Onigiri are versatile, salty rice balls, a staple of Japanese snacks and lunch boxes.

Traditionally formed by hand into the shape of a ball or triangle, they last for a day or two and are excellent for taking on a trip.

They are often made with a pickle filling or with fish. I like them most of all with just salt and flaked, cooked salmon.

For this recipe though, I created onigiri using Scottish smoked salmon.

Smoked salmon has long-standing cultural significance in Scotland. The fish have historically been abundant in Scottish seas and rivers, especially at certain times of year. The smoking process helps preserve the flesh for longer. It’s also absolutely delicious, like a thin, smokey sashimi. Naturally it goes very well with a martini.

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients:

• 200g smoked salmon
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• A lemon
• 1 cup of short grain rice
• Fine sea salt

Coming from the Isle of Mull, I obviously recommend the Tobermory Fish Co which some of you might recognise from the BBC programme Designing the Hebrides. They deliver!

Instructions

For the rice, use the same cooking instructions from my earlier post on onigiri.

Finely chop the smoked salmon and add it to a large bowl.

Grate in the zest of one lemon.

Stir in 2 tbsp mayonnaise.

Mix everything well.

When the rice is cooked, stir it into the mixture and use gentle cutting and folding movements with a spoon, spatula or rice paddle to combine everything evenly without smashing the rice grains. You want the grains nice and intact so they stick together better.

You can leave things to cool for a few minutes or you can get to work straight away.

It helps to have a small dish of water to your side, as well as some salt. You can wet your hands and rub a little salt into them, or you can dissolve salt into the water so you have a roughly 10% saline solution. This salt-water combo will help stop the rice from sticking to your hands, while the salt acts as an anti-bacterial.

Take a piece of the rice mixture into your hands and squeeze it gently into a triangle or ball shape.

Between every ball or so you might want to re-wet and re-salt your hands.

Keep working until you’ve turned all the rice mixture into onigiri. If you’re left with a small amount of rice mixture at the end that isn’t big enough to make a ball put it straight into your mouth!

Onigiri are ideal for picnics and pack lunches. Once they’ve cooled down to room temperature you can pack them in some tupperware or lunch boxes.

Why not take them on a walk or a hike. If you’re on the Isle of Mull, or indeed anywhere else in the countryside, they’re perfect for one of the local forestry walks or beautiful hills to climb.

The above photos were taken on the Ardmore walk looking out towards Ardnamurchan, the most westerly point on the British mainland. If you keep on sailing in that direction you’ll pass the Outer Hebrides, the stunning world heritage site of St. Kilda and then eventually, after a few days, you’ll hit Greenland.

Of course, this smokey-citrus onigiri variation goes beautifully with a martini, so save some for when you get back from your trek and treat yourself in the evening.

Slàinte mhath!