Japanese caesar salad
SERVES 4 PREP 40 mins plus marinating overnight COOK 35 mins A CHALLENGE
2 Little Gem lettuces, trimmed and halved
1 x shallot, sliced into rings 4 20g fillets smoked eel for the soy parmesan
50g parmesan
50ml dark soy sauce for the tempura nori 500ml vegetable oil for frying 100g rice flour
100g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp mixed sesame seeds 350ml sparkling water 3 sheets of nori
for the Japanese caesar salad dressing
1 soft boiled egg
1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
½ tsp wasabi paste
1 tbsp miso
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 50ml vegetable oil for the BBQ eel glaze 25ml dark soy sauce 25ml light soy sauce
25g caster sugar
25ml mirin
25ml sake
25ml rice vinegar
1 The day before, put the parmesan in a sandwich bag with the soy sauce and marinate in the fridge overnight. Remove and pat dry. 2 Next make the tempura nori. Heat a deep saucepan, 1/3 full of oil, to 190C or until a piece of bread browns in 20 seconds. Whisk the batter ingredients, except the nori. Tear each sheet of nori into four. Dip each piece into the batter then carefully drop into the oil and fry for 2-3 mins until crisp. Drain onto kitchen paper. 3 To make the caesar salad dressing blend everything except the oil with a splash of water until smooth. While the blender is running slowly pour in the oil until you have a thick and creamy dressing, chill in the fridge. This will keep for 2-3 days.
4 For the eel glaze put all the ingredients into the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 mins until syrupy. Heat a frying pan until searing hot and cook the eel for 3 mins each side until caramelised. 5 To serve, put a dollop of dressing in the centre of a bowl, add half a baby gem and dress with a zig-zag of dressing. Toss the eel in the glaze and arrange on top with the shallots and parmesan shavings. Rest the tempura nori against the lettuce.
GOOD TO KNOW calcium • folate • 1 of 5-a-day
PER SERVING 642 kcals • fat 35g • saturates 6g • carbs 58g • sugars 12g • fibre 5g • protein 19g • salt 5.9g