Asian Pear Watercress Salad with a Ginger Sesame Dressing
Asian Pears are a true pear, even though they have the shape and crunch more like an apple.The Asian Pears we get are from Sweet Tree Farms, so you know they’re organic. They’re picked when they’re ripe, so when you get them, they’re ready to eat. Ripe Asian pears are firm. Even though they’re firm, they still bruise easily. Keep them in the refrigerator if you’re not ready to eat them (but why wouldn’t you be?) Let them sit out before eating to enjoy their full flavor. They're delicious by themselves, but they also “pear” well with flavorful greens like kale and watercress.
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 Asian pear julienned
- 1 Watercress 1 bunch
- 1 carrot shredded
- 1 Persian cucumber
- 1-2 radishes
Sesame Ginger Dressing:
- 2 Ts toasted sesame oil
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 T Tamari
- 2-3 T rice vinegar
- 1 ½ T pure maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 T fresh ginger minced
- 1 T Tahini optional, but makes the dressing creamy
Instructions
Make Salad:
- Place into bowl in this order:
- Julienned pear into ¼” sticks
- Thinly sliced cucumber
- Thinly sliced radish
- Trimmed Watercress
- Season with salt & pepper and gently toss. Divide onto plates and drizzle with the dressing. Top each serving with shredded carrot.
How to Julienne:
- Cut the pear in half from the stem down and set it down on the flat side so it’s stable.
- Thinly slice lengthwise with a chef’s knife into uniform narrow slabs, ¼” or narrower
- Stack a few slabs at a time and cut lengthwise again into narrow strips.
Make Dressing:
- For a Salad: add all ingredients to the bottom of your salad bowl and whisk together until smooth and emulsified.
- For a Marinade: add everything to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Nutrition
Calories: 337kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 4gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gSodium: 1034mgPotassium: 382mgFiber: 4gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 5168IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 1mg
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