Recipes
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Traditional Japanese cooking
In traditional Japanese cooking, wasabi is paired with sushi and sashimi, added to miso soup, or made into a dipping sauce served with soba noodles. All of these are truly delicious ways of enjoying fresh wasabi.
Versatile ingredient
Fresh wasabi’s clean heat makes it an extremely versatile ingredient as the world’s finest chefs have found. We use our wasabi to make flavoured butter or mayo, to marinade steak, make a sauce to go with seafood and spice up our mashed potato. We’ve tried wasabi ice cream, wasabi chocolate and we’re not stopping there! We’ve described some of these below. If you have any suggestions of your own let us know by email or tweet us, we’d love to hear what you’ve come up with.
Fresh Wasabi recipes
The following recipes have been created especially for us by Genevieve Taylor. She has taken inspiration from some of the top chefs who are using our fresh wasabi in their dishes to inspire you to incorporate fresh wasabi into more dishes. When the wasabi outlasts the sushi there are still plenty more excellent ways to enjoy fresh wasabi and you don't have to be Raymond Blanc to make it happen. We've made it easy for you. If you are using fresh wasabi in a way we haven't heard of please be sure to let us know.
Panko breadcrumb crusted chicken with watercress & wasabi pesto dip served with sweet potato fries.
Crisp crumbed chicken and chips with a twist for a Friday night treat.
Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25-30 minutes
You will need:
For the pesto:
25g walnuts
½ clove garlic, crushed
75g watercress
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp finely grated parmesan
about 2-4 tsp freshly grated wasabi
Juice of ½ a lemon, to taste
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
For the fries:
1 large sweet potato, about 600-700g
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
For the chicken:
2 small chicken breasts
1 heaped tbsp flour, seasoned with a little salt
1 eggs, lightly beaten
50g panko breadcrumbs (readily available in asian grocers & some supermarkets)
Vegetable oil for shallow frying
To serve:
A little extra freshly grated wasabi for those who like more heat
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Peel the sweet potato and cut into medium thick chips. Add to a roasting tin and toss in the olive oil and thyme. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, stir to turn over, then roast for a further 10 minutes until crisp on the outside and soft in the middle.
Whilst the potatoes are cooking, prepare the chicken. Cut each breast in half down the length, leaving you with 4 mini fillets. Lay one between 2 sheets of cling film and bash to a thickness of 1 cm. A rolling pin is the best tool for the job, or failing that a wine bottle. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Set yourself up a little production line on the worktop, with the flour on a plate, the egg in a bowl and the panko breadcrumbs in another bowl. Working quickly toss each mini fillet first in flour, then dip in egg and finally roll in the breadcrumbs, setting each aside on a clean plate whilst you continue. Set aside whilst you make the pesto.
Make the pesto by placing the walnuts into a food processor and whizzing until ground. Add the garlic, watercress, olive oil, parmesan and wasabi and whizz to a smooth paste. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside, un-refrigerated, for the flavours to develop whilst you cook the chicken.
Heat half a centimetre or so of oil in a large heavy based frying pan until it is really hot. Fry the flattened chicken pieces for about 3-4 minutes on each side, reducing the temperature a little if the breadcrumbs are darkening too much. Cut one open at the thickest point to check it’s cooked.
Serve the crispy chicken with the fries and a generous dollop of pesto to dip everything in. Add a little more freshly grated wasabi at the table for extra oomph!
Rib eye steak with wasabi butter, served with chips, wasabi aioli & watercress salad
Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 10 minutes (plus chilling time)
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
You will need:
50g butter, softened slightly
Freshly grated wasabi to taste (about 1-2 tsp, or 5-10g)
2 x fat ribeye steaks (approx. 180-200g weight each)
1 tbsp olive oil
A little sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp good quality mayonnaise
1 small clove garlic, crushed
Freshly grated wasabi to taste (about 1-2 tsp)
To serve:
Freshly cooked crispy chips
2 generous handfuls of watercress
What to do:
Prepare the wasabi butter by beating freshly grated wasabi, around 1-2 teaspoons, into the softened butter. Wrap in cling film, rolling tightly into a little barrel shape. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, or freeze for 10 minutes, so that it is cold enough to slice.
Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan until smoking hot. Season the steaks on both sides with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lay the steaks in the pan and fry, undisturbed, on one side for 2-3 minutes. Flip over and fry on the other side for a further 2-3 minutes. For a 2-3cm thick piece of meat these timings should give you a medium steak. Cook a little less for rare, a little more for well done. Remove the steak and allow to rest on a warm plate tightly covered in foil.
Whilst the steak is resting, prepare the wasabi aioli by mixing together the mayonnaise with the crushed garlic. Stir through freshly grated wasabi to taste.
Serve the steak with a slice of wasabi butter melting on top, accompanied by chips and watercress and wasabi aioli for dunking them in.
Seared scallops with wasabi pea puree & wilted watercress and spinach
Serves: 4 as a starter, or 2 as an indulgent supper
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
You will need:
For the wasabi pea puree:
300g peas (fresh podded or frozen)
2-3 sprigs fresh mint
4 tbsp double cream
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated wasabi to taste, about 3 tsp
For the scallops:
6 large king scallops, cut in half through the middle, or 12 smaller queen scallops
25g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
For the wilted watercress:
30g unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
75g watercress
What to do:
Cook the peas in boiling water with the mint sprigs until just tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain, remove and discard the mint and tip into a food processor. Add the cream and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and a little freshly ground black pepper and return to the pan. Set over a really low heat to keep warm.
To cook the scallops, melt the butter with the olive oil in a frying pan. When it is sizzling hot, add the scallops and cook for a minute on each side until slightly caramelised and cooked through but still juicy in the middle. Set aside on a warm plate covered in foil.
Remove the peas from the heat. Freshly grate the wasabi and stir though the peas to taste.
For the wilted watercress melt the butter in a large frying pan or wok. Once foaming, turn the heat down low and add the garlic. Stir fry for 30 seconds or so. Add the watercress and stir fry for just a minute until wilted.
To serve, add 3 teaspoons of pea puree spread out onto a warmed plate, topping each with a scallop. Pile the wilted watercress in the middle, drizzling over any butter juices. Eat immediately.
King prawn & spring onion tempura with wasabi, tamari & sesame dipping sauce
Serves: 4 as a starter
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
You will need:
For the dipping sauce:
4 tbsp tamari (Japanese soy sauce)
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2-3 tsp freshly grated wasabi to taste
3 tsp toasted sesame seeds
For the tempura:
80g cornflour
80g plain flour
½ tsp salt
200ml ice cold beer (or soda water)
200g raw king prawns, shell removed or 200g tenderstem stems sliced in half lengthways
1 bunch spring onions trimmed
2 tbsp cornflour
What to do:
Make the dipping sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Preheat a deep fat fryer to 180°C, or half fill a stockpot with a litre or so of vegetable and heat until when you drop in a cube of bread it turns golden in 30 seconds.
When the oil is hot, mix the batter by sifting both flours into a large bowl. Add the salt. Pour in the beer and whisk lightly until just combined - don’t worry about a few lumps its important not to over-mix and also to use the batter immediately on mixing.
Dust the prawns (or tenderstem) and spring onions all over in the extra cornflour, then dip into the batter to coat all over. Using tongs lower gently into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes until crisp then drain on kitchen paper. Work quickly, cooking in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Eat as soon after cooking as possible, served with the dipping sauce.
Wasabi hollandaise for asparagus dunking - inspired by Will Holland
Serves: 4 as a dipping sauce for asparagus
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
You will need:
3 egg yolks
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
150g butter, melted
Freshly grated wasabi to taste, about 4 tsp
To serve:
Asparagus, cooked or steamed until just tender, allow 100-150g per person
What to do:
Add a couple of centimeters of water to a heavy based saucepan, set over a low heat and bring up to a gentle simmer.
Place the egg yolks into a large, preferably non-metallic, heatproof bowl and rest over the saucepan of water, ensuring that the base is well away from the water. A metal bowl will get very hot very quickly, increasing the chance of the sauce overheating. A thick heatproof glass bowl is ideal. Add half the lemon juice and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Whisk the egg for a couple of minutes over a very low heat until it starts to thicken a little. Begin to add the melted butter, literally a teaspoon at a time at first increasing to a thin trickle after the first few additions, whisking continuously. Keep adding the butter a little at a time until it is all incorporated.
