A Chinese salad that contains one unusual but powerful ingredient: dried shrimp. These tiny bay shrimp are used throughout East Asia (especially Indonesia) and can be found at any Asian market. They’re intensely flavored with the sea and salt and are so powerful they may be an acquired taste. This, however, is a great way to try them.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　Salt

　　10 dried shrimp

　　10 ounces fresh spinach, tough stems removed

　　2 tablespoons soy sauce

　　2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Meanwhile, barely cover the shrimp with boiling water (it should be less than 1/2 cup) and soak while you prepare the rest of the salad.

　　

Step 2

Plunge the spinach into the boiling water, then drain it immediately. Run it under cold water and drain again. Remove the shrimp from the soaking liquid and chop coarsely. Strain the soaking liquid into a large bowl; whisk with the soy sauce and sesame oil. Toss with the shrimp and spinach and serve within an hour.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The 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.