Name: Easy Seaweed Salad (Wakame)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 35 g dried cut wakame; 600 ml water (room temperature ); 1 shallot (minced); 1 knob ginger (microplaned); 2 stalks green onions (minced); 2 Tbsp soy sauce; 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil; 1 Tbsp yuzu extract/juice (or lemon juice)

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This Easy Seaweed Salad (Wakame) is a flavourful and delicious Japanese-style salad made with dried seaweed that has been reconstituted. It only takes a few minutes to make, and pairs well with Poke Bowls or enjoyed on its own.

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I once had a poke bowl that had a brightly green coloured wakame seaweed salad that accompanied it.

It was tangy, slightly sweet and salty, with a crunch and chew that kept me coming back for more.

But I realized that in the ingredients that it contained artificial colours (blue and yellow) and preservatives.

Why you'll love this recipe

This Seaweed Salad is such an easy recipe -- it comes together in 15 minutes.

It's a flavourful salad that you can eat on its own, or paired in a Poke Bowl.

There's no cooking involved in making this salad.

The Seaweed Salad contains whole ingredients -- no artificial colours or flavours here!

It only contains 7 ingredients, with a majority being aromatics and flavourings.

What is wakame?

Wakame is a green edible seaweed (kelp) that is used in Japanese cuisine.

It has a silky, satiny texture with a naturally sweet and umami taste.

Dried wakame needs to be reconstituted before using.

How to use it?

Use wakame in savoury miso soup, or in salads such as seaweed salad, or as a side dish.

Where to find wakame?

You can find dried wakame in Asian/Japanese grocery stores.

Ingredients you'll need

cut dried wakame (seaweed): you can find dried cut wakame in Asian/Japanese supermarkets; the seaweed pieces are quite small. Wakame is different than kombu, which are large pieces of seaweed used predominantly to flavour soups (dashi)
shallot: minced; if you can't find shallot, you can use purple onion which will give a mild, sweet flavour
ginger: micro planed; or minced very finely if you don't have a microplaner
green onions
soy sauce: adds salty flavour; I use a light soy sauce
sesame oil: adds a little nuttiness and aroma
yuzu extract: is similar to orange and grapefruit and adds an uplifting taste to the seaweed; if you don't have yuzu, you can substitute with lemon juice

Note: You can also add sesame seeds (optional) to the salad.

How to make it

Place the dried wakame (seaweed) in a large bowl.

Add 600ml room temperature water to the dried seaweed to cover.

Let the seaweed reconstitute and absorb the water (about 10 minutes).

Once the water has been absorbed, drain off any excess water.

To the seaweed, add the minced shallot, ginger, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, and yuzu extract.

Give everything a stir, until evenly combined.

You can enjoy the salad right away, or store the salad in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours for even more flavour.

How to enjoy

Enjoy the Seaweed Salad on its own, pair it with sushi or Ahi Tuna Poke Bowls.

How to store

Store the Seaweed Salad for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

I don't recommend keeping the salad for longer than 2 days or it may become slimy.

Other recipes you may like

Be sure to check out these recipes:

Aburi-Style Smoked Salmon Oshi Sushi

Spicy Tuna Onigiri

Katsu Sando (Pork Cutlet Sandwich)

Cold Ramen Noodles (Hiyashi Chuka)

Easy Chicken Katsu Curry

Let me know if you try out my recipe for Easy Seaweed Salad -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!

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5 from 11 votes