Any sea green will work here, alone or in combination, though wakame is the mildest. (For more information on the different kinds and how to prepare them, see pages 244 to 246.) This will keep well in the fridge for days.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce wakame or other seaweed
- ¼ cup minced scallions or red onion
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon mirin or 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon good-quality vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil, or to taste
- Pinch cayenne, or to taste
- Salt (optional)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (see page 299; optional)
How to Make It
- Rinse the seaweed and soak it in at least 10 times its volume of water until tender, 5 to 10 minutes or more. Drain and gently gather and squeeze the pieces to remove excess water. Pick through the seaweed to sort out any hard bits (there may be none) and chop or cut up (you may find it easier to use scissors) if the pieces are large. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add the scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, vegetable and sesame oils, cayenne, and salt to taste, if you’re using it, and toss. Taste and adjust the salt or other seasonings. Garnish with the sesame seeds and serve. 10 Additions to Simplest Seaweed Salad
- You can add these singly or in combination. I love radishes and cucumber combined here, for example. ½ to 1 pound cucumber, peeled, seeded if necessary (see page 49), thinly sliced, and salted and squeezed to remove excess water Several radishes or a 2-inch piece of peeled daikon or jícama, thinly sliced ½ cup grated carrots or peeled parsnips Grated fresh ginger, about a tablespoon, or more or less to taste 1 or 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped ½ to 1 cup peeled and chopped Asian pear or Granny Smith apple 1 cup halved green or red grapes 1 to 2 cups cooked or drained canned black or white soybeans ½ cup chopped nuts like peanuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews, or pecans 1 to 2 tablespoons Kombu Dashi (page 100) for extra juiciness and flavor
