Today’s dish, Squid with Green Vinegar Dressing (Midorizu) is a visually impressive dish. It is perfect for a starter or a side dish in a formal Japanese-style meal. The vinegar is based on Tosazu, which is one of the basic Japanese dressings.
Prep Time assumes the squid is already cleaned.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 200g / 7oz squid ( cleaned and skin removed, note 1)
- 100g / 3.5oz cucumber
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce or normal Japanese soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp dashi stock
- Salmon roe (note 2)
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Open the tube of the squid and score one side of the surface with a criss-cross pattern. The width of the criss-cross should be about 5mm / 3⁄16" and the depth is about halfway.
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Cut the squid into 1cm / ⅜” wide and 5cm / 2" long strips.
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Bring water in a pot to a boil and blanch the squid strips for 45-60 seconds. Drain and cool.
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Grate cucumber and drain excess liquid using a sieve. Gently squeeze or press down the grated cucumber and remove more liquid. The cucumber should still be wet but not too watery.
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Put the grated cucumber into a bowl and add the rest of the Midorizu ingredients. Mix gently.
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Put the squid pieces in serving bowls, shaping them into a mound. Pour the Midorizu over the squid and scatter the salmon roe if using.
1. You can also use cuttlefish or calamari. I used two small cuttlefish. If your squid is not cleaned, please visit my recipe, Squid with cucumber and Wakame Nuta, which explains how to clean squid with step-by-step photos.
Even if the type of squid is different, the fundamental techniques to clean it are pretty much the same.
2. Salmon roe is called ikura in Japanese. You might find that it is even sold as 'ikura' at fish markets and some supermarkets.
Ikura is one of the fish eggs served on sushi. Raw ikura is usually sold in a small jar but they are not cheap. You might also find smoked ikura in a jar, which is slightly cheaper than the raw ikura.
Instead of ikura, you can scatter small tomato pieces (see the photo in the post).
3. Nutrition per serving.
serving: 99g calories: 65kcal fat: 0.9g (1%) saturated fat: 0.2g (1%) trans fat: 0.0g polyunsaturated fat: 0.3g monounsaturated fat: 0.1g cholesterol: 121mg (40%) sodium: 307mg (13%) potassium: 191mg (5%) carbohydrates: 4.4g (1%) dietary fibre: 0.2g (1%) sugar: 201g protein: 8.7g vitamin a: 1% vitamin c: 5.4% calcium: 1.7% iron: 2.7%