California Roll Pasta Salad
This is so good! Tastes just like a California roll! I omit the crab due to cost but I'm sure it is good with it too. I also add red pepper strips for color and crunch
This is so good! Tastes just like a California roll! I omit the crab due to cost but I'm sure it is good with it too. I also add red pepper strips for color and crunch
- -- cook per package and set in cold water --
- 1 package rice stick noodles wide pad thai are best
- -- whisk and set aside --
- 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 2 tbs fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 2 tbs wasabi paste
- salt, pepper and sugar to taste
- -- toss together in a bowl --
- 2 cups mango cubed - 1-2 mangos
- 2 cups cucumber peeled, sliced into moon halfs. 1 large
- 2 cups edamame frozen shelled cooked and cooled
- 1 cup carrot julienned
- 3 tbs sesame seeds toasted
- --gently toss in last
- 2 cups fresh avacado (about 2) cubed
- 2 cans fresh lump crab meat
- Carbohydrate 5.7771121143297 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 4.68034246933265 g
- Fiber 1.49033311966997 g
- Protein 1.9547016122997 g
- Saturated Fat 0.589583072305561 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (64g)
- Sodium 7.17312306253858 mg
- Sugar 4.28677899465973 g
- Trans Fat 0.759354551816548 g
- Calories 71 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook noodles, drain and transfer to ice water. Cut in half. Drain well
- Whisk dressing and set aside.
- Stir noodles into veg. except avacado. Just before serving add avacado and crab, toss gently with dressing and season with salt and pepper.
Rice wine vinegar drives this dish by supplying the critical acidity needed to cut through the rich, buttery texture of fresh avocado and lump crab meat. Acetic acid lowers the overall pH of the mixture, which simultaneously brightens the natural sweetness found in both the mango and the julienned carrots. Whisking the vinegar thoroughly with toasted sesame oil creates a temporary emulsion that coats the wide rice stick noodles evenly without weighing them down.
Wide pad thai style rice noodles demand careful thermal management to prevent them from turning pasty. Boiling them until just tender followed by an immediate plunge into ice water halts internal starch gelatinization completely. Cutting the chilled noodles in half with kitchen shears makes distribution much easier when tossing the heavy vegetables through the bowl later.
Wasabi paste introduces allyl isothiocyanate, the volatile compound responsible for the sharp, nasal heat that clears the palate between rich bites of seafood. Dispersing this pungent paste evenly requires dissolving it directly into the liquid vinegar mixture before any oil is added. Adjusting the quantity depends entirely on personal tolerance, though two tablespoons deliver a pronounced kick that contrasts sharply with the cooling cucumber half-moons.
Replacing the lump crab meat with thawed, shelled edamame or firm tofu offers a viable vegetarian alternative, though the lack of natural marine salinity requires a slight increase in added salt. Avocados oxidize rapidly upon exposure to ambient air, so folding them in alongside the crab right before serving preserves their vibrant green color and firm texture.
