If you’ve ever had Japanese food, you’ve surely tried or at least wanted to try making it at home. This Spicy Kani salad is good for beginners, just enough to dip your toes into Japanese cuisine. It’s of course spicy but also eccentric. This is a classic dish in restaurants even if it’s not really considered traditionally Japanese. Put a twist on dinner night or make an impression on your guests with this Spicy Kani salad.
🌟 What Is Kani?
This salad is supposed to have crab initially, and that’s what Kani stands for. However, they use imitation crab meat in restaurants that aren’t located in Japan. The way it’s prepared is by pulverizing some white fish like Pollock, and seasoning it with a little bit of starch that contains crab flavoring, giving it a final touch with food coloring. This is otherwise known as what they call “kanikama” or “surimi” that originated in 1975 in Japan and it’s either sold in lumps or sticks.
🌟 What’s In Spicy Kani Salad
To make your salad, julienne your kani, carrots, and cucumbers. Mix up your rice vinegar, sriracha, kewpie mayo, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, lemon juice. Some make this recipe by adding some fruits like mango.
🍽 What You Need For Spicy Kani Salad
- To make your salad, get your Kani ready, preferably shaped into sticks and not lumps, it makes it easier to manage, especially that it’s supposed to be julienned to go with your vegetables.
- Cucumber: For the best results, use English cucumbers. They are typically less moist to prevent your dish from getting mushy. Julienne with the peel still on.
- Carrots: julienned as well. They are available at the store, sliced into matchsticks, but freshly cut at home is always the way to go.
- Kewpie mayo is similar to the regular kind except for it containing rice vinegar instead of white. It is what the original recipe requires but it’s optional. Feel free to go with the classic mayo and add a bit of rice vinegar when mixing the dressing.
- Soy sauce for that touch of saltiness to the sauce.
- Sesame seed oil to give that true Asian aroma and taste.
- Rice vinegar. In case you’re not able to find kewpie mayo but still want to give you salad that kewpie zing.
- Lemon juice or lime to give it some zest.
- Pepper and salt
🔪 How To Make Spicy Kani Salad
The traditional look of this salad is achieved by slicing your kani and vegetable into juliennes, which is more than half the work that goes into making this dish. Use a julienne peeler to simplify the task, but if you’re more comfortable with a knife, go ahead and use it. Your strips should be nice and thin. The vegetables you need are a carrot and an English cucumber, along with 16 ounces of crab sticks otherwise known as Kani.
For the dressing:
- ½ cup kewpie mayo (or use ½ cup regular mayo with 2 teaspoons rice vinegar)
- 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
🥗 How To Serve Kani Salad
Choose to serve this as a side dish or a main one. In case it’s the latter, lay it on a lettuce bed and garnish with some sesame seeds and sliced green onions. Another way is making squares out of some seaweed and using them to eat your salad.
It also pairs well with chicken teriyaki, yakisoba, sushi, or any other similar Japanese entree.
🧊 Can I Store Spicy Kani Salad?
It can be kept in your fridge in a sealed container for 3 days. It doesn’t freeze well.
📝 Tips For Making The Best Spicy Kani Salad
- Tap the cucumber strips to get rid of the extra moisture.
- Use your hands to toss the salad to keep the julienne strips in their shape.
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Easy Spicy Kani Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces of minced crab sticks kani
- 1 English cucumber julienned
- 1 peeled carrot julienned
- ½ cup of kewpie mayo or ½ cup of normal mayo add 2 teaspoons of rice vinegar
- 1 and ½ to 2 tablespoons of sriracha
- 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of sesame seed oil
- 1 and ½ tablespoons of lemon juice or lime
- Pepper and salt
Instructions
- Julienne your carrot and cucumber unpeeled.
- Mince the kani.
- To prepare your dressing, combine your sriracha, sesame oil, soy sauce, pepper, salt, mayo, and lemon juice in a bowl.
- Place in both your kani and vegetables and carefully mix until blended.
Notes
- Tap the cucumber strips to get rid of the extra moisture.
- Use your hands to toss the salad to keep the julienne strips in their shape.
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below and tag @1MFoodie & @1MFoodieOfficial on Instagram!
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