To reduce the chance of the sauce splitting remove the bowl from the pan and rest on the work surface every now and then as you whisk to cool the sauce a little before returning to the heat. Once all the butter has been whisked in you should be left with a mayonnaise consistency sauce.
Taste to check the seasoning, adding a splash more lemon juice if it needs sharpening a little. Stir through freshly grated wasabi to taste, about 4 teaspoons, and serve immediately.
Tenderstem & spring onion tempura with wasabi, tamari & sesame dipping sauce
Serves: 4 as a starter
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
You will need:
For the dipping sauce:
4 tbsp tamari (Japanese soy sauce)
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2-3 tsp freshly grated wasabi to taste (10-15g)
3 tsp toasted sesame seeds
For the tempura:
80g cornflour
80g plain flour
½ tsp salt
200ml ice cold beer (or soda water)
200g Tenderstem
1 bunch spring onions trimmed
2 tbsp cornflour
What to do:
Make the dipping sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Preheat a deep fat fryer to 180°C, or half fill a stockpot with a litre or so of vegetable and heat until when you drop in a cube of bread it turns golden in 30 seconds.
When the oil is hot, mix the batter by sifting both flours into a large bowl. Add the salt. Pour in the beer and whisk lightly until just combined - don’t worry about a few lumps it’s important not to over-mix and also to use the batter immediately on mixing.
Dust the Tenderstem and spring onions all over in the extra cornflour, then dip into the batter to coat all over. Using tongs lower gently into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes until crisp, then drain on kitchen paper. Work quickly, cooking in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Eat as soon after cooking as possible, served with the dipping sauce.
Prawn, avocado & watercress salad with light wasabi dressing
Serves: 4 as a starter or light lunch
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
You will need:
For the dressing:
2 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp water
Freshly grated wasabi, to taste (about 2-3 teaspoons)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
150g watercress
2 ripe avocados, sliced
400g cooked cold water prawns
To serve:
Brown toast or crusty bread to serve (optional)
What to do:
Make up the dressing in a small bowl by mixing the mayonnaise with the vinegar and water until you have a smooth pourable dressing. Add the wasabi and season to taste.
Divide the watercress between 4 plates and arrange the sliced avocado on top. Scatter over the prawns and drizzle over the dressing.
Salmon & British asparagus en papillote with wasabi beurre blanc
Inspired by Raymond Blanc
Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
You will need:
For the salmon:
2 large dinner-plate sized circles of baking paper
2 salmon fillets (about 150g each)
8 asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed
2 sprigs lemon thyme
2 tsp white wine
A drizzle of olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
For the beurre blanc:
125ml white wine
1 shallot, very finely chopped
1 bay leaf
½ tsp whole black peppercorns
100g cold unsalted butter cut in 1 cm cubes
Freshly grated wasabi, to taste (a couple of teaspoons)
To serve:
Cooked new potatoes
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 180°C
Lay a salmon fillet in the centre of each of the circles of baking paper. Arrange 4 spears of asparagus on top of each piece of fish and tuck in a sprig of thyme. Sprinkle over a teaspoon of wine and a drizzle of olive oil. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To seal the parcel, working from one end, fold and crimp the two sides of paper together as if you are making a pasty. Repeat with the other parcel. Lay both on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.
Whilst the fish is cooking, make the beurre blanc. Add the wine, shallot, bay leaf and peppercorns to a small heavy based saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer slowly for 5-7 minutes until you are left with about 3 tablespoons of liquid. Don’t be tempted to simmer too fast or you won’t extract maximum flavour from the seasonings and watch it closely towards the end as it always evaporates quickly at this stage.
Turn the reduction off and grate the wasabi. Set aside whilst you finish the sauce.
