Got some leftover baby arugula after making salad with marinated octopus. The original idea was to mix the remaining arugula with risotto. However, this leafy green has a distinct peppery taste and the flavor better shines through when serving uncooked. As a result, here's one other salad recipe using baby arugula.
Pasta salad with Japanese salted salmon, arugula, and orange juice vinaigrette -
Ingredients (for two)?
- 1 small box baby arugula
- 2 Japanese salted salmon/shiozake or fresh salmon steak
- 1 cup whole wheat fusilli pasta
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
Dressing -
- 1/8 cup orange juice
- 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
How?
Preheat the oven to high heat and bake the salted salmon till fully cooked through and the skin turns crunchy, about 10 minutes. Japanese salted salmon fillets can be substitute with fresh salmon steak. Simply sprinkle a thin layer of salt on both sides of the salmon and let it rest for about 10 minutes before baking.
Japanese salted salmon sometimes comes with bones. It's better to inspect the fish with your fingertips see if any pointy bumps present. Make sure to pull out the bones before baking.
Mix all the dressing ingredients for a simple orange juice vinaigrette, pulps are welcomed.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and season with some salt. Add in the pasta and cook according to the package instruction. Once ready, drain well and mix with half of the orange juice vinaigrette to prevent sticking.
Toss baby arugula with the remaining half of the vinaigrette and 2 tablespoons of dried cranberries. Gently mix together with fusilli pasta and top the salad with cooked salmon. Grind some black pepper on top right before serving.
Other salad recipes:
Found a pack of Snake River Farms American Kobe beef trimmings for a bargain price. The meat is about twice or three times thicker than usual beef slices, just perfect for my simple donburi (rice bowl) recipe.
Seared beef, kimchi, and egg yolk donburi -
Ingredients (for two)?
- 0.7 lb/320 grams thick beef slices
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Tiny bit olive oil
- Some kimchi
- Some steamed white rice
- Some toasted white sesame seeds
- Some salt
- Some freshly ground black pepper
How?
Prepare steamed white rice for two.
Remove the beef from the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before cooking. Season both sides with some salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Drizzle just tiny bit of olive to evenly coat the bottom of the pan and turn to medium high heat. Once the pan reaches high temperature, add in the beef slices. Sear both sides till desired doneness. Slightly rare center is fine because we are using high quality beef here.
Remove the meat from heat. Continue to use the same pan and leave the heat on. Drizzle some soy sauce from the side of the pan so the direct contact of the heat can further bring out the soy sauce aroma. Add in butter and sugar then mix a little. Cook till the sauce gets slightly thicker, should take less than 30 seconds with such small amount of liquid.
Scoop some steamed white rice to two serving bowls. Arrange the beef slices around the edge and drizzle the sauce throughout. Add store bought kimchi in the center and sprinkle some toasted white sesame seeds. Carefully transfer an egg yolk in the very center on top of kimchi.
Little trick here, make a shallow hole in the center of the kimchi pile so the yolk can stay in place without sliding down.
I'm eating like a queen here.
Other rice bowl recipes:
