Fresh wasabi rhizomes (colloquially known as fresh wasabi roots) are a rare and precious culinary commodity prized by high level sushi and fine dining chefs. Fresh grating is key with fresh wasabi rhizomes.  Below are instructions for how to get the best flavor out of fresh wasabi. 

How to Use Fresh Wasabi:

1. Rinse the wasabi rhizome.

2. Trim the tip off of one end. Put this end down, then use a knife to strip the outer peel off the end of the wasabi (try not to expose any more than you plan on using).

3. Using the finest grater you can get your hands on, grate the wasabi root into a fine paste. In the picture below, we used a microplane, but a metal Japanese wasabi grater would be even better, with the best option being the traditional Japanese sharkskin grater (called “oroshi”).  In a pinch, you could also use the finest hole size on a box grater.

4. Form the wasabi paste into a small pile to minimize its exposed surface area.

5. Use the fresh wasabi paste in the next 5-10 minutes for optimal flavor.

Reviving wasabi:  About 15-20 minutes after being grated, wasabi starts to lose some of its nuanced flavor, becoming simply hot. Its subtle flavor notes can be somewhat revived, however. Vigorously mix in 1-2 pinches of granulated sugar (we recommend superfine sugar) per teaspoon of wasabi paste. The paste will briefly regain some of its complexity.

How to Store Wasabi Rhizomes: Store whole wasabi rhizomes in the fridge, wrapped in a damp (not wet) towel. Check the towel daily to make sure it hasn’t dried out and re-dampen or refresh with a fresh towel.  Though they are often most potent in the few days after arrival, wasabi rhizomes can remain fresh for as long as three weeks if carefully stored.

Recipes Using Fresh Wasabi Rhizomes

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Wasabi Gremolata

While gremolata is traditionally used to balance the richness of braised meats like osso bucco (traditional germolata recipe), this version has lighter, more complex flavors that are better suited to rare steaks, kurobuta pork, or seafood (particularly halibut or tuna).  Here it’s depicted on a grass fed steak.

Ingredients: (per 3oz of protein)
1 tsp Fresh Wasabi Rhizome
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp fresh flat leaf parsley
½ tsp fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tsp peanut oil

1.  Finely grate the wasabi and let it rest for ten minutes, covered (how to use fresh wasabi).

2.  Finely chop the lemon zest and parsley.

3.  Toss all ingredients.  Serve immediately.

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How to Make a Basic Vinaigrette:

The classic ratio of a vinaigrette is 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil. For more tang, use a little more vinegar. Mustard helps to emulsify (marry the oil & vinegar) the vinaigrette.

Here’s the basic recipe:
1 cup oil
1/3 cup vinegar
1 large minced shallot
1 teaspoon mustard
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Add vinegar, shallots, salt, pepper and mustard (if using) to a mixing bowl.
2. Whisk, slowly adding oil to taste.

Wasabi Vinaigrette Recipe:

Ingredients:
½ large shallot
½ tsp dark sesame oil
¾ tsp soy sauce
3+ tsp fresh wasabi rhizome
½ cup rice wine vinegar
½-2/3rd cup vegetable oil 

How to Make Wasabi Vinaigrette: 

1. Finely dice the half shallot.  Grate the fresh wasabi root & let it rest 10 minutes, covered (How to Use Fresh Wasabi).

2. Combine the shallot with the sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar in a bowl.

3. Whisking constantly, drizzle in the oil until the mixture forms a uniform emulsion.

4. Add your rested grated wasabi to taste (you’ll likely need at least 3 tsp).

Variations: You can substitute more sesame oil for some of the vegetable oil (carefully! It’s strong stuff) to make your vinaigrette richer, or increase the soy sauce. Either of these changes will diminish the effect of the wasabi unless you add more to compensate.

