Soba Salad With Seaweed, Cucumbers, and Asparagus Recipe

Place wakame in a medium bowl and cover with plenty of warm water. Let stand until softened and rehydrated (about 10 minutes), then transfer to a fine mesh strainer to drain. In a large pot of salted boiling water, blanch asparagus until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to an ice-water bath to chill. Slice chilled asparagus into 1 1/2-inch lengths on a slight bias. In a new pot of salted boiling water, cook soba noodles until tender, according to package instructions. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold running water until chilled. In a small mixing bowl, stir together soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice, canola oil, and ginger. Drain wakame and squeeze out excess water with your hands. In a large bowl, combine soba noodles, asparagus, wakame, cucumber, sesame seeds, scallions, and soy dressing and toss well. Season with salt and serve, sprinkling more sesame seeds on individual plates, if desired.