Spicy Shrimp and Pickled Cucumber Asian Salad by Meseidy

There is a sushi restaurant in Tulsa called In The Raw that I love and desperately miss. There are two locations, and both have a great atmosphere and super fresh, delicious sushi. But what I miss most of all is their amazing spicy tako salad. I rarely ever order the same thing twice at a restaurant because I usually like to work my way through a menu. But whenever I visit In the Raw, I always order their spicy tako salad. 

 
 

You may be a little confused right now. Why am I talking about a sushi restaurant but mentioning—and misspelling—tacos? When I say tako, I am referring to tako sunomono, which is a Japanese cucumber and octopus salad in a sweet vinegar dressing. In The Raw has a fabulous tako salad and I have been seriously craving a bowl. But it’s over a four-hour drive away. And as much as I love it, I’m just not driving four hours.

 
 

The nice thing about being a food blogger is that I can attempt to replicate my favorite but inaccessible dishes, and call it a work project. After all, I’m not going let a four-hour drive come between me and an insistent craving. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get my hands on octopus, so I use cooked shrimp instead. And it worked great! 

 
 

Personally, I love octopus. If you can find it and are willing to try it, by all means, use octopus instead of shrimp. But since octopus isn’t readily available (or readily eaten) in the U.S., I thought shrimp would make a great substitute.

 
 

This is an easy and simple salad to put together. It’s fresh, light, flavorful, and I love the crunch from the cucumber. It’s a great salad to serve on a warm day.

Enjoy, and stay cool this summer!