Spam musubi is a classic Hawaiian snack or on-the-go lunch, made with a slice of seared spam on top of rice, all wrapped in crispy seaweed! It has a delicious soy sauce glaze that makes each bite extra flavorful.
Remove the spam from the can by squeezing the sides and shaking it until the spam comes out in one piece. SAVE THE CAN for assembling the musubi.
Cut the spam into 9 equal slices. 9 slices allow the slices to be the perfect thickness for musubi, but you can cut them to your desired thickness.
Lightly spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and add the spam slices to the pan. Heat over medium-high heat.
Fry the slices for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Whisk together the soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the spam with the mixture. Continue to cook until the sauce starts to thicken and caramelize. It will create a sweet glaze that clings to the spam and makes it delicious!
Sushi Rice
Rinse the rice with cold water until the water runs clear.
Cook the rice on the stovetop, in a rice cooker, or in the Instant Pot. If you use a rice cooker or Instant pot, cook the rice according to the manufacturer's instructions. My rice cooker takes 4 cups of water to cook 3 cups of rice.
While the rice is cooking, add the rice vinegar, sugar and salt together in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
Transfer the cooked rice to a large mixing bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the rice and use a spatula to fold the mixture into the rice.
Cover the bowl with saran wrap and let the rice cool on the counter until it reaches room temperature.
To Assemble
Wash the spam can and be careful not to cut your fingers! Dry the can and line it with saran wrap leaving an overlay of extra wrap.
Spoon about 1/4 cup of sushi rice into the bottom of the can.
Place a slice of cooked spam on top of the rice in the can.
Gather the excess plastic wrap and gently push it down shaping it into the mold of the can. Pull the musubi out of the can by lifting the gathered plastic wrap up.
Remove the plastic wrap from the musubi and place the spam side down onto the nori. Center it in the middle of the wrapper. Wrap the nori tightly around the musubi and seal it using your finger dipped in water.
Serve musubi warm or chilled. It's a perfect on the go snack!