Shrimp, Cucumber and Seaweed Salad
Shrimp, Cucumber and Seaweed Salad
Ingredients
1/2 cup frozen, pre-cooked pink shrimp
2 tablespoons dried dulse or wakame* (or 1 cup foraged fresh)
1/2 English cucumber
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
*wakame is usually sourced with a kelp species Undaria pinnatifida, which can be found on the west coast, but is a non-native species. You can forage wild Undaria pinnatifida through much of the west coast. There are a few companies that forage wild seaweed dry it and sell it. Most are in California and ship nationwide. Some also sell throughout the west coast in groceries. A local native species that is being used as an alternative is Alaria marginata. This species can also be found wild foraged and dried, and there is also some interest growing in growing this species in tanks as an aquaculture species.
Set aside frozen shrimp in small bowl to thaw on the counter.
Rehydrate dried seaweed or soak fresh seaweed in cold tap water for 10 minutes.
Drain water and squeeze seaweed to get out as much water as possible, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
Add to a medium-sized bowl.
As the seaweed is soaking, slice cucumbers as thin as you can with a knife or mandoline.
Sprinkle salt over them, and let sit in a small bowl for 5 minutes.
Squeeze water out from cucumbers and add to seaweed.
In a small bowl, mix rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil together until sugar dissolves, then add to the vegetables.
Mix well.
Add shrimp and sesame seeds to a serving bowl and mix lightly.
Refrigerate salad for about 10 minutes to blend the flavors, then serve in individual bowls.
Notes: This Japanese-inspired sunomono recipe uses sustainable pink Pacific shrimp caught by Oregon fishermen and seaweed off our shores. Did you know that Oregon produces farmed dulse in several locations? Use this meaty, slightly smoky seaweed if you can find it, or substitute dried wakame. Or forage it yourself from the Pacific!
Recipe by Jennifer Burns Bright, North Coast Local Food Educator and Travel Writer