Sushi Salad

We were just talking about sushi the other day - about how there is so much mediocre, overpriced sushi in the world, and about how I find it pretty easy to make sushi at home.  One of the things I most like about making my own sushi is that I can use brown rice, and can control how much salt and sugar goes into that rice.  And, sushi salads!  Sushi salads do away with the fussiness of making my own sushi rolls, and I can load up on the veggies in this Japanese-inspired rice bowl.  Enjoy!

YIELD: 4 quart-sized salads

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp powdered wasabi
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 3/4 c short-grain brown rice, rinsed well
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 c shelled edamame (thawed if from frozen)
• 2-4 oz sushi grade tuna, grilled or broiled medium-rare
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated or julienned
• 1 large cucumber, halved, seeded, and sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 tbsp black sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 sheets toasted nori, cut into small strips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the Ginger-Wasabi Vinaigrette: combine the canola oil, sesame oil, 2 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar, soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger in a pint-sized mason jar.  Puree and emulsify the dressing using a handheld stick blender.  (Alternately, puree and emulsify the dressing ingredients using a blender or mini food processor.)
2. Make the rice: combine the rice, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and 1 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan.  Bring the rice to a boil, cover, lower the heat, and simmer 40 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.  Fluff the rice with a fork, uncover, and cool.
3. Pack the salads: divide the dressing evenly between 4 tall quart-sized containers.  Layer the edamame, tuna, avocado, carrot, cucumber, red bell pepper, green onions, and rice in the jars.  Divide the sesame seeds and nori evenly among four snack-sized zip-top bags or 2-oz jars, one for each salad. Refrigerate until serving.
4. Enjoy your salad: invert your salad onto a plate or into a bowl.  Top with sesame seeds and nori strips.

TIME-SAVING TIPS: Substitute 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce and prepared wasabi to taste for the Ginger-Wasabi vinaigrette.

SPECIAL DIET SWAPS: For a vegetarian/vegan salad, omit the tuna and increase the shelled edamame to 2 cups.  For a gluten-free salad, substitute gluten-free tamari for the low-sodium soy sauce.  This salad is nut-free as-is.

Food styling, photography, and infographics by Robert Campbell.