California Crab Stack On Japanese Pickled Cucumber Mache Salad Dressed With Tarragon Dijon Dressing Recipes

CRAB AND CUCUMBER SALAD WITH SWEET VINEGAR DRESSING (AMAZU)

Steps:

• Put all the Amazu ingredients in a jar or a bowl and mix well until the sugar dissolves.
• Sprinkle salt over the sliced cucumber, mix and leave for 10 minutes to let it wilt.
• Squeeze the water out of the cucumbers and put it in a mixing bowl.
• Break very large crab meat into smaller chunks, some into flakes (note 3). Reserve a few large chunks of the crab meat with red skin on them for decoration and put the rest into the bowl with cucumber (note 4).
• If the wakame comes in long strands, cut them into bite-size pieces. Squeeze the water out and put them into the bowl (note 4).
• Mix the ingredients in the bowl so that the ingredients are evenly scattered (note 4).
• Transfer the mixture to serving bowls, place a couple of reserved large chunks of crab meat in each bowl, and serve with amazu in a little jar. Alternatively, pour the amazu over the salad and serve.

CALIFORNIA CRAB SALAD

Steps:

• Flake crab with 1 t lemon juice in large bowl.
• Add onion, celery (optional), vinegar, soy sauce, worcestershire, and 1 t dill.
• Stir until mixed.
• Stir in mayonnaise (adjust amount according to taste).
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Slice avocado into bitesize pieces and sprinkle with remaining 1 t lemon juice (keeps avocado from browning) and 1/2 t dill.
• Gently stir avocados and olives into the salad.
• Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• Serve or refrigerate for several hours.

JAPANESE-STYLE PICKLED CUCUMBER (SUNOMONO)

Steps:

• Place Persian cucumbers in a bowl; add salt and mix well. Let sit until cucumbers release their juices, about 10 minutes. Squeeze excess juice from cucumbers and drain.
• Whisk rice vinegar, white sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil together in a bowl until sugar is dissolved; pour over cucumbers. Marinate for 30 minutes. Garnish with sesame seeds.

CUCUMBER-AND-MâCHE SALAD

Steps:

• For the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, ginger and yogurt, along with a pinch of salt, and set aside.
• Slice each cucumber in half lengthwise, and then into quarters. Slice each quarter on the diagonal in thin slices. Place in a large bowl along with the mâche, mint and cilantro. Just before serving, pour the dressing over the greens, and mix gently. Place the salad on a large platter, sprinkle with the nigella seeds and serve, with the oil drizzled on top.

CUCUMBER CRAB PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Please note: cucumber and crab amounts are to your preference. The amounts listed here are a pretty good veggie/crab to noodle ratio.
• Do not use noodles larger than the medium shells. You can use smaller shell noodles, though.
• Boil noodles. Rinse well and let drain for quite a while. Stir them often when draining them to make sure all the water is out of the shells. The less water on them, the better the salad dressing sticks to them.
• Slice cucumber (with or without skin) to your preference. I typically slice it in half lengthwise, then do about 1/8 thin slices.
• Chop the imitation crab into chunks and add to the noodles.
• Sprinkle with salt and dill over entire mixture and stir. Dill should have a nice amount of "speckling" throughout the dish after stirring.
• If serving right away, pour approx 1/2 the bottle of dressing onto the cucumber crab mixture and stir, then slowly add more to lightly cover everything. You don't want the noodles sopping wet with dressing, but you want a nice thin coat on everything in the bowl.
• Chill until serving.
• If you are taking this to a pot luck or making it ahead, assemble everything but the dressing and keep refridgerated. Pour the dressing on just before serving.
• Keep dressing handy for left-overs because it tends to get sucked into the noodles if it sits in the fridge for any length of time.
• Optional: For presentation you can decorate with cherry tomatoes on top and sprinkle with dill for garnish.

"CALIFORNIA ROLL" SALAD

Steps:

• Into a large saucepan of salted boiling water stir rice and boil 10 minutes. Drain rice in a colander and rinse. Set colander over a kettle of boiling water (rice should not touch water) and steam rice, covered with a kitchen towel and lid, until fluffy and dry, 10 to 15 minutes (check water level in kettle occasionally, adding water if necessary).
• While rice is steaming, in a small saucepan bring 1/4 cup vinegar to a boil with sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved, and remove from heat. In a dry small skillet toast sesame seeds over moderate heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant and transfer to a small bowl.
• Transfer rice to a large bowl and stir in vinegar mixture. Cool rice and stir in sesame seeds, remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar, oil, ginger, scallions, carrot, and cucumber. Salad may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before proceeding.
• Dry-roast nori, 1 sheet at a time, directly above moderate heat (gas or electric burner), holding it at opposite corners and moving it back and forth, until it turns bright green, 30 seconds to 1 minute. With scissors cut nori into thin 2-inch-long strips.
• Peel and pit avocado. Quarter avoado and cut crosswise into thin slices. Add avocado to salad with surmimi if using and two thirds of nori strips and toss well.
• Make dressing:
• In a small bowl stir wasabi powder into hot water and stir in cold water, soy sauce, and ginger juice.
• Serve salad sprinkled with remaining nori strips and drizzled with dressing.