Sashimi garden salad with yuzu vinaigrette

Cookbook author and gardening enthusiast Connie Cao advises beginner gardeners to start small home gardens with salad greens, as they are easily grown in pots and don’t require endless sun to thrive. Connie shares her favourite way to serve those homegrown greens: with a citrusy Japanese dressing.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 300 g sashimi-grade salmon, diced
• 200 g mixed salad greens (see Note)
• ½ red onion, finely chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• Seaweed strips, 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, edible flowers, to serve (see Note)

For the yuzu ponzu  

• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp yuzu juice
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• ½ tsp mirin

For the yuzu vinaigrette 

• 3 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp yuzu juice
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• A pinch of salt and black pepper

Refrigeration time: 20 minutes

Instructions

1. Combine the ingredients for the yuzu ponzu in a medium bowl, then add the salmon. Toss gently to combine, then refrigerate for 20 minutes before using.
2. To make the yuzu vinaigrette, combine the ingredients in a small jar with a screw top lid. Shake well to combine. Set aside until needed.
3. When ready to serve, layer the salad greens, onion and avocado into a large salad bowl. Shake the dressing again to combine, then pour over the salad and toss lightly to coat.
4. Top the salad with the marinated salmon, then sprinkle with seaweed strips, toasted sesame seeds and edible flowers and serve immediately.

Note

Some great beginner salad greens to grow include snow pea shoots, oak leaf lettuce pink chicory, baby spinach leaves and other gourmet mixed lettuces. Try growing edible flowers such as mixed violas, pansies, borage, calendula leaves and nasturtiums to garnish your salads.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.