Japanese nori and lettuce salad
About Japanese nori and lettuce salad
Japanese nori and lettuce salad is the ultimate simple recipe. You don’t need to use kitchen knife or make a dressing. In fact, all you have to do is tear the lettuce and nori sheet by hand, put them in a bowl, add the oil and mix, and finally sprinkle the soy sauce and mix. It’s so easy, but it’s very delicious. (But honestly, I don’t know if it’s delicious for people who have never eaten seaweed or Japanese food.)
This salad is very light and refreshing, so it’s a good idea to combine it with meat and rich dishes. Also It’s the perfect recipe when you don’t have time but want another side dish.
The basic ingredients you need are lettuce, nori sheet, oil and Japanese soy sauce. And I’ll write a little more about the ingredients in the next paragraph, but I’ll put 2 links below about nori / seaweed information, so if you’re interested, click on it.
The ingredients
As I wrote above, all you need is lettuce, seaweed, oil and soy sauce. Here, I’d like to write the points and tips of each ingredients.
Lettuce
Regarding lettuce, this salad usually uses iceberg lettuce. In Japan, lettuce often refers to iceberg lettuce, which is a very common salad ingredient. Indeed the crispy texture is fresh and suitable for this salad.
One of the secrets of its deliciousness is to soak the lettuce in cold water for a while to make it crispy. Then, drain it well (with a salad spinner) before using it. The texture of lettuce will be quite different with this one effort.
If you don’t have iceberg lettuce, you can use other crispy types of lettuce.
Nori sheet
I think you can buy nori sheet at big supermarkets or Asian supermarkets. Outside of Japan, you may not be able to choose the type of nori sheet, but it is best to use fresh, freshly opened and crispy ones. Fresh nori sheet has a wonderful aroma and the fragrant flavor of nori and the richness of the oil go well with the refreshing lettuce.
You can also use seasoned (Korean) seaweed, but in that case, reduce the amount of soy sauce.
Oil
As I like the scent of sesame oil, so I often use sesame oil. You can use your favorite oil such as salad oil, olive oil, and sesame oil. I think soy sauce goes well with olive oil as well. Please try various things and find the one you like.
Soy sauce
Some Asian soy sauce can be a little sweet, so use Japanese soy sauce for this salad. The amount of salt varies depending on the soy sauce, so use less and add if necessary.
Recipe tips
You can delay the salad becoming soft by adding the oil first to coat the ingredients and then the soy sauce.
It’s delicious that the nori sheet is crispy, but it’s also delicious with the soy sauce which makes it a little soaked and softened. However, if you like the crispy texture of the seaweed, it’s a good idea to mix the lettuce with oil and soy sauce and put the nori on top.
As a variation, you can add a little vinegar if you like. Also, when you use sesame oil, sprinkling the salad with sesame seeds is also delicious.
In any case, mix with oil and soy sauce just before eating.
Japanese nori and lettuce salad
Equipment
- a bowl
Ingredients
- 1/2 Iceberg lettuce
- 2 sheet Nori
- 1 tablespoon Oil (olive oil, sesame oil, salad oil etc.)
- 1/2 tablespoon Japanese soy sauce
Instructions
- Soak the lettuce in cold water to make it crispy, drain it well. Tear the lettuce into a size that is easy to eat, and put it in a bowl.
- Tear the nori sheet into large pieces by hand, add it to a bowl of lettuce, and sprinkle with olive oil and mix. Sprinkle soy sauce, mix, and immediately serve.
Notes
It’s very easy, so please try it once. Below are some Japanese-style side dish links, so please try them if you like.
Thank you for reading and Bon Appetit!
