Watercress And Black Sesame Salad Recipes

GRILLED TUNA AND WATERCRESS SALAD WITH ASIAN FLAVORS

Steps:

• Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over hot charcoal (high heat for gas); see Grilling Procedure .
• Whisk together olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger.
• Combine coriander seeds, white peppercorns, and kosher salt in a small bowl.
• Rub vegetable oil all over tuna, then coat with spice mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere.
• Oil grill rack, then grill tuna, covered only if using a gas grill, turning onto all sides, until seared on all sides but still very rare inside, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer tuna to a cutting board and cut across the grain into 8 slices.
• Julienne jicama using an adjustable-blade slicer fitted with 1/8-inch julienne attachment or using a knife.
• Toss watercress and jicama with enough dressing to coat, then season with salt and pepper.
• Serve tuna over salad, sprinkled with scallions. Serve remaining dressing on the side.

WATERCRESS AND BLACK SESAME SALAD

Steps:

• Lightly toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant. Set aside.
• Remove leaves from watercress and reserve in large mixing bowl. Coarsely chop stems. Place 1/2 cup stems in saucepan of water to cover, bring to a boil, drain and plunge into ice water. Drain well, squeezing out all moisture, and place in blender. Add salt, pepper, vinegar and oil. Purée.
• Finely mince remaining stems. Mix with dressing. Pour over leaves, add half the sesame seeds and toss.
• Divide among four salad plates, or arrange on a single large serving dish. Garnish with daikon and carrot. Sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds and serve.

WATERCRESS SESAME SALAD

Steps:

• Discard coarse stems from watercress and put watercress in a bowl. Lightly toast sesame seeds. In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, oils, and salt and pepper to taste until dressing is combined well. Drizzle dressing over watercress and toss with 2 teaspoons sesame seeds.
• Serve salad sprinkled with remaining teaspoon sesame seeds.

AVOCADO AND WATERCRESS SALAD

Steps:

• Stir together vinegar, onion, apple, soy sauce, and sugar until sugar has dissolved, then stir in oil.
• Just before serving, toss watercress with enough dressing to coat. Quarter, pit, and peel avocado, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Gently toss with watercress.

WATERCRESS WITH A FRIED EGG AND BLACK SESAME SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the lime juice, a big pinch of salt, and the oil with a fork or a whisk. Add the watercress and toss gently to lightly coat. Divide the dressed watercress among four salad plates and set aside.
• Heat a cast-iron or other heavy skillet that you like to use for eggs over medium-high heat. When it is hot, swirl a small amount of vegetable oil in the pan and crack in the eggs, in batches if necessary. When the edges of the eggs are a bit crispy, the whites are completely set, and the yolks are still runny, transfer an egg to each plate so that it slightly overlaps the watercress. Season the eggs with salt, and drizzle about a tablespoon of the sesame sauce over each portion.
• Toast the sesame seeds in a small sauté pan over medium heat, tossing frequently, until the seeds become fragrant and begin to pop. Transfer them to a plate and let them cool completely. Grind in 10-second increments in a spice mill or clean coffee grinder to a very fine paste, stirring the mixture, then grinding again, and repeating this process until the paste is completely smooth and glistening from the oil that has been released. This will take 3 to 5 minutes. (If the seeds are not ground into a very smooth paste, the sauce will be gray rather than deep black.) Transfer the paste to a small bowl, add the salt, and gradually whisk in the oil, sake, mirin, and dashi until smooth.

WATERCRESS, STRAWBERRY, AND TOASTED-SESAME SALAD

Steps:

• Toast sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat, shaking frequently, until fragrant and golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool.
• Meanwhile, whisk together oil and vinegar in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add watercress, strawberries, almonds, sesame seeds, and feta. Toss gently to combine; season to taste. Serve immediately.