Inari Sushi With Shrimp and Kewpie Mayo

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Shrimp inari is a fried and seasoned tofu pocket stuffed with fluffy sushi rice then filled the rest of the way with a creamy shrimp mayo mixture. Sushi seems daunting, but this easy inari with shrimp recipe will help you create a dozen for a small get together.

Jump to:

• What is Inari Sushi?
• Traditional Way of Making Inari Sushi
• Why You'll Like It
• Ingredients For Shrimp Inari Sushi
• Where to Find Inari Near Me
• Substitutes
• Recipe Tips
• How to Make Shrimp Inari Sushi
• How to Serve
• Variations
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Inari Sushi Recipe With Shrimp and Kewpie Mayo
• Have You Tried This Recipe?

If this sushi recipe is still intimidating, try a sushi bake recipe for something even simpler that feeds a bigger group.

What is Inari Sushi?

Even though this shrimp inari is by no means a traditional Japanese inari recipe, some of its elements stay true to the classic definition of inarizushi. The word inari is a borrowed term from Inari shrines that honor fertility, foxes, and rice, among other things. Inarizushi starts with fried tofu pouches called abura age. The thin-skinned tofu pouch, or abura age, is then dipped into a seasoning mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and dashi. After marinating in the seasoning, the fried tofu pockets gain a new name — ajitsuke inari age. The new name tells us that these are seasoned tofu pockets ready for stuffing.

Traditional Way of Making Inari Sushi

The most common and traditional inari sushi filling is a simple mixture of sushi rice, a combination of short-grain white rice, vinegar, and sugar. The inari age would be stuffed with seasoned rice. The opening would be folded closed, and then the inari would be placed upside down so you could only see the tofu skin. These filled tofu pockets accompany proteins such as meat or fish.

Why You'll Like It

This inari sushi and other modern-day inari are what you now call fusion food. We no longer have to eat the tofu rice pockets side-by-side with protein. Nowadays, meat or fish sits on top of the open side of the tofu pocket to be devoured in one (or two) bites. The recipe card below makes one of these modern combinations.

Ingredients For Shrimp Inari Sushi

• Short Grain White Rice: Since you will be making sushi rice, Japanese brands such as Nishiki will provide the correct texture and bite for the recipe.
  
• Vinegar: You will need white rice vinegar to make sushi rice.
  
• Sugar: Adding sugar with the vinegar to sushi rice balances its taste.
  
• Seasoned Fried Bean Curd: This is also known as ajitsuke inari age, which you can find at most Asian grocery stores. There are different types of inari; the one you want would say 'fried' and 'seasoned' on its package.
  
• Shrimp: For this recipe, I used frozen, peeled, deveined, tail-on shrimp that was thawed before frying. But you can save yourself time and get tailless shrimp as well.
  
• Kewpie Mayo: The best type of mayo for this shrimp inari is the Kewpie brand. It is richer than most other mayonnaise since it is made with mostly egg yolks and vinegar.
  
• Green Onions: You can use these inside the shrimp mixture or as a garnish.
  
• Sriracha (optional): This is an optional ingredient, but it is delicious when you want to make spicy shrimp inari.

Where to Find Inari Near Me

There are two sections where you will find inari or tofu pouches in any given Asian grocery store. The first section is in the canned goods aisle. There you will find canned inari pockets and they will have 'inarizushi-no-moto' written across the can. These cans come in plain and seasoned versions. The second location is within the refrigerated section where you will find packages of plain inari - look for the word 'abura age' - and seasoned inari called 'ajitsuke inari age.'

Substitutes

• Vinegar-based Mayonnaise: If you don't have kewpie mayo or cannot find it in stores, vinegar-based mayonnaise works just as well.
  
• Seasoned Inari Age: If you can't find seasoned inari age, look for plain abura age at Asian stores.

Recipe Tips

• Make Rice the Same Day: Cook the rice before doing anything else to have it ready and fresh for making sushi rice.
  
• Use Your Hands: The inari pockets are prone to ripping and are best handled with bare hands. So when stuffing the rice into the weak tofu skin, use your hands instead of a utensil. Doing so prevents accidental tears.
  
• Keep Your Hands Wet: Since I recommend doing these by hand, keep your hands wet to handle the rice well.

How to Make Shrimp Inari Sushi

1. Cook the shrimp and let them cool.
2. Mix the shrimp with Kewpie mayo, green onions, and sriracha (optional).
3. Make the sushi rice by combining cooked white rice, vinegar, and sugar.
4. Remove the inari from its package and gently squeeze off the liquid seasoning.
5. Assemble the inari sushi by adding rice to each individual inari pocket.
6. Top each pocket with a spoonful of the shrimp inari filling.
7. Garnish with sesame seeds or green onions. Or both!

How to Serve

The best way to serve shrimp inari sushi is right after you make them and at room temperature. I have made these tofu pockets several times for get-togethers, and they last on a grazing table for up to 2 hours. These are great finger foods. I've seen friends serve themselves seconds, thirds, and fourths since it's so easy to grab one by a table!

Variations

There are so many options when it comes to other inari sushi filling ideas. Since the basis of inari sushi is a tofu pocket with sushi rice, the protein part is mainly up to you! Below are two other toppings that I've personally tried.

• Tuna: Canned tuna works just as well as shrimp. In this recipe, replace the shrimp with drained canned tuna meat and make tuna salad with the kewpie mayo.
  
• Smoked Sprats: For a flavor explosion, try topping plain inari sushi with smoked sprats and a smear of cream cheese. The taste is smoky and surprisingly meaty.