Other Vinaigrette Flavors to Try:

a. Champagne vinegar (because it has a subtle flavor and allows the other ingredients to shine through), extra virgin olive oil and Dijon mustard.
b. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of fresh basil and Dijon
c. One of Justin’s favorites, is to use camelina oil, left-over pickle brine (waste not, want not!) and a bit of truffle honey.
d. replace some of the vinegar with homemade chile infused vinegar to add some heat to your vinaigrette.
e. Use storebought or homemade preserved lemons in this preserved lemon vinaigrette recipe.
f. White Truffle Oil or Black Truffle Oil can also be substituted for olive oil and have an intense earthy, truffle-y flavor.

Warm vinaigrettes are nice as well. Simply deglaze a pan with the vinaigrette for more complex flavor.  For an example warm vinaigrette recipe, see our Tomato Anchovy Vinaigrette Recipe.

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(serves 4)

Searing fish (called tataki style in Japanese) is a technique that allows you to add a flavorful cooked crust to your sashimi for contrasting flavors and textures. We’ve paired the sushi-grade ahi used in this dish with a fresh wasabi vinaigrette and wasabi smashed potatoes.  You can omit the potatoes and serve smaller portions of the ahi as an appetizer.

It is important to use sushi-grade fish, as the middle of each steak will be quite raw. 

Seared Ahi Ingredients:
4 5oz Sushi Grade Ahi Tuna Steaks
Sea Salt to taste
1 bunch of scallions or Japanese green onions (negi)
Peanut or grapeseed oil

1. Heat an oiled (grapeseed or peanut oil) cast iron skillet until quite hot. Finely slice the scallions. Dry the ahi tuna steaks and lightly season them with sea salt.

2. Add the ahi tuna steaks to the skillet, searing them on each side just until a golden brown crust is formed.

3. Remove the steaks from the heat, and slice them into ¼ inch thick slices, following the grain of the fish.

4. Plate the ahi steak slices topped with the sliced scallions.  Drizzle on the wasabi vinaigrette or sauce of your choice.  Serve.

Flavor Variations: You could also crust the tuna with spices or chile powder prior to searing it.  We recommend using just enough to accent rather than overpower the flavor of the fish.

Additional Presentation Idea: Use a vegetable peeler to cut long, thin strips from a cucumber, and use them to add extra color and refreshing crispness to your dish.

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What is Compound Butter?

Compound butter is essentially a flavored butter made by mixing herbs, spices, and other flavoring ingredients into softened butter.  Just about anything can be used to flavor compound butter. It can be made sweet (for example, toasted pecans, maple syrup) for desserts, waffles, and pancakes, or savory for fish (dill butter on coho salmon fillets) or meats (sage butter for kangaroo meat).

Compound butter is a great trick for the home chef to have up their sleeve.  It’s easy, can be done well in advance, adds a lot of flavor and can really impress your guests.

How to Make Compound Butter:

It is really important to have good quality, unsalted butter for making compound butter. You need to be able to control the salt level to compliment the other flavors you mash in.  For the depicted batch we’re simply using sage, salt, and pepper for flavoring.

Step 1: Soften the Unsalted Butter
Soften unsalted butter by leaving it out on the counter for about 30 minutes.

Step 2: Prepare Flavoring Ingredients
Fine chop or grind ingredients so they will disperse through the butter evenly.

Step 3: Mash the Ingredients into the Butter
In a bowl mash the butter with small pieces of your flavoring ingredients using a fork or spatula.  In this case we’re using finely sliced fresh sage and salt & pepper.

Step 3: Package & Harden
Now that the butter is finished, it needs to harden again in the fridge either in a covered bowl (great for making quenelles). Or rolled into a tube of parchment or wax paper.  Wrap in an additional layer of aluminum foil if freezing.

Chile-Lime Compound Butter Recipe:

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp lime zest
3 tsp homemade chili powder (we used 2 tsp of powder from dried New Mexico chilies plus 1 tsp powder from dried Tepin chilies)
3 tsp salt

Simply use these ingredients while following the general compound butter method above for a tangy & spicy bright orange butter, perfect for vegetables, fish, and other savory applications.

