Squid and Wakegi with Vinegared Miso (いかとわけぎのぬた, Ika to Wakegi no Nuta)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Suribachi (Japanese grinding bowl), or a small bowl and whisk
• •Saibashi cooking chopsticks, or small tongs
• •Zaru or fine-mesh strainer
• •Clean kitchen towel for drying

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the sumiso

   Warm the mirin in a small pan just until it bubbles, 20 to 30 seconds, then stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Let it cool. Put the miso in a suribachi or small bowl and work in the rice vinegar a little at a time, smoothing after each addition. Whisk in the cooled mirin syrup, 1 tablespoon dashi, and the karashi if using. Add the remaining dashi only if the dressing is stiff. It should fall from a spoon in a thick ribbon, because nuta needs to cling to the squid and wakegi, not run to the bottom of the bowl.

   Warming the mirin drives off the raw alcohol edge and dissolves the sugar cleanly. Adding the vinegar slowly keeps the miso smooth instead of lumpy.
2. 2

   Cut the wakegi

   Cut the wakegi into 4cm lengths, keeping the thicker white bases separate from the green tops. The bases need a short head start in the water, while the greens only need enough heat to soften and brighten.

3. 3

   Blanch the wakegi

   Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it lightly. Add the white wakegi pieces first. After 30 seconds, add the green tops and cook 20 to 30 seconds more, just until the color deepens and the pieces bend without collapsing. Lift them into cold water, then drain well and press them dry in a clean towel. The cold water stops the cooking; the drying protects the dressing.

   Water is the quiet enemy here. Wet wakegi thins the sumiso, and a thin sumiso cannot hold the dish together.
4. 4

   Slice the squid

   Pat the squid dry. Lay the body open, inside face up, and score it very shallowly on the diagonal, then cut it into 5mm strips. Cut the tentacles into bite-size lengths. The shallow scoring shortens the muscle and gives the dressing a place to sit; cut too deep and the squid turns ragged. This is one place the knife does more than the sauce.

5. 5

   Blanch the squid

   Bring the blanching water back to a lively boil. Add the squid, stir once with saibashi or tongs, and lift it out as soon as it turns milky white and the edges curl, 20 to 40 seconds. Cool it briefly in cold water, then drain and spread it on a towel. Don't let it soak, because water steals the clean sweetness you bought the squid for.

   Squid toughens fast. Pull it when it has just turned opaque, and let the towel finish the work by taking away the surface water.
6. 6

   Dress and plate

   Blot the wakegi and squid once more. Put them in a bowl and fold in about two-thirds of the sumiso, adding more only until each piece is lightly coated. Dress at the last moment, because vinegar and salt draw out moisture as the dish sits. Mound the nuta in small bowls, set one kinome leaf or a tiny dab of karashi on top if using, and serve cool or at room temperature.

Chef Tips

• •Choose squid that looks glossy and firm, with a clean sea scent and no sour or fishy smell. If the squid is tired, don't hide it under miso. Grill it or simmer it instead, and make nuta another day.
• •Wakegi is the spring ingredient here. If you can't find it, use the youngest, sweetest scallions you can buy as a sensible stand-in, but know what has changed: wakegi is rounder, softer, and more at home in this dish.
• •Taste the sumiso before dressing. It should seem a little brighter than you want on its own, because the sweetness of the wakegi and the clean flesh of the squid soften it once everything meets.
• •For a meatless table, use konbu and dried shiitake dashi to loosen the dressing. That's honmono, not a compromise. What you should not use is instant powder, which brings salt before it brings clarity.

Advance Preparation

• •The sumiso can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Stir it before using, and loosen it with a few drops of dashi if it tightens.
• •The wakegi can be blanched, dried, and wrapped in a towel up to 4 hours ahead. Keep it chilled, then blot again before dressing.
• •The squid may be blanched a few hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator, but it should be dried carefully before it meets the sumiso.
• •Do not combine the salad until just before serving. Finished nuta is at its best within 30 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 125g)