With the warmer weather upon us, my family has been eating this Shabu Shabu Salad (豚しゃぶサラダ) on rotation, if not every day.
I love that it requires minimal effort and is so satisfying without feeling too full. This is a delicious salad you can enjoy as a side or as a light lunch or dinner.
What is Shabu Shabu Salad?
The salad emulates the concept from the Japanese hot pot—Shabu Shabu. There are plenty of veggies and sliced meat, but the simmering broth has been switched out for a refreshing dressing. From a winter meal, it’s now transformed into a fresh salad!
You can use thinly sliced pork or beef for this recipe. My family prefers pork for this dish, and that’s what we used today.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- So easy to put together; even my kids can make it!
- Light, refreshing, flavorful, and fulfilling.
- Versatile – you can change up the salad component to different lettuce, shredded cabbage, or bean sprouts.
- Easy to volumize and serve a crowd.
- Simple ingredients… read next!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- pork loin
- sake and salt to cook the pork
- green salad — mizuna, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, red onion, and tomatoes
- homemade dressing — more about this below
How to Make Tender Shabu Shabu Meat
The main component of the salad is the pork slices. To achieve tender-moist perfection (no tough meat), here’s what you can do:
- Use thinly sliced pork loin — Get pre-sliced meat from a Japanese/Korean/Chinese grocery store. Can’t find any? Prepare your own sliced pork loin by following my tutorial How to Thinly Slice Meat. All you need is a sharp knife!
- Add sake — Sake helps tenderize the meat.
- Add salt — Salt locks in all the umami flavors in the meat.
- Cook the meat in simmering water — Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, where you only see small bubbles (185 ºF or 85 ºC).
- Let cool to room temperature first, then chill in the refrigerator. Never soak the meat in iced water.
Shabu Shabu Salad Dressing
You should already have all the pantry-friendly ingredients to make the dressing, especially if you often make Japanese or Asian food.
- Soy sauce – I used Kikkoman Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce to make the salad gluten-free
- Sesame oil – I also used Kikkoman Sesame Oil.
- Rice vinegar – It’s milder than other types of vinegar.
- Sugar – You can use other sweeteners of your choice. Don’t skip it as you need to balance out the salty and vinegary taste.
- Ginger
- Sesame seeds
- Freshly ground black pepper
How to Serve: Toss Together or Pile Up
Today, I prepared a simple salad with shredded crispy iceberg lettuce and mizuna, thinly sliced red onion and cucumbers, and tomato wedges.
I like to toss all the ingredients together and serve. However, when you hear Shabu Shabu Salad, it’s typically constructed with piles of greens at the bottom, followed by the meat, and dressing on top.
I recommend tossing the salad together if you’re serving a big party; otherwise, there will be no meat left! You can serve it in a traditional “pile up” style for small gatherings.
This Shabu Shabu Salad is perfect to make in bulk and eat throughout the week. Pack the dressing in a separate container, and you’re good to go. Enjoy the salad days
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Shabu Shabu Salad
Ingredients
For the Shabu Shabu
- 2 cups water
- 2 Tbsp sake
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ lb thinly sliced pork loin (you can buy thinly sliced meat at Japanese/Korean/Chinese grocery stores or slice the meat yourself following my How to Thinly Slice Meat tutorial)
For the Green Salad
- 4 oz mizuna (Japanese mustard green) (or use any salad greens)
- 5 oz iceberg lettuce (2–3 leaves)
- 1 Japanese or Persian cucumber (4 oz, 113 g)
- ½ red onion (3 oz, 85 g)
- 1 tomato (6 oz, 170 g)
For the Dressing
- ½ tsp ginger (grated, with juice; from a 1-inch, 2.5 cm knob)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce (I used Kikkoman® Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce)
- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (I used Kikkoman® Sesame Oil)
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Cook the Shabu Shabu Pork
- Bring a medium pot of 2 cups water to a boil. Once boiling, add 2 Tbsp sake and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and reduce the heat to low and maintain a simmer.
- One slice at a time, cook ½ lb thinly sliced pork loin in the simmering water until no longer pink. Do not overcook. As soon as the color changes, take it out.
- Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. Continue cooking the rest of the meat. Try not to put in all the meat at once. It will overcook and the meat slices will clump together. Let cool on the counter until the meat is at room temperature, then transfer it to the refrigerator to chill.
To Make the Dressing
- Please Note: If you‘d like to pour extra dressing at the table, you may want to double the recipe. The dressing ingredients are measured for the exact amount for this recipe. Peel the skin of 1 knob ginger and grate until you have ½ tsp ginger (grated, with juice). Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), and ½ tsp sugar.
- Now, add the grated ginger, ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, and 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds.
- Whisk together until the sugar is completely dissolved. You can pour the dressing into a serving container (optional).
To Make the Green Salad
- Cut 4 oz mizuna (Japanese mustard green) into 2-inch pieces and put them into a large bowl.
- Remove the core of 5 oz iceberg lettuce and then cut into julienned pieces.
- Cut off the ends of 1 Japanese or Persian cucumber and cut it in half lengthwise. Then, thinly slice the halves diagonally.
- Thinly slice ½ red onion against the grain. Then, transfer it to iced water and soak for 5 minutes to remove the bitterness and make the onion crisp. Drain well.
- Combine the mizuna, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, and onion in a large bowl and toss together. If you have time, chill the salad for 30 minutes.
To Serve
- Cut 1 tomato into wedges.
- Serve the salad on a plate, topped with the cooked pork and tomatoes. Drizzle with the dressing and enjoy! Alternatively, you can add the pork and dressing to the bowl and toss all together before plating. This is my preferred serving style; however, the classic Shabu Shabu Salad is typically constructed with layers of salad and pork, topped with the dressing.
To Store
- You can prepare and store this dish ahead of time. Keep the salad, pork, and dressing separately until you‘re ready to serve. You can keep it for 24 hours. The dressing can be made ahead and kept in an airtight jar for up to a week.
Nutrition
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 29, 2020. It was republished with more helpful information on June 4, 2024.