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    Home » Recipes » Main dishes

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    Easy to Make Tuna Rice Balls

    Jump to Recipe

    A few months ago, my husband and I went to Rodeo 39 Public Market in Stanton, Ca. Just imagine a big food hall with a ton of different food and beverage vendors. It was foodie heaven! Amongst the matcha lattes from Coffee Dose and mochi donuts that we tried, we made sure to save room for some onigiri (rice balls) from Japanese food vendor, Tenori. We tried their pork belly, salmon and tuna rice balls and we loved the tuna one best.

    Close up of tuna rice balls.

    Toward the end of my pregnancy, I found myself REALLY craving the tuna onigiri but the last thing I wanted to do was drive an hour away to purchase them from Tenori. I told my husband that I'd try making my own. The filling is pretty simple and consists of canned tuna, mayo, soy sauce, and sriracha if you're feeling spicy.

    These tuna rice balls can be enjoyed as a snack, appetizer or main dish.

    Ingredients

    Below, are the ingredients you'll want to gather ahead of time.

    Ingredients for rice balls.
    • White rice
    • Canned tuna
    • Mayonnaise
    • Soy sauce
    • Sesame oil
    • Salt
    • Black sesame seeds (optional)

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Assembling tuna rice balls

    Below, are a few process shots along with step-by-step instructions. Please reach out or comment if anything seems unclear or if you need any help.

    Tuna and mayo in a clear bowl.

    In a medium size bowl, combine tuna, soy sauce and mayonnaise.

    White rice over plastic wrap in a small bowl.

    Add sesame oil and salt to your bowl of cooked rice. Place a piece of plastic wrap over a small bowl and fill with rice. Remove plastic from bowl and twist into a ball.

    Flattened rice ball with tuna in the middle.

    Next, you'll want to flatten the rice ball a bit. Add about a tbsp's worth of filling to the center of the flattened rice ball. 

    Rice ball wrapped in plastic wrap.

    Gather all edges of the plastic wrap together and twist and form into a ball again. Repeat this process four more times. Optional: roll rice balls in dish filled with black sesame seeds.

    Hint: do not smash rice balls down with spatula when pan frying them. Doing so may cause them to crumble and start falling apart.

    Substitutions

    • Tuna - instead of canned tuna, you can use fresh fish, pork belly, spam, or any other protein of choice
    • Pan fry - you can simply eat the rice balls as is if you prefer to skip the pan frying step

    Variations

    Below, are a few variations to consider for yourself or if serving to guests.

    Vegetarian - you can swap out tuna for pickled veggies and/or tofu

    Kid friendly - skip adding any sriracha to the filling if serving to children (unless they can handle the heat!)

    Equipment

    Rice cooker

    Storage

    Store these in the refrigerator in an airtight container. These will be good for up to 3 days.

    Top tip

    Pan fry the rice balls on medium heat for at least 5 minutes on each side. This will help you get that crispy, outer texture. Try to avoid flipping over back and forth so that rice balls stay intact.

    FAQ

    What is yaki onigiri?

    Grilled rice balls with some kind of filling. Some people coat the outside portion of the rice balls with a sauce before grilling or pan frying them. This step is optional.

    Related

    Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

    • Quinoa veggie bowl against a light background.
      The Ultimate Quinoa Veggie Bowl
    • Fried sardines served over a bed of greens.
      Easy to Make Fried Sardines
    • Creamy Tuscan pasta served in two, white speckled bowls.
      The Best Creamy Tuscan Pasta
    Tuna rice balls on oval plate.

    Tuna Rice Balls

    Learn how to make your very own tuna yaki onigiri (grilled tuna rice balls)! These can be enjoyed as a snack, appetizer or main dish.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Appetizer, Main Course, Snack
    Cuisine Japanese
    Servings 5 rice balls

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups white rice, cooked
    • 1 can tuna
    • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
    • 1 tsp soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Instructions
     

    • Cook your two cups of rice. In a large bowl, add 1 tablespoon sesame oil and ½ teaspoon salt to cooked rice. Combine. In a medium size bowl, combine tuna, soy sauce and mayonnaise.
    • Place a piece of plastic wrap over a small bowl and fill with rice. Remove plastic from bowl and twist into a ball. Next, you'll want to flatten the rice ball a bit. Add about a tbsp's worth of filling to the center of the flattened rice ball. Gather all edges of the plastic wrap together and twist and form into a ball again. Repeat this process four more times. Optional: roll rice balls in dish filled with black sesame seeds.
    • Set pan to medium heat. Once pan is hot, add in a few tbsps of sesame oil. Add rice balls to pan and sear for at least 5 minutes on each side to get a nice, crispy outer texture. Add a few more minutes if you'd like rice balls to be a bit more golden. Serve over a salad or with your favorite veggies.
    Keyword appetizer recipes, dinner recipes, onigiri, rice ball, rice balls, snacks, tuna rice balls

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