SUSHI-STYLE SOBA + SEARED SALMON
Third time was not the charm for me on soba noodles. I could safely say that soba was not on my list of favorites, and even with this healthy recipe, it was still not a go-to ingredient. And to make it worse for tonight, this recipe, from Clean Eating's Dinner in 30, was not a hit. I had to make double the vinaigrette, the noodle mixture still came out bland, and the salmon needed more salt.
In all fairness, I did not use the daikon, or fresh ginger. I doubled the shaved carrots instead of the daikon, and minced ginger from a jar. Also, I omitted the sesame seeds all together. Wood-ear mushrooms, which was in the exotic mushroom family, was a bit too expensive, and baby bella mushrooms were on sale, so I used those instead as well. Even then, I still felt like the dish somehow was missing a punch, some sort of definitive taste profile to make this dish a great one. Either way, it was a healthy dish, yet bland. I would probably recommend doubling the vinaigrette. The recipe made 4 servings.
GATHER:
- 1/4 cup dry shredded wood-ear mushrooms
- 4 green onions, finely sliced
- 2 sheets nori, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely grated
- 2 tsp peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 cup peeled and coarsely grated daikon
- 2 cups cooked buckwheat soba noodles
- 1/4 tsp grape seed oil
- 2 (5oz) boneless, skinless wild salmon fillets
- Fresh ground white and black pepper, to taste
VINAIGRETTE
- Juice of 1/2 orange
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp pure wasabi powder, optional
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground white or black pepper
MAKE:
- Prepare vinaigrette in a medium bowl, add all vinaigrette ingredients and whisk until well blended with no lumps remaining. Set aside.
- Place mushroom in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside until al dente, about 4 minutes; drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine rehydrated mushrooms, onions, nori, carrot, ginger and daikon. Add noodles of half of vinaigrette, and gently toss.
- Rub grape seed oil over salmon and season with pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high. Add salmon and cook until opaque throughout, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer salmon to a cutting board and let rest. When salmon is cool enough to handle, cut into 1/4-inch widthwise slices and lay on top of noodle mixture. Serve with remaining vinaigrette for dipping salmon.