This is simply a kind of sea-based mesclun with a distinctively sesame-flavored dressing. The only challenge in making it lies in the shopping. Few supermarkets carry any seaweed at all, so you need to hit an Asian or health food market for any kind of selection. At most Japanese markets and some health food stores, you can find what amounts to a prepackaged assortment of seaweed salad greens; these are a little more expensive than buying individual seaweeds but will give you a good variety without a big investment.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 ounce wakame or assorted seaweeds

　　1/2 pound cucumber, preferably thin skinned, like Kirby, English, or Japanese cucumber

　　Salt if necessary

　　1/4 cup minced shallot, scallion, or red onion

　　2 tablespoons soy sauce

　　1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or other light vinegar

　　1 tablespoon mirin

　　1 tablespoon sesame oil

　　1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

　　1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

　　

Step 1

Rinse the seaweed once and soak it in at least ten times its volume of water.

　　

Step 2

Wash and dice the cucumber; do not peel unless necessary. (You can salt it if you like; see the preceding recipe.) When the seaweed is tender, 5 minutes later, drain and gently squeeze the mixture to remove excess water. Pick through the seaweed to sort out any hard bits (there may be none) and chop or cut up (you can use scissors, which you may find easier) if the pieces are large. Combine the cucumber and seaweed mixture in a bowl.

　　

Step 3

Toss with the remaining ingredients except the sesame seeds; taste and add salt or other seasonings as necessary and serve garnished with the sesame seeds if you like.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.