Spinach Ohitashi (Japanese Spinach Salad)
User Reviews
4.6
Spinach Ohitashi (Japanese Spinach Salad)
Description
Spinach Ohitashi uses fresh spinach blanched briefly in salted boiling water until just tender, then drained and cooled. The dressing is a kombu dashi broth—made by simmering dried kelp in water—combined with mirin and light (usukuchi) soy sauce. After cooling, the spinach is marinated in this seasoned broth, allowing the flavors to infuse lightly without overpowering the green’s natural freshness.
The dish features a delicate balance of mild seaweed flavor from the kombu dashi, subtle sweetness from the mirin, and umami from the soy sauce. Texture is tender with a slight bite from the spinach stems. The optional toppings, such as toasted white sesame seeds and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), provide contrast in texture and a savory finish.
Spinach Ohitashi works well served chilled or at room temperature as a refreshing side accompanying richer dishes like grilled or fried proteins, enhancing the meal with a lightly dressed vegetable component.
Ingredients
For the Kombu Dashi
- ½ cup water (or use Awase Dashi or Vegan Dashi and skip the kombu)
- 1 piece kombu 5 g; 2 x 2 inches or 5 x 5 cm per piece; or substitute a dashi packet or powder, dried kelp
For the Seasonings
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce usukuchi (light-colored
For the Spinach
- 1 bunch spinach (8 oz, 227 g)
- 1 pinch kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
For the Toppings
- katsuobushi skip for vegan/vegetarian, dried bonito flakes
- white sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Make the Kombu Dashi
- In a saucepan, put ½ cup water and 1 piece kombu (dried kelp).
- Slowly bring it to a boil. Once boiling, remove the kombu from the liquid (and reserve it to make Kombu Tsukudani). Now, you have kombu dashi. If you are not vegan/vegetarian, you can add a small amount of katsuobushi for more flavor (see my Awase Dashi recipe for instructions).
To Make the Savory Broth
- To the dashi, add 1 Tbsp mirin and 1 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce.
- Mix together, bring to a boil, and turn off the heat. Set aside.
To Prepare the Spinach
- Rinse well 1 bunch spinach.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add 1 pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Add the spinach to the boiling water stem side first since the stems take longer to cook.
- After 15 seconds, push down the leafy part into the water and cook for up to 1 minute. (Spinach in the US is more tender than Japanese spinach, so it cooks faster.) Once the spinach is cooked through in roughly less than 1 minute, remove it quickly from the boiling water.
- Transfer to a bowl of iced water and let it cool (but don’t leave the spinach too long, as it will lose nutrients).
- As soon as it‘s cooled, collect the spinach and squeeze out the water. If you like to serve this dish as I do, gather together the spinach neatly by the stems. I like to serve both the stem and leafy parts separately instead of mixing it up together.
- Cut the spinach into 1½-inch (3.75-cm) lengths and squeeze the water out one more time.
To Soak in the Broth
- Put the spinach in an airtight container. Now, pour the savory broth over the spinach.
- Make sure the spinach is evenly distributed in the container and fully submerged in the broth. Put the lid on and let it soak in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and ideally up to 3–4 hours.
To Serve
- Serve the spinach in small individual bowls and pour some broth on top. I like to make sure each bowl gets both the stem and leafy parts. The dark and light green color contrast makes a beautiful presentation.
- Sprinkle with toasted white sesame seeds for a vegan/vegetarian version. For the standard version, add katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) on top. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep Spinach Ohitashi in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 31 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 31kcal | 2% |
| Carbohydrates | 4g | 1% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 1g | 2% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 352mg | 15% |
| Potassium | 482mg | 10% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 7970IU | 159% |
| Vitamin C | 24mg | 27% |
| Calcium | 90mg | 9% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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