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–+ servings

Sashimi Salad (with Homemade Japanese Dressing)

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 minutes
Chilling time3 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients 
 

Homemade Wafu Dressing

  • 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • ½ tbsp olive oil extra-virgin, nothing showy or peppery
  • ½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
  • ½ tsp garlic paste
  • ½ tsp lemon juice yuzu or sudachi juice swap one-to-one if you can find them, brighter and a touch more floral
  • 1 pinch ground white pepper

Salad Ingredients

  • 30 g baby leaf spinach soft greens hold up under this dressing
  • 150 g mixed leaf lettuce any soft mixed greens or torn butter lettuce works in place
  • 1 avocado cube it and scatter around the bowl
  • 100 g mini tomatoes
  • 200 g sashimi-grade fish salmon, tuna, yellowtail etc thinly sliced

Instructions 

  • Pour 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 1 tbsp mirin and ½ tsp sugar into a small saucepan and heat over medium. Let it bubble for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
    soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a saucepan
  • Pour the contents of the pan into a heatproof jug or bowl, then slowly pour in the ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil and ½ tbsp olive oil while whisking vigorously. Once emulsified, add ½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, ½ tsp garlic paste, ½ tsp lemon juice and 1 pinch ground white pepper. Mix and store in the fridge until use.
    Japanese "wafu-style" sashimi salad dressing in a glass measuring jug
  • Place 30 g baby leaf spinach and 150 g mixed leaf lettuce in a large salad bowl. Cube 1 avocado and half 100 g mini tomatoes, then scatter them around the bowl.
    salad vegetables in a large wooden bowl
  • Arrange 200 g sashimi-grade fish on the top. Whisk or shake the dressing vigorously before use. Pour the dressing over the salad right before serving, mix gently but thoroughly, and enjoy!

Notes

Scatter the avocado, do not stir it: Cube the avocado and scatter the pieces around the bowl. Stirred into the dressing, the cell walls break and you get brown cream smeared across the leaves.
Measure the sugar exactly: The dressing carries 1/2 teaspoon of sugar against 1 tablespoon each of soy and mirin. Even an extra pinch tips the dressing into a bit too sweet.
Whisk to emulsify, shake the jar if it splits: A finished dressing turns cloudy and uniform when the oils break into the soy base. If it splits in the fridge after a few minutes, shake the jar vigorously before each pour.
Sashimi-grade label is essential: Buy fish labeled "sashimi-grade" or "sushi-grade" only.