Sauteed Mizuna with Garlic and Fish Sauce Recipe

This Asian mustard green is versatile, enjoy it fresh or stir-fried.

By
Chichi Wang
Chichi Wang: Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Chichi Wang

Chichi Wang wrote a variety of columns for Serious Eats including The Butcher's Cuts, in addition to other stories. Born in Shanghai and raised in New Mexico, Chichi took her degree in philosophy but decided that writing about food would be more fun than writing about Plato.

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Updated May 15, 2019
A plate of sauteed mizuna.

Serious Eats / Chichi Wang

Why It Works

  • Mizuna easily absorbs any sauce or flavoring you dress or cook it with.
  • The entire leaf, including stem, is mild and sweet, so it can be eaten whole.
  • The slightly bitter leaf is complemented here by acidic lemon juice and savory fish sauce.

You may have seen mizuna, a member of the mustard family, at Asian and health food markets. Indigenous to Japan, the greens have both a long growing season and a high tolerance for cold weather, which makes them easy to grow.

Mizuna's taste is peppery like arugula and slightly bitter like frisée, yet it's milder and sweeter than either of these more commonly found salad greens. Mizuna is usually not eaten raw in Japan—instead, it's pickled, stir-fried, simmered, and added to hot pot dishes.

With its crisp stalks and beautiful frond-like leaves, mizuna is a wonderful addition to salads, especially where frisée is normally used, such as the classic frisée aux lardon. Mizuna is not only cheaper than frisée, but you can eat the whole thing—the stems are mild and sweet. With frisée, you have to trim the bitter green ends.

Mizuna used in place of frisée in frisée aux lardons.

Serious Eats / Chichi Wang

When mizuna is sautéed, it retains its juiciness and sops up much of the flavoring liquid you may use, such as stock or soy sauce. Try it with a bit of ponzu or lemon, both of which complement the slight bitterness of the leaves.

May 2010

Recipe Details

Sauteed Mizuna with Garlic and Fish Sauce Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 5 mins
Total 10 mins
Serves 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch mizuna, about 10 ounces

  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed

  • 2 tablespoons oil

  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce

  • 1/4 lemon, fresh

  • Salt to taste, about 1/4 teaspoon

  • Freshly ground pepper

Directions

  1. Wash and drain mizuna. The greens do not have to be completely dry. Roughly chop into 1-inch segments and set aside.

  2. Place a wide and shallow pan or a wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil.

  3. Add crushed garlic and stir around for 5 or so seconds.

  4. Add greens to wok or pan and sauté for 1 minute, stir around constantly. Mizuna should be softened but still crisp. Add fish sauce and salt and stir around to distribute evenly. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon and freshly ground pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
93 Calories
8g Fat
6g Carbs
2g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 93
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 261mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 21mg 104%
Calcium 106mg 8%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 115mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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