Brown Rice Salad with Tahini Dressing, Fried Kelp, and Pomegranate Jalapeño Syrup by Brooks Headley

• A fresh-tasting, nutty rice salad with Israeli flavors and fried bacony-tasting kelp as the condiment.

  Brown Rice

  • 2 cups brown rice

  • Salt

  • 3 1⁄2 cups water

  Toast the brown rice over medium heat until nutty. Add the water and salt, bring to a boil, and then drop the heat to a simmer. Cook until all the water is gone. Remove from heat and cover, allow to steam o heat for 30 minutes.

  Tahini Dressing

  • 1 cup tahini

  • Juice of 4 lemons

  • Water as needed

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

  • Salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  Combine all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, thinning and emulsifying with water as necessary to obtain a smooth, silky purée.

  Fried Kelp

  • 3 cups grapeseed oil

  • 1 cup kelp noodles

  • Kosher salt

  Heat oil to 375 degrees in a tall, heavy pot. Pat kelp dry between paper towels. Fry one piece at a time. Be careful—there will be oil spatters. Drain on a rack, and season each round with salt. Reserve.

  Pomegranate Jalapeño Syrup

  • 1 cup pomegranate molasses

  • 3 tablespoons roasted chopped jalapeño

  Combine, and allow to sit. The jalapeño will release water and thin out the molasses. 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh scallions, to garnish.

  Mix the tahini dressing with the brown rice, and toss to combine. The mixture should be dressed but not soupy. Top with the fried kelp. Drizzle the mixture with the jalapeño syrup, and top with the chopped scallions. Serve immediately.
  
  Excerpted from EAT LIKE A FISH by Bren Smith. Copyright © 2019 by Bren Smith. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.