Arugula, Sweet Potato, and Walnut Salad With Dashi "Vinaigrette" Recipe

by
Daniel Gritzer Culinary Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Daniel Gritzer
updated Nov. 05, 2018
20151202-dashi-salad-vicky-wasik-006.jpg
A smoky, savory salad. Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • The smoky, salty, savory flavor of shoyu-dashi adds an entirely different, and delicious, dimension to salads compared to a classic lemon juice– or vinegar-based dressing.
  • Toasting the walnuts in the microwave is quick and easy.

Conventional wisdom says that salads should be dressed with vinaigrettes, which, by definition, balance an acid with a fat. Turns out you can break that rule by dropping the acid entirely. In this salad, we make a "vinaigrette" with shoyu-dashi—soy sauce mixed with dashi—for an easy, deeply flavorful dish.

Recipe Facts

3.5

(3)

Active: 10 mins
Total: 25 mins
Serves: 4 servings

Rate & Comment

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (500g) sweet potatoes in jackets, poked all over with a fork
  • 1 cup walnut halves (3 ounces; 90g), crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 2 cups (475ml) cold water
  • 1/4 ounce dried kombu (8g; about one 5- by 2-inch piece)
  • 1/4 ounce dried bonito flakes (8g; 1 loosely packed cup)
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) soy sauce
  • 4 cups arugula (2 1/2 ounces; 70g)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Microwave sweet potatoes until tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. If desired, peel and discard jackets. Cut into medium cubes and allow to cool to room temperature.

  2. Meanwhile, on a microwave-safe plate, drizzle walnuts with just enough olive oil to lightly coat, toss well, and arrange in a single even layer. Microwave in 1-minute intervals at high power, tossing walnuts between intervals, until toasted and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool.

  3. In a medium saucepan, combine water with kombu and cook over medium heat until just shy of a simmer. Remove and discard kombu using tongs. Remove from heat, add bonito flakes, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain dashi into a heatproof container through a fine-mesh strainer. Discard bonito flakes. (See note.)

  4. In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup dashi together with soy sauce (this is now shoyu-dashi). Reserve remaining dashi for another use. (It's good just as a warming broth, or can be used to make a quick miso soup.)

  5. In a clean small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons shoyu-dashi with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Reserve remaining shoyu-dashi for another use. (It's delicious as a broth for poached eggs, steamed fish, or simple steamed vegetables.)

  6. In a salad bowl, combine sweet potato, walnuts, and arugula. Dress with shoyu-dashi/oil mixture, tossing well to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Special equipment

Fine-mesh strainer

Notes

Kombu and bonito flakes can be saved and used to make a second, weaker dashi that forms a great base for miso soup.

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