Chefs' Secrets: Sushihana's Kani Salad All the ingredients are available locally.

Kani Salad from Sushihana is remarkably quick and easy to make. It’s served with cucumber and avocado.

PHOTOS BY HELEN L. MONTOYA/hmontoya@express-news.net Kani Salad from Sushihana is remarkably quick and easy to make. It’s served with cucumber and avocado.

PHOTOS BY HELEN L. MONTOYA/hmontoya@express-news.net Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Chefs' Secrets: Sushihana's Kani Salad 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Dear Pat: My husband and I have been regular patrons at Sushihana ever since it opened. There is a wonderful salad that they make called Kani Salad that's based on surimi.

It used to be on the menu, but I hadn't seen it lately. I asked about it, and the chef was more than happy to make it for me, and said he would be happy to make it anytime — just ask for it! Please ask the chef if he would share his recipe. Thank you.

Jill Weinstein

Dear Amelia: Fish salads may be nothing new — the ubiquitous tuna salad, shrimp salad, whitefish salad, even crab salad — are familiar and beloved by many. But this light and elegant salad made with surimi (imitation crabmeat) is a true revelation.

As prepared by Sushihana chef Wen Biao Xu, or “Paul,” it's remarkably quick and easy, made with a touch of creamy Japanese mayonnaise, a dash of hot Sriracha, sugar and the subtly salty fish roe. Cucumber and avocado complement this refreshing and delicious salad.

Don't let the list of less-than-familiar ingredients scare you away.

The imitation crab, or surimi, is made from various white fish such as pollock or hake. It's pulverized into a paste, then formed into many shapes including imitation crab legs or sticks, commonly referred to as krab, with a “k.” The product is widely used in many Asian cultures. Krab is much less expensive than actual crab meat and readily available at grocery stores. The Sriracha hot sauce is available at our stores, too.

For the Japanese mayonnaise and the masago (processed roe of the capelin, a small fish that's ubiquitous throughout the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans), you'll want to visit Tim's Oriental Market (see Note in the recipe). Japanese mayonnaise is a little sweeter and richer than the American version. The orange-hued masago will be familiar to sushi lovers.

It's a new year — time to branch out and give Kani Salad a try.

Sushihana is at 1810 NW Military Highway at Zorina Drive.

Pat Mozersky is a freelance writer for the Express-News. Contact her at chefssecrets.pm@gmail.com.

Recipe

Kani Salad