Sushi Salad

Travel can broaden your culinary horizons allowing you to taste flavors and combinations of food that you never would have tried at home. That includes enjoying Shabbat with your children in an exotic locale such as Jackson, New Jersey. On a recent visit, my daughter-in-law served sushi salad at one of the family meals. I watched as my grandchildren dug in, scooping up generous portions of grilled salmon, sliced Persian cucumbers, little cubes of roasted sweet potatoes, julienned red peppers, and sushi rice, all topped with sweet soy sauce and spicy mayo. It was a eureka moment for me.

Sushi Salad

Sushi salad is a fun twist on a deconstructed sushi roll. Each mouthful includes all the flavors of sushi with nary a bamboo rolling mat in sight. Making homemade sushi rolls is fun, but it’s time consuming. This simple sushi salad is an easy way to satisfy your sushi cravings and can be plated in individual portions as an appetizer or just toss everything in a bowl. Customize this salad using your favorite toppings and you will soon find yourself making it “on repeat”, without having to travel anywhere more far-flung than your own kitchen.

This salad is made up of four separate elements: salmon, rice, vegetables, and dressing. Almost all of the components can be made in advance and assembled immediately before serving.

For the salmon:

This recipe for hoisin-glazed salmon is by cookbook author Bonnie Stern, published in her classic cookbook, Heartsmart : The Best of HeartSmart Cooking. This recipe makes 4 servings, the perfect quantity for sushi salad. Note that the addition of salmon in this recipe is optional, but adds a lot of protein-packed flavor.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper. Pat the salmon dry and glaze with the sauce. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow the salmon to cool and set aside or refrigerate if not using immediately.

For the rice:

This recipe for vinegared rice-sumeshi (seasoned sushi rice) is by cookbook author Emi Kazuko, published in Easy Sushi.

Place the rice in a large bowl and wash it thoroughly, changing the water several times until it is clear. Drain the rice. Transfer the rice to a heavy saucepan and add 2 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the rice comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10-15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Remove the pot from the element. Do not lift the lid. Allow the rice to rest in the pot with the lid on for another 10-15 minutes.

Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and stir until dissolved. Tip the cooked rice out onto a baking sheet and gently spread it out into a thin layer. Sprinkle the rice generously with the vinegar dressing. Using a spatula, fold the vinegar dressing into the rice. Do not stir. Let the rice cool before using or storing it in a resealable container in the refrigerator for later use.

For the vegetables:

Use whatever combination of vegetables you have on hand or prefer. Some of my preferences include: roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, cut into matchsticks (or just used prepared matchstick carrots), Persian cucumbers halved and sliced thinly, ripe mango cut into small cubes, julienned red bell pepper, shelled and cooked edamame beans (can be found in the frozen vegetable section of your supermarket), and avocado, cut into 1/2-inch chunks. With the exception of the avocado, all of the vegetables can be prepared in advance and stored in deli containers in the fridge until needed.

Sweet potato:

Peel and slice a large sweet potato into 1/2-inch chunks. Drizzle with a combination of 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the sweet potato cubes in a preheated 425 F. oven for 20 minutes or until they are softened. Cool and store until ready to use.

Sushi Salad Dressing:

Combine the ingredients for the sushi salad dressing. Whisk until smooth. This dressing can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator until needed. This salad dressing is adapted from the dressing recipe for Avocado Crunch Roll Sushi Salad in the bestselling cookbook Dinner Done, written by the team behind the dynamic website, Between Carpools.

To assemble the salad:

Cut the cooled salmon into 1-inch cubes.

For individual plates, place a scattering of greens such as arugula, spring mix or chopped romaine lettuce on each plate if desired. Top the greens with a small scoop of prepared sushi rice. Distribute the cucumber, avocado, carrots, peppers, edamame beans, mango, and sweet potatoes (or whatever vegetables you choose) evenly over the rice. Add 2-3 chunks of salmon to each plate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (I use a combination of white and black sesame seeds). Drizzle each portion of salad with dressing before serving.