Bring the reduction up the boil again before reducing the heat to low. Add the cold butter a cube at a time, whisking constantly until it melts and emulsifies into the wine. Keep on adding the butter until you have used it all. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a warmed bowl. Using a fork, stir through fresh wasabi to taste and season to taste with salt. The beurre blanc should be the consistency of single cream. If it is thicker, thin it down by whisking in a tablespoon or two of boiling water.
To serve, place the fish, still in its bag, on a plate and open it up. Drizzle a little of the beurre blanc on top of each and serve the rest on the side.
Smoked salmon on blinis with wasabi - inspired by Sudi Piggott
Makes: 36 canapés
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 minutes
You will need:
1 pack of 36 canapé-sized blinis
75ml crème fraiche
140g smoked salmon, cut into thin ribbons
About 2 tsp freshly grated wasabi
What to do:
Spread the blinis out on a baking tray and warm for 2-3 minutes, either in a hot oven or under a hot grill, turning occasionally.
Using two spoons to scrape one off the other add about a quarter of a teaspoon of crème fraiche to the top of each blini, then top with a ribbon of smoked salmon.
Add a little dab of freshly grated wasabi to each and serve whilst still warm.
Wasabi & pickled ginger pork balls with sesame stir fried vegetables and udon noodles
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
You will need:
For the pork balls:
450g pork mince
4 spring onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
50g pickled ginger, drained & chopped
2 tbsp tamari (Japanese soy sauce)
About 4 tsp freshly grated wasabi root
Salt
Vegetable oil for shallow frying
For the noodles:
2 tbsp sesame oil
200g tenderstem broccoli cut into 3cm pieces
200g chestnut mushrooms quartered
4 spring onions sliced into 1cm pieces
1 red or yellow pepper sliced into strips
2 cloves garlic finely sliced
600ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 tsp miso paste or to taste
2 tsp tamari or to taste
4 blocks fresh udon noodles (about 200g each block)
Extra freshly grated wasabi to serve
What to do:
Make the pork balls by mixing together the pork with the spring onions, garlic, pickled ginger and tamari. At this point you can leave the pork mixture to rest in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to cook, freshly grate the wasabi and mix thoroughly into the pork, along with a little salt.
Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and when it is hot, fry a pinch of the pork mix until cooked then taste it to check the seasoning. Add a little more wasabi or salt if necessary. The wasabi won’t taste fiery hot but should add a nice little kick and the mix should taste intensely savoury. When you are happy with the seasoning, roll the mixture into walnut sized balls, setting aside on a plate as you do so.
Fry until crispy on the outside and cooked through - about 10 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan and fry in 2 batches if necessary.
Whilst the meatballs are frying, heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan. Add all the vegetables and the garlic and stir fry over a high heat for a couple of minutes.
Pour in the stock, add the miso paste and tamari and bring up to the boil. Simmer until the vegetables are just tender but still a little crunchy, just 3-5 minutes or so depending on the size you cut them.
Add the noodles, stirring well until they are mixed through the vegetables. Cover with a lid and simmer for a couple more minutes until the noodles are hot. Taste to check the seasoning, adding a little more tamari or some salt.
Serve the noodles in deep warmed bowls with the meat balls on top with a little extra freshly grated wasabi on the side.
Wasabi salsa with homemade tortilla chips
Makes a dessert bowlful of salsa, enough for about 8 as a party snack
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-7 minutes
You will need
For the tortilla chips:
8 soft flour tortillas
2 tbsp olive oil
a little flaked sea salt
For the salsa:
200g cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 ripe avocado, finely chopped
½ red onion, finely chopped
a small bunch or fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp caster sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 tsp freshly grated wasabi
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cut each tortilla into half, then quarters, then each quarter into half again, leaving you with 8 triangular wedges. Spread out on a couple of baking trays and drizzle over the olive oil. Season with a sprinkle of sea salt and toast in the oven for about 5-7 minute or until crisp and lightly golden. This time may vary a little depending on the thickness of the tortillas. Set aside to cool.
Make the salsa by mixing together all the ingredients except the wasabi. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Set aside for the flavors to infuse at room temperature for 30 minutes (or up to 3 hours if you like).
When you are ready to eat, stir though freshly grated wasabi to taste - about 3-4 teaspoons.
Serve in a bowl with the tortilla chips for dunking.