HOW TO MAKE ASIAN SEAFOOD SALAD WITH SPICY SESAME DRESSING | XÀ LÁCH HẢI SẢN NƯỚC CHẤM CHUA CAY
Inspired by salsa, this Asian seafood salad with spicy sesame dressing combines many ingredients tied together with a sweet and spicy taste. The dressing for the salad was a trial-and-error process. Olive oil was originally used as the base, but the dressing didn’t taste “Asian” to me. After a few tries, I finally settled on sesame seed oil.
You can find most of the ingredients at your local food store. A common seasoning I always use is mushroom seasoning. It is a healthy alternative to monosodium glutamate (MSG.) This might be the only ingredient you will have to buy from an Asian supermarket.
The white shrimps are precooked with the tails off and are from the brand Great American Seafood. The imitation crab is from Transocean. I used leg-style imitation crab, but if you get shred-style, you can skip unrolling and separating.
I’ve learned the secret to the perfect oil-based dressing is how you add the oil to the rest of the dressing. As you add the oil, it is very important to continue whisking. This will help combine the oil with the rest of the dressing and prevent separation.
You can use whatever lettuce you prefer. I used a combination of romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, and red cabbage. I also tossed in some carrots shreds and a few grape tomatoes from my garden. Make sure to completely dry the lettuce before placing it into a ziplock bag if you’re planning to store it for a later time. Oftentimes, people will store freshly cut and washed lettuce immediately in the refrigerator—the water combined with the air will cause the lettuce to go yellow or brown more quickly.
Cutting up lettuce from scratch helps you avoid added preservatives—but if you don’t have time, you can also buy pre-packaged lettuce.
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