Smoked Trout & Spring Onion Salad in Onigiri

These are a snack food which I learned of while browsing a Japanese market in New York City, looking for a quick easy to go snack. Once I'd realized the ease of basically taking a large one-piece sushi with me which was filled with a new set of fabulous, flavorful ingredients, I was hooked.

Onigiri, which literally means rice balls, are a popular, easy to eat on-the-go snack in Japan. The rice ball has an adorable triangular shape to make eating an onigiri an easier one-handed experience and they're often made with some kind of filling inside, although they are sometimes served plain, often after they've been grilled, which makes them yakionigiri. Popular ones include konbu (a type of seaweed), a delicious, light onigiri that as a bonus is vegetarian; mentaiko (seasoned cod roe)--I became quite fond of this flavor from the Japanese supermarket and I was always disappointed to find them out of stock; umeboshi (pickled plums) which I could never quite get the hang of, the flavor being too strong; sha-ke, grilled salmon, tasty of course; and tuna mayonnaise, my second favorite flavor after the flavored roe. I don't know if this is exactly traditional, but I make mine with sushi rice. And the filling I'll be sharing today is something that isn't quite traditional, it's more a twist on the idea of tuna mayonnaise: a smoky, rich smoked trout in mayo salad with delicate spring onions, which was heavily influenced by a fellow foodie friend's smoked trout mousse (my version uses mustard as opposed to horseradish and Mayonnaise as the creamy element, in the stead of creme fraiche). What gives it its twist is the spicy and acidic flavor of spicy brown mustard. This version of fish/mayonnaise salad is seriously tasty and you will likely find yourself with extra after making your onigiri. Spread it on crackers; use it to make tea sandwiches. It truly is rich and amazing.
I had a special mold to make my onigiri, but I'm told the technique becomes pretty easy with practice, and involves forming the points by cupping your hands and pressing the rice into the ridge formed in your palm. If you find yourself making onigiri as a snack pretty frequently, I'd highly suggest purchasing the mold as you can get a decent one for rather cheap on a site like amazon.

Smoked Trout & Spring Onion Salad in Onigiri

Makes 6 Onigiri*

For the sushi rice (to form into onigiri):

1 1/2 cups sushi rice
2 cups water
1 Tblsp mirin (rice wine)
2 Tblsp rice wine vinegar
1 Teaspoon neutral oil (such as vegetable or peanut)
1 Teaspoon soy sauce
2 pinches sugar
3 - 4 drops toasted sesame oil (optional)
4 sheets nori seaweed, cut into 3" wide strips

Optional garnish ideas: benishoga (julienned ginger pickled in shiso leaves), furikake (a sweet sesame/seaweed/salt dry condiment mix), toasted or black sesame seeds

For the smoked trout salad:

1 4 ounce tin smoked trout in oil, almost entirely drained
2 Teaspoons spicy brown mustard
1 - 2 Tblsp mayonnaise (depending upon taste)
pepper, to taste
4 spring onions, sliced (white parts only)

1. In heavy bottomed saucepan combine rice and water and bring to a boil.
2. When the water is boiling, cover the pan and turn heat down to lowest setting. Set a timer for the rice for 30 minutes.
3. While the rice is cooking use a fork to break up the trout fillets into small flakes. Mix in all other ingredients for salad, combine thoroughly and then cover and set in the refrigerator while the rice finishes cooking.
4. With the exception of the nori sheets, whisk together the rest of the ingredients for the sushi rice in a small bowl, heating the mix in the microwave in 10 second increments until the sugar is dissolved (shouldn't take more than 2 to 3 ten second long increments).
5. When the rice has been cooking for 30 minutes, remove from heat, but leave it covered. After 5 minutes fluff it with a rice paddle while slowly drizzling the warmed mixture together (vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, etc.).
6. When the rice has cooled completely, dampen your hands or mold and press half full with rice. Press tight. Fill with smoked trout mixture (about 2 Teasp each). Cover with the same amount of rice, then press together. If you are forming them by hand, now is the time to try your corner making technique.
7. Wrap each onigiri with a strip of nori and sprinkle with condiment of your choice.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and I welcome your feedback!



*With Trout Salad leftover

Citrus Tarragon Vinaigrette Dressing with Smoked Trout & Bacon Horseradish Scones

December in Silicon Valley is cold. Even so, it's citrus season here, and when my friend brought me some lemons and oranges from another friend's garden they called out to me to be paired with some salty smoked trout and delicate, herbaceous greens. I wanted something sort of summery to keep the winter chill at bay, and it occurred to me that citrus zest smells more like the fruit than its juice and pulp. A little fresh tarragon completes the flavor profile. I'm suggesting you serve this alongside my Shepherd's Pie w/ Beer Gravy, or you could pair it with these yummy bacon horseradish scones and whip up a batch of perfect scrambled eggs, for a sophisticated breakfast for dinner, or an easy brunch.

Citrus-Tarragon Dressing
(Makes enough dressing for 1 & 1/2 bags of salad)

1 lemon + 1/2 lemon zest (approx. 2 teasp.)
1 small orange + 1/4 orange zest
1 Tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
1/4 teasp. mustard powder
1 small shallot, pulsed into a paste in the food processor
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste
fresh black pepper, to taste

For the Salad:
1 1/2 bags of pre-washed mixed salad greens.
1 tin of trader joe's smoked trout (3.9 oz), or weight equivalent

1. Whisk all ingredients together until fully incorporated. I made my dressing the night before so the flavors would have time to marry.
2. Coat your salad with dressing.
3. Serve topped with 1/4 tin smoked trout.

Bacon Horseradish Scones
(Makes about 8 smallish scones)

6 slices of bacon
6 Tablesp. chilled butter, chopped

Dry ingredients:

1 3/4 c. flour
2 1/4 Teasp. baking powder
1/2 teasp. salt
1/4 teasp. pepper

Wet ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/3 c. of milk
2 Tablesp. horseradish

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook bacon in a pan on medium heat until bacon is slightly underdone.
3. Reserve 1 Tablesp. bacon grease to add to the dough.
4. While the bacon is cooking, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
5. When bacon is done to your liking, remove from the hot pan and set aside to cool.
6. Add the chilled, chopped butter to your dry ingredients and, using your fingers, pinch and roll butter into the dry ingredients until they resemble small, off-white crumbs.
7. Mix together wet ingredients in a separate bowl and when combined, add to the butter/dry ingredients mixture. If the batter seems too dry, you can pour in a bit more milk.
8. Chop up and add the bacon and reserved bacon grease.
9. Roll out batter slightly and cut into wedges or form into balls. Set them on a greased baking sheet.
10. Put your scones into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops have just started to brown.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and I welcome your feedback!

P.S.: The picture is of a brunch menu I concocted for another website; it features a different salad and a different scramble, but it's the only pic I have of the scones. Pic of the salad to follow.