Create an Insalata Sushi for a Unique Salad

While a sushi salad using Italian ingredients may sound a bit odd at first, hear me out before you pass judgement. Unlike rolled sushi, this style of sushi is called chirashi sushi in Japan. Traditionally chirashi sushi is a pile of vinegared sushi rice with seasoned vegetables mixed in, and toppings such as fish, vegetables and herbs scattered on top ("chirashi" means "scattered").

It's a colorful dish that's perfect for bringing to a potluck, but you can only use it so many times before people start to get bored. That's why I have a couple different variations in my repertoire that I switch between. This colorful take swaps rice wine vinegar for white balsamic and olive oil, to season the rice. A handful of fresh basil and fennel leaves gives the rice a marvelous fresh flavor, and the whole thing is topped with cherry tomatoes, flat-leaf parsley and prosciutto di Parma.

The best part of about this is its flexibility. If you don't have basil and fennel, tarragon and sage is delicious. To make this vegan, simply omit the prosciutto. I also love having this salad with small pieces of fresh mozzarella. If you like something a little more intensely flavored, some thinly sliced red onion, or garlic chips (fried garlic) make some great toppings as well.

The most complicated part of the dish is making the sushi rice (which isn't all that hard). I've included an abridged explanation in the recipe below but check out my full sushi rice tutorial for the detailed step-by-step process.