Spam Musubi Recipe

Spam Musubi is a Rice Ball with grilled Spam on top.  The whole thing is wrapped with a strip of Nori seaweed. It is a popular Hawaiian dish but also found in some regions of Japan.

In addition to Onigiri, Musubi or Omusubi is another word for rice ball in Japanese.  Spam meat was a combat ration for soldiers in the American military during World War II.  After Japanese-American soldiers came back to Hawaii after the war, Spam turned into a popular local food when they brought the canned meat with them.  Areas in Japan that have a big American military presence, especially Okinawa, also have a lot of food from the American military after the war, and Spam dishes became popular for restaurant and home food.

Today you can buy Spam Musubi at many stores all over Japan and Japanese markets in the US too.  The salty canned meat goes surprisingly well with steamed rice.  Some versions also add more toppings, like sauce or egg.  Kids somehow love it so much, and even the most picky eaters may willingly go for it.  While this may not be something you want to let them (or yourself) eat everyday, it may satisfy a guilty salt craving every so often (though there are low sodium versions today too!).  You should try it at least once if you haven’t already – you may find a new favorite taste combing East and West.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Spam Musubi Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: rice, spam

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Ingredients

• 4 slices Spam
• 2 cups Steamed Rice
• 4 pieces Nori roasted dried seaweed cut into 1/2″x8″ (1.3cmx20cm) strips

Instructions

• Cook the sliced Spam in a large skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
• Meanwhile, after the steamed rice has cooled a bit, wet your hands, take 1/4 of the rice, and make a rice ball about the size and shape of the meat. Repeat to make the 3 remaining rice balls.
• Place 1 piece of meat on a rice ball and wrap with a Nori strip. Repeat wth the 3 remaining rice balls.

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