Hibachi Pasta Salad

This pasta salad was designed to have the same flavor and feel of a Kani salad, an imitation crab salad with carrot and cucumber in a creamy dressing, that you may see at American Japanese restaurants. Turning it into a pasta salad stretches those ingredients to make a large bowl of this chilled hibachi goodness.

Ingredients

• 8 oz imitation crab meat (chunk or leg works, the leg style will be more shredded)

• 1 Persian cucumber, julienned

• 1 carrot, julienned

• 2 sweet peppers, julienned

• 3 green onions, chopped

• 1 lb mini shells pasta

  Dressing:

• 1½ cup neutral oil (canola, vegetable, or avocado)

• 3 egg yolks

• 1½ tsp dry mustard or dijon

• 1½ Tbsp rice vinegar (white vinegar sub)

• 2 shallots, thinly sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 1-2 Tbsp sriracha, to taste

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1½ Tbsp ponzu

Directions

1. Make the Garlic Shallot Oil: In a small pot, heat the neutral oil on medium heat. Drop one garlic chip into the oil. Once that garlic chip is very bubbly, add the rest of the garlic to the hot oil. Once the bubbles are less aggressive and the garlic starts getting tan, strain the oil into a heat safe bowl with a strainer. Reserve the garlic chips for a later dish (let them cool in the strainer to get crispy!). Return the oil to the pot and do the same with the sliced shallots. Let the oil cool before finishing the recipe, maybe get started on slicing those vegetables?

2. Turn the Shallot Oil into Dressing: Use an immersion blender with a wide mouth and tall container or a blender/food processor for this part. Add the egg yolks, mustard, and rice vinegar. Blend those ingredients well.

   Measure the shallot/garlic oil in a measuring cup. While the blender is on, add a few drops of the oil and let combine. Very slowly, stream the oil into the yolk mixture while continuing to process. This will take a few minutes, but you want to slowly introduce the oil so it will become a mayonnaise.

   Once the mayonnaise is made, add lemon juice, sriracha, and ponzu. Once combined, taste and adjust for salt/acid. Store in the refrigerator until use, and this will be good for about a week.

3. Prepare Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season the water heavily with salt, then add the pasta and let cook two minutes past the time it says. Strain and rinse with cold water. When making cold pasta, it will become more toothsome as it cools, so overcooking the pasta will give you that al dente texture

4. Combine & Serve: In a large bowl, add half the dressing. Chop the crab meat (shred if it’s leg style) and add to sauce. Add pasta, cucumbers, peppers, and the white part of the green onion. Toss completely, adding more dressing as needed. Let everything sit in the refrigerator until serving and garnish with the green onion.