Foodie Friday: Kani Salad Roll-Up with Wasabi-Mayo

First Friday of the month:  Food / Recipe


We're all feeling the heat wave in this country and I just want to drink and eat something cold, or light and refreshing every single day.  There's no surprise to this post since the title said it all. And as I celebrate my 3rd blog anniversary this May, I thought it's nice to start the month with an ode to one of my most popular food posts -- kani salad (which, by the way, is currently #1 on Google search for 'kani salad'! Woot!)

In my recent trip to the grocery, I spotted a pack of tortilla and dropped it in my cart, not knowing what to do with it. When I got home, I found all the ingredients to make our favorite kani salad, which I already featured here, and planned to serve it for dinner. But I had another idea. Tortilla + kani salad... eureka!

It's gonna be a wrap for dinner! =) The whole family can help prepare this super simple and delicious roll-up -- no cooking required!  Just by looking at the photos, I'm sure you already know what you need and how to do this.

KANI SALAD ROLL-UP with WASABI-MAYO

Soft tortillas
Kani sticks (Japanese imitation crab meat), cut in half, length-wise
Cucumber, cut in sticks
Fresh ripe mango, slice vertically and scoop out
Washed lettuce
Japanese mayonnaise (I use Kewpie brand)
Prepared wasabi (hot/spicy Japanese condiment of horseradish and mustard mix)
Homemade or bottled herb vinaigrette, optional dressing (I use Gourmet's brand)

For the wasabi-mayo:

Mix 1 part prepared wasabi + 2 parts Japanese mayo (1:2)

(Or you can do 1:3 if you want the spice to be mild.  Adjust proportion according to your taste.)

To prepare:

Lay tortilla flat on a board and spread some wasabi-mayo mix on the center

Layer 2 - 3 lettuce leaves over the wasabi-mayo, which acts as a glue

Add more wasabi-mayo over the lettuce and assemble all the filling on top

Carefully flip lower end of the tortilla over the filling and roll over tight

Wipe some mayo on the top edge of the tortilla to act as glue and secure your roll-up

You can make as many rolls as you want. 1 roll is good for 1, or maybe not enough! =) Press together and hold 2 or 3 rolls and, with a sharp knife, carefully slice into 6 or 8.

A perfectly balanced combination of juicy kani, crisp and cool lettuce and cucumbers, spicy dressing, sweet and succulent mangoes, all wrapped in soft and chewy tortilla.

You can use more of the wasabi-mayo as dipping sauce -- it tastes fantastic with that extra kick!  I forgot to add some nori strips with the filling though, and for sure, it would have added another dimension to the flavor of this refreshing salad roll-up.

Serve on a bed of lettuce, with extra dressing on the side. Dip or drizzle before you pop a slice in your mouth.  A drizzle of the herb vinaigrette adds some tang to the sweet-cool-spicy taste. But you can just stick with the wasabi-mayo for extra creaminess.

I always loved the combination of sweet mangoes and kani! With the tortilla, I now have a more filling alternative to the usual kani salad that I often prepare with our dinner.  This kani salad roll-up is great as appetizers too, or served as hors d'oeuvres during parties.  Try this perfect summer salad roll-up  now!

Care to share your summer-inspired recipes for my Reader's Nook?
Have you tried any of the featured recipes from this blog?
Tweet me your food shots if you did, I'd love to see your version! :)


I'd love to know your thoughts on this post.  If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it!
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Cold Kani Salad

Today is Ash Wednesday.
For Catholics, it is the first day of the Lenten Season which lasts for 40 days until Palm Sunday, before Holy Week. This year, the Holy Week will be from March 29 until April 4, Easter Sunday. The 40 days of Lent is a time for penance, fasting, charity and prayer. This holy season, we remember the suffering of Jesus Christ who died on the cross and saved us from our sins.  And most devout Catholics practice fasting and abstinence during this period, especially during Fridays.

As Lent begins today, adults are expected to fast -- skip meals, or abstain from eating meat starting today as a form of sacrifice, much like Jesus who sacrificed Himself for us. In our household, the kids and the senior citizens of the house are exempted from this practice. It is really a voluntary act. And I guess it will only be me who can abstain from eating meat.

So for coming few weeks of Lent, I can finally share the meatless dishes I have unintentionally "collected" over the months, just waiting to be posted here.  For starters, here's a very refreshing, cold Japanese kani salad:

COLD KANI SALAD

Head of iceberg lettuce
Kani - Japanese imitation crab sticks
Japanese mayonnaise
Corn kernels, canned (or ripe mango)

Refrigerate all the ingredients for a few hours. Bring out when ready to prepare.

To prepare:
Break and wash lettuce leaves. Then shred, or chop thinly, and place in a salad bowl or deep dish. Set aside.
Drain canned corn kernels. Set aside.

Unwrap and shred the kani, following its grains as you shred by hand.

To plate:
Bring out the salad bowl with the chopped lettuce and scatter the shredded kani on top.
Squeeze and pipe out the mayonnaise over the layered kani and lettuce.
Top with a few tablespoons of corn kernels.

Toss lightly.
Serve and consume immediately.

All the ingredients are readily available in most supermarkets.

So simple and delicious. You can have this salad anytime, any day. I for one can have this for lunch and dinner. Hubby loves this too!

For a sweeter version, you can use fresh mango cubes instead of corn. You can also add thinly sliced / grated cucumber, and crispy fragrant nori strips (seaweed) for topping!

Enjoy!

I'd love to know your thoughts on this post.  If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it!

Get instant updates:

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I try my best to reply and answer any questions you may have on each entry so check back if you've left one. Thank you and do visit again!

(Comments with links will automatically be flagged by Disqus.)

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