This appealingly fresh summer salad combines three contrasting textures of crab, cucumber and seaweed. The light dressing enhances the natural flavors of the ingredients while never overpowering them.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
- 2 Lebanese (short) cucumbers
- 2 tablespoons dried wakame seaweed pieces
- 150 g/6 oz/1 cup fresh, cooked crab meat, picked over (or good-quality tinned crab meat)
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons Japanese rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dashi II
- 1 tablespoon shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons mirin
- 20 g/¾ oz fresh ginger
Method:
Dissolve 2 teaspoons of salt in 500 ml/17 fl oz/ 2 cups cold water. Cut the cucumbers in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds, then slice the flesh very thinly. Put the cucumber flesh in the cold water and soak for 10 minutes. Drain well and gently squeeze out any excess moisture. Keep in the refrigerator until needed.
Soak the wakame in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, or until re-hydrated and glossy but not mushy. Drain well, then refrigerate until needed.
To make the dressing, combine the rice vinegar, dashi, shoyu and mirin in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Finely grate the ginger, then squeeze the grated ginger with your fingertips to release the juice (you will need 1½ teaspoons of ginger juice). Add the ginger juice to the dressing and stir well. Allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until cold.
Neatly arrange the cucumber, wakame and crab meat into four small serving dishes, then carefully pour the dressing over the top.