Edomae Tuna Nigiri — Jiro-Inspired

About This Recipe

This recipe is inspired by Chef Jiro Ono's lifelong devotion to Edomae sushi — the classical Tokyo style perfected over decades at Sukiyabashi Jiro. Edomae sushi is small, precise, and built on three pillars: perfectly cooked and seasoned rice, the highest quality fish (often briefly aged or marinated), and the chef's nikiri — a reduced soy glaze brushed onto each piece in place of dunking. This is our home interpretation of the technique Jiro has refined over 70+ years. It is not a reproduction of any Sukiyabashi Jiro menu item.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 300 gsushi-grade tuna(akami (lean) or chutoro (medium-fatty))
• 300 gJapanese short-grain rice
• 60 mlrice vinegar
• 30 gcaster sugar
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 60 mlsoy sauce(for nikiri)
• 30 mlmirin(for nikiri)
• 30 mlsake(for nikiri)
• 1 tspwasabi paste(freshly grated if possible)
• 2 tbsppickled ginger (gari)(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the sushi rice

   Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs almost clear. Cook in 360ml water in a rice cooker or covered pot for 20 minutes. Let rest covered 10 more minutes.

2. 2

   Season the rice (shari)

   While the rice cooks, gently warm the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan until dissolved. Cool. Spread the cooked rice in a wide non-metallic bowl, drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly, and fold (don't stir) with a wooden spatula to coat each grain. Cool to body temperature.

3. 3

   Make the nikiri

   In a small pan, simmer the soy sauce, mirin and sake for 4 minutes until reduced by a third and glossy. Cool.

4. 4

   Slice the tuna

   Pat the tuna completely dry. Using a long sharp knife, slice into rectangles about 7cm long × 2.5cm wide × 0.6cm thick — angle the knife away from you and slice in a single stroke. Don't saw.

5. 5

   Form the nigiri

   Wet your hands with a vinegar-water mix (3:1). Take about 18g of seasoned rice and form into a loose oval. Place a tiny dab of wasabi on the rice. Lay a slice of tuna on top. Press gently with two fingers — firm enough to hold, loose enough to fall apart in the mouth. Brush the tuna lightly with nikiri.

   The rice should hold together when picked up but break apart in the mouth. This balance is the soul of nigiri.

6. 6

   Serve immediately

   Arrange on a wooden board with pickled ginger. Eat fish-side down — the nikiri side should hit the tongue first. No need to dip in extra soy sauce.

Variations

• •

  Salmon Nigiri: substitute fresh salmon — slice and form the same way.

• •

  Aged Tuna (Zuke): marinate the tuna slices in nikiri for 5 minutes before forming — a traditional Edomae preservation technique.

Storage

Sushi cannot be stored — eat within 30 minutes of forming.

Frequently Asked Questions