Wasabi Compound Butter Recipe:

½ stick of unsalted butter
2 tsp soy sauce
1 ½ tbsp fresh wasabi rhizomes
1 pinch Portuguese sea salt

Grate the fresh wasabi (how to grate fresh wasabi), and let it rest for ten minutes.  Combine with other ingredients while following the general compound butter method above.  The resulting butter can be used on meats, but will work particularly well with seafood.  If desired you could also add finely grated fresh ginger.

Other Compound Butter Suggestions:

Just about any ingredient can be used to flavor compound butter.  Here are a few suggestions:

Savory ideas: Cayenne pepper, fresh herbs (sage, mint, basil, thyme), cooked wild mushrooms, dill pollen, other ground dried chilies, ground dried porcini mushrooms, saffron or truffles, citrus juice or zest.

Lobster Roe Compound Butter Recipe

Sweet ideas: Ground lavender buds, seeds from Tahitian vanilla beans, finely diced toasted nuts (walnuts or pecans especially), specialty sweeteners, mint, honey, citrus juice or zest.

Similar posts: How to make Clarified Butter

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Raw Oysters with a Wasabi Mignonette Sauce

Wine Pairing: Daiginjo Sake or Muscadet

This delicious mignonette brings the bite of fresh wasabi root (far more complex and less powerful than the horseradish in fake wasabi pastes) to your next platter of oysters on the half shell.

Ingredients:
1 tsp fresh wasabi rhizome
1 sprig fresh chervil or other fresh herb
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
1 tbsp finely minced shallot

1. Finely dice the shallot, mince the chervil, and grate the fresh wasabi root as finely as possible (how to use fresh wasabi).

2. Let the fresh grated wasabi root rest, covered, for ten minutes (you can use this time to shuck the oysters).

3. Mix the fresh wasabi root, chervil, vinegar and shallot.

4. Serve atop shucked fresh oysters (Virginica oysters depicted).

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(Serves 4)

These wasabi smashed potatoes are a more rustic version of mashed potatoes with a mild wasabi flavor, but you could easily add more wasabi root to turn up the volume.

Ingredients:
1 ¼ lbs heirloom potatoes
1+ Tbsp heavy cream
2-3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2-3 Tbsp fresh wasabi rhizome
Sea Salt to taste
Chives for garnish

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Take the heavy cream and butter out of the fridge to allow them to come to room temperature.

2. Grate all the wasabi root you will be using, form it into a pile, and let rest, covered, for ten minutes before using (how to grate fresh wasabi).

3. Wash the potatoes, and cut them into similarly sized chunks. Do not peel them! Obviously, the smaller the pieces are, the faster they will cook, but what is important is that they are all of roughly the same size.

4. Add the potatoes to the water and boil until tender.

5. When the potatoes are tender, drain them, then return them to the pot. Using a wooden spoon, stir the potatoes vigorously until they begin to break apart and form a lumpy paste. Stir in the cream, butter, salt, and fresh wasabi to taste. Continue to stir until your desired consistency has been reached.

6. Serve garnished with the chives.

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Everyone likes their Bloody Marys a little different. This version combines the potent heat of ghost chili peppers with the nasal-clearing effect of fresh wasabi, the result is almost certain to shake you awake in the morning.

Wasabi Bloody Mary Ingredients: (makes 1 tall glass)
4 oz Ghost Chile Vodka
6 oz tomato juice
6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes ghost chili hot sauce
1+ tbsp fresh wasabi rhizome
Freshly ground Tellicherry pepper to taste
Celery spear or pickled white asparagus for garnish.

Directions:
1. Grate the fresh wasabi (how to grate wasabi). Cover the wasabi paste and let it sit for 10 minutes.

2. Combine the vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp of wasabi paste and hot sauce in a blender. Blend.

3. Add Tellicherry pepper and additional wasabi to taste.

4. Pour in a glass with ice, garnish with the celery or asparagus. Serve.

Other Bloody Mary Recipes:
Fresh Horseradish Bloody Mary Recipe
Wasabi Bloody Mary Recipe

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