'Spot Stickers' With Dipping Sauce And Green Onion Salad

* Note: Spot prawns, which are so-called because they have four distinctive white spots on their abdomens. Despite its Santa Barbara nickname, the prawn is found from the Bering Sea to San Diego. Spot prawns are incredibly perishable and should be purchased "alive and kicking." Within hours of dying, they become mushy, tasteless and virtually worthless unless they've been handled just right. The spot prawn looks more like a lobster than a garden-variety shrimp and is often as long as 10 inches.

For the Pot Stickers: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Plunge the prawns head-first into the pot, cover and cook 30 seconds. Drain the prawns in a colander; rinse with cold water until cool. Twist off the heads, peel and devein.

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the bell pepper and cook until slightly softened, 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Increase the heat to medium-high, add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the skillet and cook the garlic, ginger and green onions until fragrant and tender, stirring, 1 minute. Do not brown. Add the prawns and cook 30 seconds on each side. Add the prawns to the bowl with the bell pepper and toss. When cool enough to handle, cut the prawns into quarters.

If using a dumpling press, lay a dumpling wrapper on the press and place a piece of prawn and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper mixture in the center. Lightly moisten the edges of the wrapper with water and close the press to make a pot sticker. Remove and set on a large tray. Repeat, filling the remaining wrappers with the shrimp and pepper mixture. Cover the pot stickers with a damp paper towel as you work so they don't dry out. (If you don't have a dumpling press, lay each wrapper on a work surface, place a piece of prawn and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper mixture in the center. Lightly moisten the edges of the wrapper with water and fold over, pressing to seal. Pinch the edges with your fingers to pleat.)

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add 12 pot stickers and brown each side 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover and steam until all the liquid is evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining pot stickers, each time adding 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet to brown, and 1/2 cup of water to steam.

For the Dipping Sauce: Combine the ginger, garlic, onions, soy sauce, mirin and vinegar in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the sesame and vegetable oils.

For the Salad: Combine the red and savoy cabbage, green onions and cilantro in a bowl with 1/4 cup of the dipping sauce. Let stand 15 minutes.

Serve the "Spot Stickers" on a spoonful of salad. Serve the sauce on the side; garnish as desired.