March 2021: La Cocina China is no longer at Time Out Market Miami and has since closed.
Welcome to Food Envy, where we’ll highlight different dishes from Time Out Market Miami that we think you’re going to love—partly because we do. This week, we’re feeling healthy(ish) and tucking into the calamari salad at La Cocina China.
RECOMMENDED: Guide to Time Out Market Miami
Chinese food isn’t the first cuisine that comes to mind when you’re trying to keep it light. If we were to file it anywhere, it’d go somewhere under best takeout or surefire hangover cures. But the food at La Cocina China, Time Out Market’s Demo Kitchen pop-up, has us rethinking Chinese food as a cheat meal, particularly the calamari salad. It’s packed with Asian flavors without any of the guilt of, say, lo mein.
What’s in it? More like what’s on the mound of greens and mung bean sprouts, which are tossed in an egg-less, house-made dressing that’s lighter than anything you’d get from a bottle. Once dressed, they’re topped with fried wonton crisps and crispy calamari rings—both in generous quantities so that each forkful is chewy, crunchy and has more of a bite than your average bowl of lettuce.
It’s sold in a small size (perfect as an appetizer) and a large size that’s filling but won’t bankrupt your diet. At $18, it may be somewhat of a splurge but otherwise a sound—and by all accounts delicious—investment in your waistline.
*La Cocina China is open August 19–September 29.
