Edamame Sushi Salad
Adapted from Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker, by Nicki Sizemore (Storey Publishing, 2019). This healthy and easy edamame salad features juicy edamame beans, creamy avocado, crunchy cucumber, pickled ginger and nutty quinoa. An Asian-inspired dressing ties everything together. It’s an awesome side dish to fish (try it in these Spicy Tuna Bowls!), shrimp, chicken and tofu. You can find pickled ginger at the sushi counter in your supermarket or in the Asian foods section.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
Quinoa
- ¾ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup water
- Salt
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- ⅛ teaspoon gochugaru or red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil
Salad
- ½ cup frozen shelled edamame beans, defrosted
- ½ cup finely diced English cucumber
- 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped pickled ginger
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ avocado, peeled and diced
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa and water. Season with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer; cover and cook until the water has absorbed (you should see little divots in the quinoa), about 13 to 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit, covered, 5 minutes to steam. Take off the lid, and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Transfer it to a large bowl and let cool.
- In the meantime, make the dressing. In a small bowl combine the orange juice, rice vinegar, garlic and gochugaru. Let sit 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Whisk in the oil.
- To the bowl with the quinoa, add the edamame, cucumber, pickled ginger and scallions, and season with salt and pepper. Add the dressing and toss to coat (at this point the salad can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours). Right before serving, fold in the avocado, and season with a touch more salt, pepper or gochugaru, if needed.
Notes
Do Ahead: The salad, without the avocado, can be made up to 2 hours in advance. Fold in the avocado right before serving.
Tips:
- You can cook the quinoa days—or even months—ahead. The cooked quinoa can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months (defrost it at room temperature).
- You can make the edamame salad without the avocado up to 2 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Before serving, fold in the avocado.
- You can find pickled ginger at grocery store sushi counters or in the Asian section of most markets.
- You can see how I make this salad (and my favorite way to serve it) in this video.
- This recipe is adapted from a version in my book, Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker. Pair it with the Tamari-Glazed Salmon from the book!