Spam Sushi (Musubi)

Spam Sushi is a fun, sweet, and savory dish that’s great for lunches on the go or picnic dinners with the kids. Also called Musubi, these handheld rolls are Hawaiian comfort food at their best.

Spam Sushi is one of my picnic go-to dishes. I like to serve them with Tropical Slaw With Pineapple, Pickled Deviled Eggs, and Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies for a picnic menu that’s a family favorite.

What Is Spam, Anyway?

Spam is a brand of canned pork lunchmeat. Developed by Hormel Foods in 1939, the cooked pork product became popular when it was used as rations during World War II.

Spam is made from pork shoulder, ham, salt (and lots of it), sugar, potato starch, and sodium nitrate. It’s formed raw and cooked in the can, which is what makes the weird, meat jelly at the top of the can.

The name originated when the brother of a Hormel Foods executive won a competition to name the new product. He thought the product tasted like spiced ham and used a contraction of the two words. Thus, Spam was named.

Spam Musubi Or Sushi?

I learned about this dish from my father-in-law who had loved it since he served in the Army stationed in Hawaii. He was a fan of anything with Spam in it, but especially what he called ‘Spam Sushi’.

Spam Musubi is what this dish is called in Hawaii. It’s a spin on Japanese Musubi, which is a rice ball that is filled and sometimes wrapped in nori.

There are many theories on who or how the Spam Musubi should be credited. The theory told to me by my father-in-law was that a Japanese-American woman living with her military husband in Hawaii used the only military rations she had left to make a meal for her husband. She took rice, Spam, and seasonings, and wrapped it all in nori. Needless to say, her husband loved it.

What Ingredients Are Needed

• Sushi rice – You want to use sushi rice because it is short grain rather than medium or long grain like normal jasmine or basmati rice,  It also has a higher starch content, making it stickier so it holds the shape when you mold it.
• Rice vinegar
• Granulated sugar and brown sugar
• Sea salt
• Spam
• Soy sauce
• Pineapple juice
• Roasted nori – This is the roasted seaweed that is dried and used to wrap around sushi. You can find it in the international aisle of your grocery.

Steps To Make This Recipe

1. Rinse the rice and cook it until tender.
2. Mix the rice vinegar, granulated sugar, and sea salt into the rice.
3. Cook the Spam in a skillet until the edges are brown and begin to crisp on both sides.
4. Mix the soy sauce, pineapple juice, and brown sugar together.
5. Pour over the Spam and simmer until the liquid evaporates.
6. Line the Spam can with plastic wrap.
7. Press some of the rice into the bottom of the can.
8. Use the plastic wrap to pull the molded rice out of the can.
9. Top the rice with a Spam slice.
10. Wrap a nori strip around the Spam and rice and seal the bottom edge by moistening the edge and laying the sushi seam side down on a serving plate.
11. Repeat with the remaining rice and Spam slices.

Tips And Hints

• The recipe calls for a special musubi mold to form the rice patty. You can find one easily on Amazon. I use something simpler and cheaper – the Spam can. Once you remove the Spam, rinse out the can. Use a utility knife to carefully cut the can in half and then cut out the bottom. Use plastic wrap to protect your fingers from any sharp edges and to help unmold the rice easily. Your rice will be a perfect size every time.
• As a rule of thumb, the rice layer should be twice the height of the Spam. There is a lot of friendly controversy over the perfect ‘Spam to rice ratio’ and every home cook has his/her own thoughts.
• Use sushi rice or any short grain rice for the Musubi. Traditional Hawaiian Spam Musubi doesn’t have vinegar or sugar in the rice. My recipe uses a more traditional sushi-style rice because that’s how my Dad-In-Law liked it. Try it both ways to determine your family’s preference.
• Be sure to rinse your rice. Rinsing removes any starch from the surface of the rice kernel so that when cooked it’s perfectly fluffy and sticky rather than gluey and gummy.
• Allow the Spam slice to caramelize just a little around the edges when you cook it. The browned edges become slightly crisp and very sweet.
• When buying the nori, look for the one that is graded as either ‘gold’ or ‘A’ or ‘B’. This way your nori sheet will be uniform in thickness and size and easier to wrap around the Spam and rice. If you can’t find high-grade nori, you may need to be more careful when wrapping the Musubi.
• Seal the edges of the nori by dipping your finger into water and ‘gluing’ the ends together around your Musubi.
• Wrap and store the Musubi in plastic wrap individually and refrigerate for up to three days – if they last that long.

Toppings For Spam Musubi

• Add a folded scrambled egg to the top of the Spam before you roll the Nori around it. This is a classic breakfast in Hawaii.
• Avocado slices
• Kimchi
• Furikake seasoning – this is a Japanese seasoning made of seaweed, salt, sesame seeds, and spices.
• Slices of cucumber – slice them lengthwise using a mandoline for the prettiest Musubi.
• Top the Musubi with slices of sushi-grade seafood like tuna or salmon.

More Comfort Food Suggestions

• Oven Fried Chicken Fingers
• Arancini di Riso
• Drunken Noodles
• Classic Macaroni And Cheese
• Sloppy Joe Biscuits
• Spaghettios And Meatballs
• Tampa Cubano Sandwich
• Shepherd’s Pie
• Pittsburgh-style Ham BBQ Sandwiches