It’s hard to ignore the appeal of onigiri: compact, portable, and infinitely customizable. The Japanese rice balls can be plain, simply seasoned with salt, or filled with anything from umeboshi to fish roe, and snugly wrapped in a sheet of nori or rolled in furikake.
This spicy tuna mayo version mostly relies on pantry ingredients, making it a go-to for lunch or dinner. The lemon zest is an unusual but bright addition. It adds a fresh sparkle, relieving the filling of any tinny taste while mayo acts like a rich salve. Use Japanese sushi rice for the best texture. Once it all comes together, tins of budget tuna will suddenly feel fun and craveable.
If this is your first time, assembling the onigiri can be an adventure. These onigiri are purposefully generous, almost overflowing with filling. It’s okay if the triangles are more like blobs; they’ll taste great regardless. If all else fails, abandon the filling and shaping and simply scoop warm rice into bowls and top with the tuna mayo and sprinkles of furikake.
