Japanese Seaweed Salad (Wakame)
Appetizers, Sides
Ingredients
50 grams (1.7 ounces) dried wakame seaweed
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon grated ginger
½ teaspoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 baby cucumber (skin on), very thinly sliced
½ teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds
½ teaspoon black sesame seeds
Directions
Place the seaweed in a medium-sized bowl and cover with water. Let sit for 10 minutes until rehydrated.
While seaweed is soaking, prepare the dressing: In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sugar, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
When the seaweed is rehydrated, strain the seaweed in a colander and rinse thoroughly. Make sure to remove as much moisture as possible, squeezing the seaweed if necessary.
Add the seaweed, sliced cucumber, and sesame seeds to the bowl of dressing and toss well to coat.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
When ready to serve, garnish with extra sesame seeds.
Notes
Most seaweed salads include more than one kind of seaweed so choose the one that seems best for your meal.
Make sure to drain the seaweed very well after rehydrating.
If you like more heat, try adding extra chili flakes, or a chili paste like sambal oelek, to the dressing.
If you can’t find precut seaweed, you can easily cut the seaweed into strips yourself after rehydrating it.
When fully rehydrated, the seaweed should be soft, delicate, and slightly lighter in color.
Can leave out mirin (add another 1/2 teaspoon of sugar if not sweet enough) and cucumbers.
Nutrition
Serving Size: Calories: 62 Sugar: 3.3 g Sodium: 515.4 mg Fat: 3.7 g Carbohydrates: 5.8 g
Protein: 1.6 g Cholesterol: 0 mg