Shabu Shabu Salad is a perfect dish to cool down the summer heat.  The freshest veggies and delicious protein, dressed in a refreshing ginger soy vinaigrette. You get a great salad as an entire meal! It's perfect for potlucks and parties too.

Shabu Shabu Salad

INGREDIENTS

For Shabu Shabu

• 2 cups water (480 ml)
• 2 Tbsp sake
• ½ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
• ½ lb thinly sliced pork loin (227 g; You can buy thinly sliced meat at Japanese/Korean/Chinese grocery stores or slice the meat yourself following my How to Thinly Slice Meat tutorial.)

For Salad

• 4 oz Mizuna (Japanese mustard green) (113 g; or use any green salad)
• 5 oz iceberg lettuce (142 g; 2-3 leaves)
• 1 Persian/Japanese cucumber (4 oz, 113 g)
• ½ red onion (3 oz, 85 g)
• 1 tomato (6 oz, 170 g)

For Dressing

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (I used Kikkoman® Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce)
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil (I used Kikkoman® Sesame Oil)
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 knob ginger
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Gather all the ingredients.
   

To Make Shabu Shabu

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add 2 Tbsp sake and ½ tsp salt and reduce the heat to low heat/simmer.
2. One slice at a time, cook the pork loin in the simmering water until no longer pink. Do not overcook. As soon as the color changes, take it out.
3. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. Continue with the rest of the meat. Try not to put all the meat at once. It will overcook and the meat slices clump together. Let cool at the counter until the meat is at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill.

To Make Dressing

1. Please Note: If you increase the amount of salad or like to pour more dressing, you may want to double the recipe. The dressing ingredients are measured for the exact amount for this recipe. Peel the skin of ginger and grate until you have ½ tsp of grated ginger.
2. In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp sesame oil, 2 Tbsp rice vinegar, and ½ tsp sugar.
3. And add ½ tsp grated ginger, ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, and 1 tsp white sesame seeds.
4. Whisk together until sugar is completely dissolved. You can pour the dressing into a serving container (optional).

To Make Salad

1. Cut the mizuna into 2-inch pieces and put them into a large bowl.
2. Remove the core of the iceberg lettuce and then cut into julienned pieces.
3. Cut off the ends of the cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise. Then thinly slice the halves diagonally.
4. Thinly slice the onion against the grain. Then transfer to iced water and soak for 5 minutes to remove the bitterness and make the onion crisp.
5. Combine the mizuna, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, and onion in a large bowl and toss together. If you have time, chill for 30 minutes.

To Serve

1. Cut the tomato into wedges.
2. Serve the salad on a plate, topped with pork and tomatoes. Drizzle the dressing and enjoy! Optional: You can add pork and dressing in the bowl and toss all together before plating. This is my preferred serving style; however, the classic Shabu Shabu Salad is typically constructed with layers of salad and pork, topped with the dressing.

To Store

1. You can prepare and store this dish ahead of time. Keep the salad, pork, and dressing separately until you're ready to serve. You can keep it for 24 hours. The dressing can be made ahead and kept in an airtight jar for up to a week.

https://www.justonecookbook.com/shabu-shabu-salad/