Torched Salmon Nigiri with Chives
Blistered edges, a glossy center and a scatter of chives. Serve it the moment it is shaped, while the rice is still faintly warm.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Serves
- 2
- Level
- Medium
Photo: pedro furtado / Pexels
Torched Salmon Nigiri with Chives is all about balance between cool fish and warm, lightly seasoned rice. A kitchen torch gives aburi-style char in seconds; hold it a few inches away and keep it moving. Buy salmon labeled for raw eating and keep it on ice right up to the moment you slice it; cold fish cuts cleaner and tastes sweeter. A small dish of pickled ginger between bites keeps the palate fresh.
Method
Place 2 cups of rice in a large bowl, cover with cold water and stir with an open hand. Pour off the milky water, repeat until clear, then drain well.
Add the rice and 2 1/4 cups of cold water to your rice cooker with a strip of kombu and use the white rice setting. When it clicks off, leave it closed for 10 more minutes.
Warm 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt just until dissolved. Spread the hot rice in a wide bowl, drizzle the vinegar over a paddle and fold with slicing motions while fanning, until glossy and body temperature.
As the rice rests, trim any dark or sinewy edges from the salmon, then slice it on a slight angle in one long drawing stroke per piece.
Prepare the garnishes: snip the chives.
Using wet hands, shape tablespoon-size portions of rice into rounded rectangles, pressing just enough for them to hold together.
Swipe a dab of wasabi on the underside of each slice, drape it over a rice pillow and press lightly with two fingers so the topping hugs the rice.
Set the nigiri on a heatproof tray and pass a kitchen torch slowly over the fish, about 2 inches away, until the edges blister and the fat glistens.
Serve immediately, garnished with chives. Dip the fish side, not the rice, lightly into soy sauce.
Chef's note
Keep a bowl of tezu (water plus a splash of vinegar) beside you; damp hands stop rice from sticking without making it soggy.
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