Japanese Potato Salad
April 17th, 2011
It is starting to feel like Summer in Southern California and that means grilling! This weekend we dusted off the Weber and made Umami Burgers, but no grilling session is complete with out a few good sides, especially potato salad. This is one of our faves!
Compared to it's German or American cousins, Japanese potato salad is much more mild in flavor, primarily due to the absence of acid. Most German or American potato salads use vinegar or lemon, adding an overall acidic undertone to the dish's flavor profile. The addition of minced boiled egg contributes to the Japanese potato salad's rich creamy texture and chopped vegetables add a subtle sweetness.
I prefer Japanese or English cucumbers for this recipe. The skin of American or Garden cucumbers tends to be thick and bitter, not to mention that most are waxed to help retain moisture in order to prolong shelf-life. If you are not able to get your hands on Japanese or English cucumbers, just be sure to scrub and peel the skin. I like to partially peel the skin lengthwise to keep some green color in the final dish.
Japanese Potato Salad Recipe
3 (firm) medium boiling potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed
1 small carrot, unpeeled and scrubbed
1 cucumber (preferably Japanese or English variety), partially peeled and seeded, sliced very thin
1 small onion, sliced very thin
1 boiled egg, minced
Parsley, minced
Salt and fresh black pepper
3/4 to 1 cup of Japanese mayonnaise, or if on hand homemade mayonnaise
- Place pot of water on the stove to boil. While waiting, sprinkle sliced cucumber and onion (the thinner the better) with a few pinches of salt, and let sit (at least 10 minutes). The salt will help to extract the juices from the vegetables so that your Japanese potato salad will have a creamy texture. Give a firm squeeze to release any excess juices.
- Add potatoes to boiling water and cook until tender, using a skewer to check for doneness (you should be able to pierce completely through without resistance). Remove potatoes but be sure to keep water for cooking of carrot and egg.
- Add carrot and egg to boiling water, cooking carrot until tender and egg to a hard boil.
- While still hot, gently peel potatoes and carrot using a kitchen towel. Cut potatoes into small bite-size chunks. Slice carrot width-wise. While hot, toss with salt and pepper. Let cool.
- Peel hard boiled egg and mince.
- Once potato/carrot mixture has cooled to room temperature, gently mix in cucumber, onion, egg and mayonnaise. Cover with plastic wrap and cool for at least 1 hour in refrigerator.
April 18th, 2011 at 9:48 am
More! More!
April 18th, 2011 at 9:58 am
Hope to get more posts soon. How have you been Renee? – Fumi
April 18th, 2011 at 9:59 am
Wow, that looks so good! I really like your cucumber suggestion and agree with you on the skin and texture. This would be a great recipe for Jazz in the Park!
April 18th, 2011 at 10:00 am
Miguel! Speaking of Jazz in the Park, if you are bringing this somewhere, be sure to pack it in a cooler as the chilled potato salad will taste better. Plus and the mayo holds better. How did the grill session go with the Jamaican’s :)
April 18th, 2011 at 10:01 am
This is the real deal potato salad. I grew up eating this gem and let me tell ya this stuff is like crack. With the left-overs I like to make a sandwich on a croissant with a thin slice of ham and a drizzle of Japanese tonkatsu sauce. Get u some!
April 18th, 2011 at 10:11 am
wow, that sounds mighty tasty George. I guess we know what we are doing with the Easter ham left over next week!
April 18th, 2011 at 10:12 am
Sounds and looks good, and I don’t even really like potato salad.
April 18th, 2011 at 10:16 am
Hey Kyle, anything in particular you don’t care for in a potato salad?
April 18th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Is someone making this for me? That’s all I want to know ;) I am hungry it it looks damn GOOD!
April 18th, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Love to prepare some for you and your little ones and I think they will love it. This might be the best complement to your House Chicken Tazmi! :) Speaking of, we are way due to hang out with the boys.
April 18th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
My dislike stems from soccer moms picking up crap grocery store potato salad on their way to events. Stores like Frazier Farms or Harvest Ranch Market a different story… I’d say it is the celery I don’t like and the overall filler feeling like being jipped with a bowl of beans. I do like the take away potato salad from Felicias. Yours on the other hand look like no other I have seen, delicious and beautiful.
April 18th, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Well the grocery store potato salad will do it to anyone really. Feel Still havn’t been to Fraizer Farms, I see bunch of people checkin’ in on Foursquare. Thanks for the kudos Kyle, make sure to let us know what Trin thinks of the potato salad.
April 18th, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Now I will be craving this ~ Thanks a lot! Looks scrumptious and beautiful………
April 18th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
Perfect for those wild wing fling parties too ;)
April 18th, 2011 at 8:59 pm
I showed it to her, her response: “I will love it. It is Fumi’s recipe and my goodness… look at it.”
April 18th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
listen to Trin. She is the master of the Universe, really.
April 18th, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Oh, ho,ho,ho, ho…no teasing now …Wing Fling Japanese Potato Salad or no Green Pea Salad…!?! deal?
April 19th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Is it wrong that I like to shovel down green pea salad? We need to get Christy pepped up for the fling!