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I do love fried foods, and one of my favorite things ever is arancini! Arancini Recipe (Italian Fried Risotto) | The Mediterranean Dish which is an Italian street food (fried risotto ball stuffed with mozzarella usually). I have made the regular arancini before using risotto (arborio rice) with various fillings such as lamb to make them different and more interesting. Another favorite food of mine is sushi. There is a roll called the Philadelphia roll at our local sushi restaurant (may have a variation of ingredients or the name in other cities/states/countries) that contains salmon, cream cheese, avocado, cucumber, and scallions (AKA green onion). So it occurred to me that the sushi rice might be able to be used in lieu of the arborio rice, and the fillings could be the ingredients for the arancini filling! I decided to give it a try and it worked out quite well! If you like sushi, give it a try and see what you think!
Ingredients for sushi arancini balls:
2 cups cooked and seasoned sushi rice, cooled (I used this recipe): Sushi Rice Recipe - Gimme Some Oven
4 ounces of cream cheese cut into small pieces
4 ounces of sushi-grade raw skinless salmon filet cut into small pieces
1/2 small ripe avocado, peeled and cut into small slices
3 chopped scallion greens (AKA green onion, spring onion) approximately 3 TBSP
1 sheet of nori cut into tiny pieces
Furikake (optional)
Black sesame seeds
1-2 small squares of plastic wrap
Ingredients for breading:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 raw eggs
Ingredients for dipping sauces:
Soy sauce
Wasabi
Sriracha
2 TBSP mayonnaise
For the dipping sauce: I had a ramekin of wasabi and a small dish to mix soy sauce and wasabi together while eating. For a second sauce, mix together the mayonnaise and a squirt of sriracha sauce to make a spicy mayonnaise.
Oil of choice will be needed for frying
Preparation method:
Place a small square of plastic wrap in the palm of one hand. Spread a thin layer of sushi rice across your palm and place a piece of salmon, some cream cheese, scallions, and avocado in the center. Add a sprinkle of furikake, sesame seeds, and nori to the filling. Close up the rice around the fillings until completely sealed and place the risotto ball on a parchment lined tray. Continue until all of the rice and/or filling has been used up.
Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl. Place the flour in a bowl and the panko bread crumbs in another bowl. Roll the balls in the flour until lightly coated, then roll in the egg mixture, and finally roll them in the bread crumbs. Place the sushi arancini bowls on a piece of parchment paper and put them in the freezer for at least 45 minutes before frying. If you don't want to use them immediately, you can transfer them into a container and keep them in the freezer until ready to cook them.
When ready to cook, heat (at 350F) enough oil (I used vegetable oil) in a pan so that the arancini balls can be submerged without touching the bottom of the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan (I cooked 3 at a time).
Notes: For the first two batches I made, I did not freeze the balls but I had put them in the freezer to cool down and firm up. The salmon was cooked through though still moist and tender--if you do not want the fish to be rare, make sure that the balls are thawed out and not frozen in the middle so the salmon will be completely cooked. Also, for the first batch I made, I had put cucumber in the balls since that's how the Philadelphia sushi rolls are made. The cucumber lost it's crunch during cooking, though the balls were still very tasty. On the second batch I made, I chose to not include the cucumber inside and I garnished the sushi arancini balls with the diced cucumber, scallions, and some of the spicy mayonnaise sauce. That was a much better choice. You could also top with additional furikake or nori and sesame seeds if you like. I also think that smoked salmon would be great in these, or ahi tuna, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Overall, these were a big success and a lot of fun to make. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
Ingredients for sushi arancini balls:
2 cups cooked and seasoned sushi rice, cooled (I used this recipe): Sushi Rice Recipe - Gimme Some Oven
4 ounces of cream cheese cut into small pieces
4 ounces of sushi-grade raw skinless salmon filet cut into small pieces
1/2 small ripe avocado, peeled and cut into small slices
3 chopped scallion greens (AKA green onion, spring onion) approximately 3 TBSP
1 sheet of nori cut into tiny pieces
Furikake (optional)
Black sesame seeds
1-2 small squares of plastic wrap
Ingredients for breading:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 raw eggs
Ingredients for dipping sauces:
Soy sauce
Wasabi
Sriracha
2 TBSP mayonnaise
For the dipping sauce: I had a ramekin of wasabi and a small dish to mix soy sauce and wasabi together while eating. For a second sauce, mix together the mayonnaise and a squirt of sriracha sauce to make a spicy mayonnaise.
Oil of choice will be needed for frying
Preparation method:
Place a small square of plastic wrap in the palm of one hand. Spread a thin layer of sushi rice across your palm and place a piece of salmon, some cream cheese, scallions, and avocado in the center. Add a sprinkle of furikake, sesame seeds, and nori to the filling. Close up the rice around the fillings until completely sealed and place the risotto ball on a parchment lined tray. Continue until all of the rice and/or filling has been used up.
Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl. Place the flour in a bowl and the panko bread crumbs in another bowl. Roll the balls in the flour until lightly coated, then roll in the egg mixture, and finally roll them in the bread crumbs. Place the sushi arancini bowls on a piece of parchment paper and put them in the freezer for at least 45 minutes before frying. If you don't want to use them immediately, you can transfer them into a container and keep them in the freezer until ready to cook them.
When ready to cook, heat (at 350F) enough oil (I used vegetable oil) in a pan so that the arancini balls can be submerged without touching the bottom of the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan (I cooked 3 at a time).
Notes: For the first two batches I made, I did not freeze the balls but I had put them in the freezer to cool down and firm up. The salmon was cooked through though still moist and tender--if you do not want the fish to be rare, make sure that the balls are thawed out and not frozen in the middle so the salmon will be completely cooked. Also, for the first batch I made, I had put cucumber in the balls since that's how the Philadelphia sushi rolls are made. The cucumber lost it's crunch during cooking, though the balls were still very tasty. On the second batch I made, I chose to not include the cucumber inside and I garnished the sushi arancini balls with the diced cucumber, scallions, and some of the spicy mayonnaise sauce. That was a much better choice. You could also top with additional furikake or nori and sesame seeds if you like. I also think that smoked salmon would be great in these, or ahi tuna, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Overall, these were a big success and a lot of fun to make. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
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