Sea Spaghetti, Cucumber, Edamame and Sesame Salad with Tahini Dressing
When I say noodles I suspect you don’t immediately think of sea spaghetti. Yet this member of the seaweed group of ingredients is noodle-like in shape and texture. I have them in the pantry to soak and drape over salads or mix with rice and (real) noodle dishes to add a deep umami flavour. It spreads a deep, saline, addictive flavour throughout a dish.
Sea spaghetti has a similar texture to rice noodles, and with that gloriously salty kick it makes a brilliant accompaniment to other dishes. I bought it online but you might be able to find it at large Asian supermarkets.
I’ve also sprinkled toasted and crumbled dried sea spaghetti over rice and salad dishes, cooked it with real noodles and pasta, cooked it in soups and sauces, stir fried it with vegetables and thrown it into curries. I hear you can deep fry it coated in a light batter or semolina flour. It needs to be cooked right to the point of al dente – even a bit beyond, and I love it with light and fresh ingredients.
The basics of the dish in the pic come from #Ottolenghi’s #Simple, a book of simpler flavours and even simpler cooking procedures when compared to his other books. I love this book, but the recipes in Simple seem not-quite-Ottolenghi’ish in a nice, humorous sort of way. Looking back, it was the beginning of his departure from his original (much loved by me) style.
I took his recipe and added some Japanese seaweed, edamame and noodles to the dish. Delish.