Nigiri
Sake Nigiri
Nigiri topped with salmon.
Raw fishBalanced flavorNot spicy
Sushi type
Nigiri
A hand-pressed bite of sushi rice topped with one main ingredient. It is one of the easiest ways to identify the featured fish or topping.
How to recognize it
What to look for
Look for separate, compact rice bases with a visible topping laid across each one. Sake nigiri lists salmon; ebi nigiri lists cooked prawn.
How it differs
Unlike sashimi, nigiri includes rice. Unlike gunkan, it does not need a standing nori wall to hold a loose topping.
Examples in SushiDex
Nigiri entries
Nigiri
Maguro Nigiri
Nigiri topped with tuna.
Raw fishBalanced flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Ebi Nigiri
Nigiri topped with cooked prawn.
No raw fishDelicate flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Aburi Sake Nigiri
Nigiri topped with seared salmon and optional sauce.
Check preparationBalanced flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Unagi Nigiri
Nigiri topped with cooked eel and unagi sauce.
No raw fishBold flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Toro Nigiri
Nigiri topped with fatty tuna belly.
Raw fishBold flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Hamachi Nigiri
Nigiri topped with yellowtail.
Raw fishDelicate flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Butterfish Nigiri
Nigiri topped with butterfish.
Raw fishBalanced flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Tamago Nigiri
Nigiri topped with Japanese omelette.
No raw fishDelicate flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Hotate Nigiri
Nigiri topped with scallop.
Raw fishDelicate flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Kani Nigiri
Nigiri topped with crab or surimi.
No raw fishDelicate flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Avocado Nigiri
Nigiri topped with avocado.
No raw fishDelicate flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Tako Nigiri
Nigiri topped with cooked octopus.
No raw fishBalanced flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Foie Nigiri
Nigiri topped with foie gras and optional sweet sauce.
No raw fishBold flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Amaebi Nigiri
Nigiri topped with sweet shrimp.
Raw fishDelicate flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Suzuki Nigiri
Nigiri topped with sea bass.
Raw fishDelicate flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Wagyu Nigiri
Nigiri topped with wagyu or beef and optional sauce.
No raw fishBold flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Tai Nigiri
Nigiri topped with sea bream.
Raw fishDelicate flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Ika Nigiri
Nigiri topped with squid.
Raw fishDelicate flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Anago Nigiri
Nigiri topped with cooked conger eel and optional sweet sauce.
No raw fishBalanced flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Ikura Nigiri
Salmon roe over a small base of sushi rice; nori is optional in this catalogue entry. Ikura Gunkan uses nori as the wall around the roe instead.
Raw fishBold flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Saba Nigiri
Nigiri topped with mackerel and optional vinegar.
Raw fishBold flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Tobiko Nigiri
Flying fish roe over sushi rice, with optional nori. The small roe gives this nigiri a crisp, beaded texture; Tobiko Gunkan instead contains it within a nori wall.
Raw fishBalanced flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Hokkigai Nigiri
Nigiri topped with hokkigai surf clam.
No raw fishBalanced flavorNot spicy
Nigiri
Shiitake Nigiri
Nigiri topped with shiitake mushroom and optional sauce.
No raw fishBalanced flavorNot spicy