Spam and Egg Musubi
Spam and Egg Musubi
Spam and soft scrambled egg musubis - salsa macha was added to this batch!
If there’s one snack I can make with my eyes closed, it’s Spam and Egg Musubi. After rolling over a thousand of these little gems, I’m thrilled to share my go-to recipe. You’ll love how easy these are to make and maybe stop asking me to bring them to every party! (Just kidding - mostly).
Whether it’s a holiday meal, potluck or big family gathering, Spam Musubi with Eggs is always a hit.
Before you raise an eyebrow at Spam, ask yourself if you’ve eaten a hot dog. Trust me, hot dogs have a much longer list of ingredients.
Let’s bust some myths. With just 6 ingredients; pork shoulder, water, potato starch, sugar, sodium nitrate (a common preservative) and salt, it’s far less mysterious than you think. I’m all about debunking myths of foods so more to come on that later, MSG I’m talking to you!
Spam has an incredible history that ties into Hawaii’s culinary culture. Let’s dive into why Spam and Egg Musubi is so iconic - and how you can make this savory, sweet and satisfying snack at home. Plus how you can personalize it to fit your tastebuds!
Ingredients for Spam & Egg Musubi
1 can of Spam will yield 4 rolls that can be cut into 8 pieces (32 total pieces of musubi)
Total Time: 1 hour
1 can of Spam (sliced lengthwise into 8 pieces)
3-4 eggs (soft scrambled)
2 cups of uncooked white, Japanese rice
1 packet of sushi nori (you’ll use 4 sheets)
1 cup of teriyaki sauce or soy sauce mixed with 1 tbsp of sugar
1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar
Pinch of salt
Optional: An orange for cutting (if you slide your knife through the citrus, the rice and seaweed won’t stick once you’re cutting the rolls up)
Extras: Egg, kimchi, seasoned green chiles, togarashi, furikake (rice sprinkles), picked radish, salsa macha, chili crunch
Preparation for Spam & Egg Musubi
Make your rice ahead of time. Click here to find my recipe on cooking perfect rice. Ensure your rice is room temperature or cooler when assembling, or you’ll end up with soggy nori. Account for cooling time if you are planning to make your musubis and you haven’t cooked your rice yet.
Gather your ingredients. Here are some neccessities:
You’ll need a spam musubi maker, you can find these at your local Asian market or online.
Nori (seaweed) and Spam are the basics. I’ve linked to my preferred brand.
Teriyaki marinade; make your own by adding sugar to shoyu (soy sauce), combine and taste.
Additions: Eggs, furikake, togarashi, kimchi, shoyu green chilies and pickled radish or ginger are considered extra credit.
1 Orange: Run your knife through an orange as you slice the musubis. It helps you cut with ease!
Directions for Spam & Egg Musubi
As your rice is cooling, cut each block of Spam into 8 pieces lengthwise. Marinate Spam in teriyaki sauce (at least 15 minutes, ideally 30).
Heat a non-stick pan to medium heat. Fry the slices until they turned nice, dark and crispy, flipping halfway through. Add all the teriyaki mixture into the pan.
When your rice has cooled, add rice wine vinegar and salt, mix thoroughly. It should taste sweet but still savory.
Take your musubi maker and place the nori on a cutting board, shiny side down. The nori lines should run perpendicular to the sushi mold (the fold lines of the nori should run vertically). Line the inside of the maker with a thin layer of water with your fingers. Add about an inch high layer of rice, and use the topper to smash it down. (Wet that before too to avoid the rice sticking).
Add two slices of spam and your eggs (or any additional toppings). Stick one more layer of rice on and press again. All of the ingredients should reach ~3/4 of the way to the top of the mold.
Carefully remove the mold. Bring up the sides and seal with a little bit of water.
Slice: Run your knife through an orange and slice into 4 larger pieces or 8 smaller pieces. This will prevent the rice and nori from sticking to your knife.
Vegetarian Option:
To make this vegetarian friendly, substitute spam and eggs with cucumbers, avocado or veggies of your choice!
Footnotes:
Spam became popular in Hawaii during WWII because the US banned deep sea fishing (as an unfair sanction) which was how Japanese immigrants made their livings.
Spam and sardines (which are also having a moment right now) were used to replace fish as many of the immigrants were close to starvation. Years later, Japanese-Americans created the spam musubi.
Now, Spam has lost much of its stigma, and even shows up on gourmet restaurant dining menus. Enjoy your Spam Musubi adventure!
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of Spam should I use?
There’s a variety of different Spam’s out there. I prefer to use the 25% less sodium version since we’re marinating it in shoyu (soy sauce). Experiment and choose the one you like best!
What kind of musubi mold should I use?
I prefer the longer one vs. the shorter ones (less work!). Here’s a link to the musubi mold I use.
What should I serve this with?
Spam and egg musubi is popular in Hawaii. Try pairing it with Hawaiian Mac Salad and Mochiko Chicken. Many of these amazing recipes can be found in one of my favorite cookbooks, Aloha Kitchen.
Watch this video for a quick tutorial on assembling!
Fry the Spam until it’s brown and crispy.
A 500+ order I made of Spam musubis for a catered party
Arrange your spam musubis into a Christmas Tree during the Holiday Season!