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I am obsessed Nobu’s crispy rice. If I go to a town that has it, I have to go order it and I was surprised to find out that each location has their own way of making their crispy rice. I have been experimenting with and tweaking all my favorite things from each Nobu restaurant to make my own recipe, and I can finally say that these bites are my official and final version of the amazing Spicy Salmon Crispy Rice.
Why You’ll Love Spicy Salmon Crispy Rice
There is a reason this is my go-to recipe at Nobu and I can’t get enough of these amazing Spicy Salmon Crispy Rice bites! There is something magical when you combine crunchy rice with spicy salmon and top it with a sweet eel sauce. Once you try this, you’re going to be as addicted as I am!
How To Prepare
Rice
🍚 Cook your rice in a rice cooker with the water, kombu and pinch of salt.
🧂 Mix the sugar and rice vinegar well and then add it to the rice along with the potato starch, mix really well.
🥶 Cover a container with plastic wrap and press the rice really well. You want it like ¼-½ inch thick depending on preference. Cover with the plastic wrap, place another container over it with some cans for weight. Refrigerate for 4-8 hours and then place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Eel Sauce
🔥 The eel sauce for these Spicy Salmon Crispy Rice is so good! Add the mirin, tamari and sugar to a sauce pan and boil. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until it coats the back of a spoon. Let cool.
Spicy Tuna Bites
🔪 Chop your salmon really finely, almost like a paste. Add the japanese mayo, sriracha, chives, sesame oil, tamari and sugar. Mix.
🔘 Cut your rice into rounds or squares. This yields between 12-16 depending on the size of your rounds. Mine was 2 inches.
🎛️ Cover your pan with about ½ inch of oil. Add your rice and fry until golden on both sides. Should be about 8-10 minutes.
🥑 Pipe your salmon onto the rice, top with more chives, avocado, Serrano and eel sauce.
♥️ And that is it, subscribe for more!
Substitutions and Variations
Substitutions
- You can use tuna, yellowtail or whatever you fish of choice is instead of salmon. Just make sure it is sushi-grade.
- You can use olive oil, peanut oil or grapeseed oil instead of avocado oil.
Variations
- No Spice Variation: If you aren’t into spicy too much, you can adjust the amount of chili oil to your desired level of heat.
🔥Chef Nadia’s Tip🔥
- Always use sushi rice! You can find sushi rice as Calrose, japonica, Japanese sushi rice or California sushi rice.
- I have found that using a rice cooker yields the best results.
- Pack the rice pretty tightly before freezing to prevent it from falling apart.
- Once it is in the oil, don’t touch the rice until ready to turn. Very important step!
The Perfect Pairings
🍹Drinks: Crisp, refreshing, with a bit of spice will pair so nicely with these Spicy Salmon Crispy Rice bites. My Spicy Margarita is perfect for this!
🥗 Mains or Sides: Miso Black Cod is so easy and a viral recipe of mine that goes great with this dish if you want a little more. The same with my Sushi Bundt Cake. My Crispy Shiitake Salad is also a great choice for a fresh side.
🍮A Berry Panna Cotta is light, refreshing and creamy which is a great way to end your night!
Common Questions about Spicy Salmon Crispy Rice
The one I use is a 6½ x 9½ baking sheet.
I use a 2 inch cookie cutter and I just bought mine on Amazon.
Most grocery stores carry it but if you can’t find it, Amazon carries it Japanese Mayo.
Spicy Salmon Crispy Rice
Equipment
- rice cooker optional (but recommended)
- baking sheet 6½ x 9½
- plastic wrap
- cans for weight
- 2 inch cookie cutter, or whatever size you prefer. 2 inch cookie cutter
- pan
Ingredients
Crispy Rice:
- 1 ¼ cup sushi rice, short grain
- 1 ⅔ cup water
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp potato starch
- Pinch of salt
- Kombu strip, optional
Eel Sauce:
- ⅓ cup tamari
- ⅓ cup cane sugar
- ⅓ cup mirin
Spicy Tuna Bites:
- 10-12 oz sushi grade salmon
- 3 tbsp Japanese mayo
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp chives + more for topping
- 12-14 serrano or jalapeño slices
- 12-15 avocado triangles
- Avocado or olive oil for frying
Instructions
Rice
- Cook your rice in a rice cooker with the water, kombu and pinch of salt.
- Mix the sugar and rice vinegar well. Add it to the rice along with the potato starch and mix really well.
- Cover a container with plastic wrap and press the rice really well. You want it like ¼-½ inch thick depending on preference. Cover with the plastic wrap, place another container over it with some cans for weight. Refrigerate for 4-8 hours and then place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Eel Sauce
- Add the mirin, tamari and sugar to a sauce pan and boil. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until it coats the back of a spoon. Let cool.
Spicy Tuna Bites
- Chop your salmon really finely, almost like a paste. Add the japanese mayo, sriracha, chives, sesame oil, tamari and sugar. Mix.
- Cut your rice into rounds or squares. This yields between 12-16 depending on the size of your rounds. Mine was 2 inches.
- Cover your pan with about ½ inch of oil. Add your rice and fry until golden on both sides. Should be about 8-10 minutes.
- Pipe your salmon onto the rice, top with more chives, avocado, serrano and eel sauce.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
