other hand, gently hold a slice of salmon, allowing it to rest across your fingers.
Step 4: If using wasabi, lightly smear a small amount onto the fish using the index finger of your dominant hand.
Step 5: Place the shaped rice onto the slice of salmon. Apply gentle pressure to hold the fish in place.
Step 6: Flip the nigiri so it's right-side up. Secure the salmon by pressing lightly with your index and middle fingers. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, placing each completed nigiri on a wooden board.
Buying Sashimi Grade Salmon
Before getting started you'll need to get your hands on high-quality sushi grade salmon. Look out for salmon that's labeled sushi or sashimi grade. These terms are interchangeable and indicate the fish is safe to consume raw.
Typically, sushi-grade fish is frozen immediately to preserve its freshness and prevent food-borne illnesses. You'll want to opt for a pre-cut salmon fillet unless you're up for the challenge of butchering a whole fish yourself.
Trustworthy sources are key, and asking local sushi restaurants where they buy their salmon sashimi is a great way to find them. If your local fish market doesn't sell sashimi grade fish a Japanese grocery store is a great option and you can also order frozen salmon sashimi online if you can't buy sashimi grade fish in your local area.
If in doubt, ask the fishmonger if their salmon is safe to consume raw. Remember, fresh fish should look bright and smell only faintly of the ocean. Consume fresh salmon as soon as possible. Frozen salmon sashimi is a convenient option if you want to use it at a later date.
Which type of salmon to use
If you're lucky enough to have different types of salmon sashimi to choose from you'll probably be wondering which one to go for. Generally speaking, it's best to go with farmed salmon instead of wild, due to its lower risk of parasites, making it safer to eat raw.
Here are the 4 main types of salmon used for sashimi:
- Atlantic Salmon: Farmed in countries like Norway, Scotland, and Chile. It's a go-to choice for sushi because of its high-fat content, creamy texture, and rich flavor.
- King Salmon (Chinook): If you're looking for premium choice, King Salmon is your pick. Its high-fat content and tender flesh provide a luxurious, buttery texture that dissolves in your mouth.
- Sockeye Salmon (Red Salmon): With its deep red color, Sockeye has a firmer texture that allows it to retain its form after freezing. Despite having a lower fat content compared to Atlantic and King Salmon, it has a bold flavor.
- Coho Salmon (Silver Salmon): For those who prefer a milder flavor, Coho Salmon offers a medium fat content and a slightly firmer texture than its Atlantic and King counterparts.
Cutting Salmon for Nigiri
Mastering the technique of slicing salmon is essential for perfect nigiri. Aim for slices about 3 inches long, 1 inch wide, and ¼ inch thick. You can ask the fishmonger to do this for you if they are experienced in slicing fish for nigiri. I have personally had mixed success and have found doing it yourself is the best way to ensure every piece is just right.
Use a very sharp knife to slice against the grain of the salmon, achieving smooth, even cuts. A sushi knife is a good investment if you make sushi often, otherwise a regular sharp knife will do the job well. Having a sharp knife is the most important thing. A very sharp regular knife is better than a blunt sushi knife.
Tip: To keep your salmon fresh while you work, place it on top of a bowl of ice covered with plastic wrap.
Making sushi rice
Before you form your nigiri you'll need a batch of cooked seasoned Japanese short-grain rice at room temperature. Making sushi rice is easier than you might think. Check out my sushi rice recipes for step-by-step guides on making sushi rice using a rice cooker, Instant Pot, or on the stovetop.
Hand water (Tezu)
Tezu is a simple solution of cold water and rice vinegar that creates a barrier, preventing the rice from sticking to your hands as you shape it. Before you pick up the rice, lightly wet the palm of one hand with the tezu, then quickly rub both hands together. Keep the bowl of water next to you to refresh your hands as you go. The key is to use just enough tezu to prevent stickiness but not too much. You don't want the rice to fall apart.
Getting the perfect rice-to-salmon ratio
This will depend on the size of your salmon slices. You want the salmon slice to drape over the rice like a blanket. You might have seen the fish sitting on top of the rice in western sushi restaurants, but you'd never see it done this way in Japan.
To keep my rice balls consistent, I get the perfect-sized rice ball for one nigiri and weigh it. I then know how much rice I need for each nigiri to get them all the perfect size.
Expert Tips
- Use high-quality sushi-grade salmon; if in doubt, ask your fishmonger if it's safe to eat raw.
- Slice the salmon carefully, aiming for the perfect size and thickness. The salmon should drape over the rice like a blanket.
- Maintain the freshness of your sliced salmon by placing it on an ice bowl, covered with plastic wrap.
- Use hand water (Tezu) to prevent sticky fingers when shaping the rice.
- Apply firm yet gentle pressure when forming the nigiri to ensure the rice holds together without crushing it.
How to Eat Salmon Nigiri
To eat Salmon nigiri the traditional way use your hands instead of chopsticks, and lightly dip it into soy sauce. You can add a little wasabi to the soy sauce, or try ponzu sauce for a tangy twist. Edamame beans and miso soup are great to have on the side.
People Often Ask
The salmon belly is ideal due to its tender, marbled texture, and rich flavor.
Forming the rice to the right consistency can be tricky at first but with a bit of practice, you'll get there soon enough. It's also worth noting that salmon is more delicate and fattier than other types of fish making it a little harder to work with because it's prone to falling apart. Thicker slices can help with this.
Overuse of hand water (Tezu) is the most likely cause. While it's necessary for preventing stickiness the rice will fall apart if you use too much.
Making nigiri at home can be significantly more cost-effective than dining out, and it's fun too. Plus you don't need any special tools to get started. Once you've sourced a few basic ingredients and practiced a little you'll be making homemade nigiri that rivals your favorite restaurants.
More recipes you'll love
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Printable Recipe Card
Salmon Nigiri
Equipment
- sharp knife
- medium-sized bowl
- wooden board
Ingredients
Hand water
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar (Note 1)
Nigiri sushi
- 1 cup cooked sushi rice at body temperature (Note 2)
- 8 slices sushi grade salmon (Note 3)
- ½ teaspoon wasabi (optional) (Note 4)
To serve
- soy sauce
- pickled ginger
Instructions
- Please read all the information above plus step-by-step photos.
- Prepare the hand water by combining the water and rice vinegar in a medium size bowl.
- Pick up an egg-shaped ball of rice with your dominant hand (right hand if right-handed or left hand if left-handed), and compress it gently without crushing it into a rounded rectangular cylinder. Turn the rice in your palm a couple of times
- Pick up a piece of salmon with your other hand and let it rest on your fingers.
- Optional: If you are using wasabi, smear a little on the index finger of your right hand and gently run it along the fish
- Place the rice ball onto the fish and gently press down.
- Turn the upside-down nigiri the correct way up and press your index and middle fingers onto the fish to hold it in place.
- Place the finished nigiri onto a wooden board and repeat the process with the remaining rice and fish.
Notes
- Rice vinegar: You can use apple cider vinegar instead.
- Sushi rice: You need a batch of room-temperature sushi rice, seasoned with a sushi vinegar mixture (or Sushizu). It's simple to prepare using your stove, rice cooker, or Instant Pot using my easy-to-follow sushi rice recipes.
- Salmon sashimi: Allocate a thin slice of high-quality fish per nigiri around 3 inches long, 1 inch wide, and ¼ inch thick. Take a look at the 'how to cut salmon for nigiri' section above for more information on how to do this.
- Wasabi: Available in powder or paste form. A small amount of wasabi between the fish and rice adds a kick without overwhelming the delicate flavors of the fresh fish.
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