This refreshing combination of cucumber slices and crabmeat has a tart dressing made with vinegar. For variety, you could use shrimp or scallops in place of the crab. Or serve the cucumber alone with the sunomono dressing.
Sunomono and aemono dishes include vegetables and seafood mixed with various kinds of sauces. The ingredients may be raw or lightly cooked to preserve their natural colors and textures. Sauces for sunomono dishes always include vinegar, while aemono sauces are made from toasted sesame seeds, soy sauce, miso, and many other good things.
When planning a Japanese meal, you might think of sunomono as playing the same role as salads do in an American meal. Their tangy dressings and crisp textures provide a good contrast to meat dishes. Aemono dishes such as goma-ae give a special taste to familiar green vegetables like broccoli, green beans, and spinach.
Living in an island nation,the Japanese have ready supplies of fresh seafood. Impressyour friends by serving kani to kyuri no sunomono, or cucumber with crab—a tasty,refreshing dish.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cucumbers
1 tsp. salt
6 oz. canned crab or frozen crab,thawed
Dressing:
1/4 c. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. soy sauce sesame seeds (optional)
METHOD:
1. Thinly slice cucumbers, place in bowl, and sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 5 minutes, then use your hands to gently squeeze water out of cucumbers.
2. Break crab into small pieces.
3. In another bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.
4. Put cucumber and crab in 4 small bowls and pour on dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves 4
