Before I say anything else, let me tell you that I just ate some rice doused in Dave’s Total Insanity Hot Sauce (0mg of sodium). And they seriously aren’t lying in their marketing. This is total insanity. I overdoused. And now I think I’ve permanently scarred my mouth. Or, less melodramatically, I’ve definitely started sweating profusely in public.
But moving on.
Speaking of insanity, I experienced another form of this emotion (less burning) a few weeks ago at Bar Agricole here in the good old Bay Area. And while I can hardly remember the meal they so carefully crafted for me (a juicy, roasted salt-free chicken with reamy potatoes and padron peppers), I will never forget my dining partner’s appetizer.
Radish nigiri, soaked in a lemon verbana, with a sardine on top, wrapped in prosciutto or lard or some salty, delicious thing.
It was gorgeous. It was exquisite. And I had to figure out a way to make it low-sodium.
So I took to the cutting board…or grater…and I finely shredded a handful of radishes (about five). I used my hands to squeeze out any residual juice, trying to dry them out as much as possible. And then, to keep it all together, I added about 1/2 teaspoon of honey and some lemon rind (for a bright flavor). I mixed it with my hand and let it rest.
Then, onto the sardine.
I could have used a sardine because you can actually find small, canned ones that are low in sodium. But I wasn’t feeling fishy. I wanted fresh.
So I replaced the sardine with a thin slice of avocado. Because who doesn’t love avocado?
And finally, for the lard, cured-meat belt that holds the whole thing together, I thought a thinly sliced carrot would be perfect. I used a peeler to create strips and then, to make them more flexible, I soaked for a few minutes in hot water.
Then it’s all about presentation, chopsticks, and gulping it down in one bite.
Obviously, this is not something you’d make for a dinner party of twelve (maybe you would) or a weekly dinner (except if it was a Wednesday).
But if you want an easy way of showing someone that low-sodium food can be mind-blowingly amazing, then this little radish nigiri is definitely the way to go.
Thanks, Bar Agricole for the juicy chicken and salt-free recipe inspiration.
Chow on.
You NEVER fail to inspire me. X0 Liz
Pork spare ribs & spicy greens w/ heirloom tomatoes for dinner from dc farmers market on 8th & E NW!!!
I was curious if you ever thought of changing the page layout of your blog? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or two images. Maybe you could space it out better?
Thanks for your kind words and comments, Shellie. I’ll keep this in mind. Some posts are definitely word-heavy others have more pictures. It depends on the content and of course, whether or not I had my camera with me. While I devote a good percentage of time to this low-sodium life, sometimes doctors, plumbing problems, and sunshine take my attention away. So excuse the inconsistencies (cause while I’m a low-sodium superhero by night, I’m just a real gal by day) and I’ll do my best to give you more eye candy in the future!
SG, NO offense to Shellie, but I love the balance you find with the photos and the text. It is all wonderful with such real life inspiration at all levels. Thanks for the great job you do on teaching us how to be more mindful in our eating, our feeding of those we love and how to live with such zest.