You can also add the greens and rice to a large bowl in layers, topping them with the salmon and vegetables portioned into separate sections. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and garnish with sesame seeds.

Print Recipe

Sushi Salad

Soups and Salads

By Nanette with a lot of help from my friends – Serves: 8-10

Prep Time: 30 minutes – Cooking Time: 45 minutes – Total Time: 75 minutes

Chunks of roasted hoisin salmon, sliced Persian cucumbers, little cubes of roasted sweet potatoes, julienned red peppers, mango cubes, and sushi rice, all topped with an umami dressing is an easy way to satisfy your sushi cravings

Ingredients

• Hoisin salmon
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless salmon fillets (about 4 ounces each)
• Sushi Rice
• 1 3/4 cups uncooked sushi rice or Japanese short grain rice
• 2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• Sweet potatoes:
• 1 sweet potato peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tablespoon pure maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• Dash of freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetables
• 1 medium carrot cut into matchsticks
• 1 red bell pepper diced into small cubes or julienned (with a julienne peeler if you have one)
• 1 Persian cucumber halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 large ripe avocado cut into ½ inch chunks
• ½ cup shelled and cooked edamame about 3 ounces (I cook the bagged frozen beans in the microwave as directed on the package)
• 1 mango peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 6 ounces romaine lettuce OR spring mix OR arugula (optional)
• Toasted sesame seeds for garnishing (optional)
• Dressing
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon wasabi or sriracha (skip it if you don't like heat but it adds a very pleasant kick to this salad)

Instructions

For the salmon:

1

Preheat the oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper. Pat the salmon dry and glaze with the sauce. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow the salmon to cool and set aside or refrigerate if not using immediately.

For the sushi rice:

2

Place the rice in a large bowl and wash it thoroughly, changing the water several times until it is clear. Drain the rice. Transfer the rice to a heavy saucepan and add 2 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the rice comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10-15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Remove the pot from the element. Do not lift the lid. Allow the rice to rest in the pot with the lid on for another 10-15 minutes.

3

Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and stir until dissolved. Tip the cooked rice out onto a baking sheet and gently spread it out into a thin layer. Sprinkle the rice generously with the vinegar dressing. Using a spatula, fold the vinegar dressing into the rice. Do not stir. Let the rice cool before using or storing it in a resealable container in the refrigerator for later use.

For the vegetables:

4

Use whatever combination of vegetables you have on hand or prefer. Some of my preferences include: roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, cut into matchsticks (or just used prepared matchstick carrots), Persian cucumbers halved and sliced thinly, ripe mango cut into small cubes, julienned red bell pepper, shelled and cooked edamame beans (can be found in the frozen vegetable section of your supermarket), and avocado, cut into 1/2-inch chunks. With the exception of the avocado, all of the vegetables can be prepared in advance and stored in deli containers in the fridge until needed.

5

To roast the sweet potatoes: Peel and slice a large sweet potato into 1/2-inch chunks. Drizzle with a combination of 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the sweet potato cubes in a preheated 425 F. oven for 20 minutes or until they are softened. Cool and store until ready to use.

Sushi Salad Dressing:

6

Combine the ingredients for the sushi salad dressing. Whisk until smooth. This dressing can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator until needed.

To assemble the salad:

7

Cut the cooled salmon into 1-inch cubes.

8

For individual plates, place a scattering of greens such as arugula, spring mix or chopped romaine lettuce on each plate if desired. Top the greens with a small scoop of prepared sushi rice. Distribute the cucumber, avocado, carrots, peppers, edamame beans, mango, and sweet potatoes (or whatever vegetables you choose) evenly over the rice. Add 2-3 chunks of salmon to each plate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (I use a combination of white and black sesame seeds). Drizzle each portion of salad with dressing before serving. You can also add the greens and rice to a large bowl in layers, topping them with the salmon and vegetables portioned into separate sections. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and garnish with sesame seeds.

Notes

If the rice is refrigerated before using it, allow it to come to room temperature before assembling the salad. It can also be rewarmed slightly in the microwave.