Spam Onigiri

Japanese rice sandwich with Spam and Eggs.

This Spam Onigiri recipe combines crispy pan-fried Spam, a fluffy omelette, and seasoned rice wrapped in nori to create the ultimate Japanese rice sandwich. It's packed with flavor and endlessly adaptable, perfect for a picnic lunch or light on-the-go meal.

Course Sandwich

Cuisine Japanese-Western

Keyword bento, onigiri, picnic

Level Beginner

Main Ingredient Pork, Rice

Diet Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free

Prep Time 9

Cook Time 6

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 550kcal

Author Marc Matsumoto

Equipment

Ingredients

600 grams cooked Japanese short-grain rice (click the link for my recipe)
2 full sheets nori
4 large eggs
1 can SPAM
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
salt (to taste)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
8 green shiso leaves (or other herbs like basil or chives)

Grams + US Cups - US Standard

Instructions

Prep

Cook 2 rice cooker cups of rice in a rice cooker or follow my recipe for making Japanese rice. You'll need 600 grams cooked Japanese short-grain rice.
600 grams cooked Japanese short-grain rice
Cut 2 full sheets nori in half lengthwise (from side to side with the long edge facing you).
2 full sheets nori
Break 4 large eggs into a bowl and remove the chalaza (the white membranes connected to the yolks) using chopsticks. Beat the eggs until the yolks and whites are evenly combined, and the mixture is uniform in color.
4 large eggs
Trim the rounded ends off the sides of 1 can SPAM and then slice it vertically into 4 even slices.
1 can SPAM

Cook

Heat the 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat until it's shimmering, and then add the slices of spam. Fry on one side until they're golden brown and crisp and then flip and brown the other side (about 2 minutes per side) then transfer to a plate. You may need to do this in 2 batches.
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Turn down the heat to low and wipe out all of the excess oil from the pan. Add half of the egg mixture. Scramble the eggs for a few seconds with chopsticks, but stop stirring before there's not enough liquid egg to run into the gaps you create.
Let the egg cook most of the way through, and then use a spatula to cut the omelette in half. If you are using a tamagoyaki pan, fold each sheet of egg in half to make it about the size of your Spam. If you are using a different pan, fold the egg as many times as needed to make it roughly the shape and size of the Spam. Transfer the egg to the plate with the spam and repeat with the remaining egg.

Assembly

Lay down a large sheet of plastic wrap and add a sheet of nori with the shiny surface facing down. Spread about 150 grams of cooked rice evenly over the surface of the nori using a rice paddle or spatula. Sprinkle the rice evenly with a pinch of salt and a pinch of toasted sesame seeds.
salt, 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Add 2 shiso leaves to one side of the rice, with the leaves sticking out a bit from the corners. Top with a slice of Spam and a sheet of egg.
8 green shiso leaves
Use the plastic wrap to flip the rice and nori on one side up and over the fillings to make a sandwich, and then wrap the plastic around your spam onigiri to set its shape. Repeat the Assembly steps for the remaining onigiri.

Video

Nutrition