Hot Smoked Trout & Kabocha Squash Onigiri

Hot Smoked Trout & Kabocha Squash Onigiri

Ingredients

1 cup Carnaroli Rice
1 tbsp unsalted butter
½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp Nori Flakes
1 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted
4oz filet smoked trout
1 tsp sriracha
1 ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
⅔ cup Kabocha Squash, cut into large cubes
6 to 8 leaves pink chicory (Rosa del Veneto)
8 pieces chive, optional

Method

1. Steam the rice. Melt butter over medium heat in a medium-sized pot and add the rice, which will sizzle. Stir for 2 minutes and add ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Add the chicken stock and bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 17 to 19 minutes. Turn off the heat and let steam for another 10 minutes. Gently fluff up the rice with a fork and let cool completely (rice can be made one day ahead.)

2. Mix the onigiri rice. Gently combine the cooled rice, nori flakes, white sesame seeds, and one tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Taste and add a pinch of kosher salt, if needed; rice should taste highly seasoned, sticky, and slightly tart.

3. Steam the squash. In a double boiler set over an inch of simmering water, steam 1-inch wide cubes of kabocha squash until tender, about 12 to 14 minutes. (If you don’t have a steaming basket, you can rest a small colander in a large Dutch oven and cover that with the Dutch oven lid.) Set aside to cool slightly.

4. Mix the onigiri filling. In a small bowl, mash the smoked trout, cooked kabocha squash, teaspoon of sriracha, ½ tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of kosher salt. Taste and add more vinegar or kosher salt if needed.

5. Shape the onigiri. Place ¼ cup of seasoned sushi rice (about ½ cup) into a standard onigiri mold lightly moistened with water. Make a small dent in the center. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the trout and squash filling in this indentation. Add more rice to cover; it’s okay if some of the filling peeks through. Firmly press the tamp on top to condense the filling. Gently nudge the onigiri out with the tips of your fingers. Repeat until all of the rice is used up. If you don’t have an onigiri mold, you may shape more freeform rice balls in the palm of your hand.

6. Add a strip of chicory. Gently tear the chicory leaves away from the rib (save the ribs for a salad) so you have 2 inch long strips. Wrap the leaf around one edge of the onigiri. Gently moisten the leaves with a little apple cider vinegar to get it to adhere to the rice. If using chives, tie a long piece of the herb around the onigiri, like a ribbon over a parcel. Eat immediately or transfer to an airtight container and eat within 1 day.

Note: A nice thing to do with the leftovers, if there are any, are to grill the onigiri parcels until crisp and charred. Brush a teaspoon of olive oil all over the exterior of the onigiri, then transfer to a hot grill. Grill for 1 minute on each side, and eat when warm.