Hiziki ‘Caviar’ on Daikon Rounds

Caviar conjures up visions of beautiful people, glamorous affairs, Bentleys and summers on the Hamptons. It’s a nice idea but this calcium-rich sea plant with sautéed with white wine, plenty of garlic, served atop crisp, peppery daikon and you have the perfect “glam” first course…that leaves you with healthy bones…now that’s hot!

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredient List:

• extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
• 3-4 shallots, finely minced
• ½ cup loosely packed, dried hiziki, rinsed well, soaked until tender, finely diced
• dry white wine
• organic soy sauce
• 8, 1/4-inch thick rounds fresh daikon
• 1-2 fresh green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1/4 roasted red bell pepper, finely minced

Step By Step Instructions:

Place a generous amount of oil in a deep skillet, along with garlic and shallots and turn the heat to high. When the shallots sizzle, sauté for 1-2 minutes. Stir in hiziki and reduce heat to medium. Sauté for 1 minute. Add white wine to half cover ingredients, sprinkle lightly with organic soy sauce, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to very low and simmer until all the wine has been absorbed into the hiziki–the longer the better–about 40-45 minutes.  Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.
 
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook daikon until just crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain well and set aside to cool.

To serve, mound hiziki on daikon rounds and top with green onion and roasted pepper as garnish. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cook’s Tip: You will have hiziki left over. You can make more daikon rounds or serve the hiziki as a side dish.