Crab Cucumber and Wakame Salad

2 lebanese cucumbers
2 tbsp dried wakame seaweed pieces
150g / 5 1/2 oz / 1 cup fresh crab meat, cooked and picked over or
good-quality tinned crab meat

To the dressing
2 tbsp Japanese rice vinegar
1/2 tsp dashi granules
1 tbsp shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
2 tsp mirin
20g / 5 oz fresh ginger

Tip: 1 regular cucumber may be used in place of 2 Lebanese cucumbers.

Dissolve 2 teaspoons salt in 500ml / 17 fl oz / 2 cups cold water. Cut the cucumbers in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds, then slice the flesh very thinly. Put the cucumber flesh in the cold water and soak for 10 minutes. Drain well and squeeze out any excess moisture. Keep in the refrigerator until needed.

Soak the wakame in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, or until rehydrated and  glossy but not mushy. Drain well, then refrigerate until needed.

To make the dressing, combine the rice vinegar, dashi granules, shoyu and mirin with 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Finely grate the ginger, then squeeze the grated ginger with your fingertips to release the juice (you will need 1 1/2 teaspoons of ginger juice). Add the ginger juice to the dressing and stir well. Allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until cold.

Neatly arrange the cucumber, wakame and crab meat in four small serving dishes, then carefully pour the dressing over the top.