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–+ servings
Two pieces of tuna nigiri on a wooden board with wasabi on the side.

Tuna Nigiri

This recipe will show you how to make tuna nigiri by breaking down the process into easy manageable steps covering everything you need to know from selecting and cutting the best sashimi-grade tuna to forming perfect rice balls.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese, Sushi
Servings 8 nigiri
Calories 50 kcal

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 tuna (Note 3)
  • ½ teaspoon wasabi (optional) (Note 4)

To serve

  • soy sauce
  • pickled ginger

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the hand water by combining the water and rice vinegar in a medium size bowl.
  • Lightly moisten the palm of one hand with Tezu before rubbing your hands together. Do this as often as necessary to keep your hands moist.
  • 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, using your other hand to shape the rice if necessary.
  • Pick up a piece of tuna 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 tuna.

Notes

  1. Rice vinegar: You can use apple cider vinegar instead.
  2. 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.
  3. Tuna sashimi: Allocate a thin slice of high-quality tuna fish per nigiri around 3 inches long, 1 inch wide, and ¼ inch thick. See the 'how to cut tuna for nigiri section' in the blog post above for information on the best way to slice the tuna.
  4. 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. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1nigiriCalories: 50kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 4gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 11mgPotassium: 101mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 0.01gVitamin A: 8IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 4mgIron: 0.2mg
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