We're going to talk about something that's not local -- seaweed, also called hijiki. I soaked the hijiki overnight, and it now looks like giant grains of wild rice.
It should taste sweetly of the sea, but it shouldn't taste like a mud pond. For people who don't really like sea vegetables, I recommend rinsing the hijiki again to eliminate more of the sea flavor.
An interesting addition to this salad is the daikon radish. It's shaped like a carrot, but it's white and can grow up to a foot and a half long. You might initially mistake it for jicama, but it definitely has that radish bite to it. A lot of times when you go to Japanese restaurants, you'll have pickled daikon on your sushi platter. This recipe features the veggie in the raw!
Ingredients
- 1 cup julienne cucumbers
- 1 cup red peppers
- 1 cup carrots
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 cup soaked hijiki seaweed
- 1/2 cup scallions
- 1 cup shredded daikon radish
- 1/2 cup Thai basil
- 1/2 cup mint
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- salt and pepper
- Crab meat (for garnish)
- Lime wedges (for garnish)
Instructions
- Add ingredients for sauce directly to mixed vegetables.
- Combine vegetables, herbs, and sauce together in a bowl with hands.
- Garnish with crab meat and lime wedges around the edges. Decorate plate with yellow and red pepper vinaigrette.
