Wagyu Nigiri with Sansho Salt

Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth wagyu beef topped with fragrant, tingly Sansho Salt is a delicious snack to enjoy outdoors, whether you're camping or in your own backyard. It requires only a little prep for the rice and a kitchen torch (for the Japanese "aburi", flame-seared, method) to finish the wagyu tableside. For the wagyu beef slices, you can typically find these paper-thin "shabu shabu" cuts in asian grocery stores, or request them from the butcher counter and specify that they will be for nigiri.

Recipe and photo by: The JSC Kitchen

Process

Make the Rice

Make one cup (dry) of short-grain white rice in a rice cooker. It should make 3 cups of cooked rice.

In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, salt and sugar.

Once the rice is cooked, place in a large bowl and add the vinegar mixture. Stir until evenly combined. Next, spread the rice out in a thin layer on a sheet tray and allow it to cool before forming small compact oblongs with your hands, being careful not to press too hard. Set aside. 

Make the Wagyu

Cut the slices of wagyu beef into smaller strips, about 1" wide by 2" long. 

Place one slice of wagyu onto each oblong of rice. Use a kitchen torch to quickly sear the meat on top of rice.

While the torch method is preferred, you can alternatively place the wagyu slices on a grill or pan and allow them to cook for a few seconds on each side, as it will cook very quickly. 

Top with a generous sprinkle of Sansho Salt before serving.