KOREAN SPICY SEAFOOD SALAD

This spicy seafood salad features a spicy Korean dressing for both the seafood and the greens. I usually make it with shrimp and squid because they are favorites in my household, but it is also very good with abalone, scallops, tuna, or a variety of different seafoods. The Korean love affair with chili peppers is well known, so it should be no surprise that we even manage to add chili spice to Western-style dishes like tossed salads.

Ingredients:

FOR THE DRESSING:

3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp Korean fine red pepper flakes (kochukaru)
2 Tbsp sesame oil
3 scallions, chopped

FOR THE SALAD:

1 lb seafood (shrimp or squid, frozen seafood mix, scallops, etc)
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
8 oz greens (red or green leaf lettuce head or bag of mesclun salad all work well)
sliced cucumber (optional)
tobiko (optional garnish)

Preparation:

Blanch seafood for 1-3 minutes until cooked.*
Drain seafood and set aside to cool down.
Whisk together all dressing ingredients until combined.
Mix half the dressing with seafood.
Assemble greens with sliced onion and cucumber or any other vegetables using.
Toss vegetables with dressing if everyone eating can handle the spice. Otherwise, serve dressing in a separate bowl on the side.
Cover with dressed seafood and tobiko garnish (if using).

* Be careful here, as seafood gets tough and terrible when overcooked. Squid takes less than 1 minute to blanch and shrimp around 2 minutes.