Seafood Salad with Vinaigrette

Steps

1. Before You Start…Please note that this recipe requires at least 1 hour of marinating time. Gather all the ingredients.

2. Devein shrimp if not done so already. Keep the shell on while cooking so the flavors will be kept inside the shell. Sprinkle some potato or corn starch and coat the shrimp. It will absorb the smell and dirty particles from the shrimp. Rinse the shrimp under running water.

3. Add ⅓ cup sake in the frying pan and bring it to a boil.

4. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cover the lid.

5. Cook for 2-3 minutes depending on the size. Turn over half way.

6. Once the shrimp is no longer opaque, take it out on a plate and let cool. Save the remaining juice from cooking shrimp in a bowl.

7. Combine ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp mirin, 1 tsp salt, freshly ground black pepper, and ½ Tbsp juice from cooking shrimp. Whisk well and taste. Adjust with salt if necessary. Set aside.

8. Thinly slice the boiled octopus as much as you can so it’s less chewy. Cut the celery into smaller pieces.

9. Cut the bell peppers into smaller pieces. I like to use Japanese “rangiri” cutting style where you cut the vegetables diagonally as you rotate them 90 degrees. This creates a more unique and random cut, creating more surface space.

10. Thinly slice the red onion and carrot. And cut the thin slabs of carrot into halves.

11. Thinly slice the red radishes and cut the cherry tomatoes in halves.

12. Mince the parsley and thinly slice the lemon.

13. Shrimp must be cool by now. Peel the shell and remove the tails.

14. Place all the ingredients in a container (I use an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) baking dish). Add a bay leaf, sprinkle chopped parsley, and place the lemon slices.

15. Pour the marinade all over the ingredients.

16. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled. To use it as your meal prep menu, the salad can be stored up to two days.