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    Home » Sides

    Japanese Wakame Seaweed Salad

    Published: Apr 26, 2023 by Jim Mee Sha · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Japanese-inspired wakame seaweed salad is bold, savory, and umami-tasting! Ready in 15 minutes, this light and refreshing side dish is a crowd-pleaser.

    A plate of seaweed salad on a sushi mat with chopsticks and a cup of tea beside.

    If you ever dine in a Japanese restaurant, chances are you will be familiar with this salad! Wakame seaweed salad is a popular Japanese appetizer that is crunchy, refreshing, and versatile. I love serving mine with vegan yakisoba, a Japanese noodle dish. 

    The best part is it is effortless to make and only calls for a handful of ingredients! This is also a no-cook recipe, making it perfect for the warmer season. 

    Jump to:
    • 💚Why you will love this recipe
    • 🤔What is wakame salad
    • 🧂What you will need
    • 📃Ingredient notes and substitutions
    • 🔪How to make
    • ✔Helpful tips
    • ✨Variations and add-ins
    • 🍙How to serve
    • ❔Commonly asked questions
    • 🍽More vegan Asian side dishes
    • 📖 Recipe

    💚Why you will love this recipe

    • Light, refreshing, yet packed with flavors
    • Highly versatile and goes well with most Japanese main and side dishes 
    • A super quick 15-minute recipe that requires minimal prepping 
    • Healthy, low in calories, and allergen-friendly

    🤔What is wakame salad

    As its name suggests, wakame seaweed salad is made from wakame, an edible seaweed commonly used in Asian dishes, especially Korean and Japanese cuisines. It is widely sold in dry form and has to be rehydrated before use. 

    The rehydrated seaweed is flavored with various seasonings like soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. This dish has a slightly crunchy texture and is umami, savory, and tangy with a hint of sweetness.

    🧂What you will need

    Ingredients needed like wakame, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and sugar.

    📃Ingredient notes and substitutions

    • Wakame - The star ingredient in this recipe. It is found in dry form and has to be rehydrated before use. They can be found in most groceries (usually in the International aisle), in your local Asian market, or online. 
    • Soy sauce - can be substituted with tamari or shoyu. Use a certified gluten-free brand if needed. 
    • Rice vinegar - Can be substituted with mirin or sake. 
    • Sugar - Any granulated sweeteners like cane sugar, brown sugar, or table sugar will work. 

    🔪How to make

    Rehydrating wakame - In a bowl, place in wakame and cover it with water. Let it soak for 10 minutes. Drain and gently squeeze out excess water before using.

    Dry wakame in a bowl on a white striped teacloth.
    Wakame soaked in a bowl of water on a white striped teacloth.

    Making the dressing - Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar in a bowl. Stir to mix. 

    Mixing everything - Add dressing to the rehydrated seaweed, and toss to combine. Give it a taste, adding more seasonings if needed. Optionally, top your wakame seaweed salad with chopped green onion and sesame seeds before serving.

    Pouring dressing into a bowl of rehydrated wakame on a white teacloth with fork and spoon beside.
    Stirring wakame salad with fork and spoon in a white bowl on a teacloth.

    ✔Helpful tips

    • Wakame - If you can't find precut wakame, you can easily cut large ones into smaller strips after rehydrating.
    • Drain wakame well - Thoroughly drain wakame and gently squeeze it to remove excess water before using. This is to prevent watery salad with its taste diluted. 
    • Chilling it - If you have extra time, chill wakame salad for around 30 minutes before serving. The flavor will better develop, and this salad is traditionally eaten cold! 
    • Storing leftovers - Leftover salad can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. I do not recommend keeping it longer than that, as wakame will turn slimy and mushy.

    ✨Variations and add-ins

    Seaweed - Although I use only wakame here, you can jazz things up by mixing other seaweed! Or, you could use a bag of assorted seaweed.

    Spicy - If you love spice, toss some sambal oelek/ chili flakes or simply drizzle on hot sauce or sriracha before serving.

    More veggies - You can toss in other vegetables into your wakame salad! Thinly sliced cucumber, shredded cabbage, and carrot are some great additions. You might have to double the ingredients for the sauce.

    Dressing - Feel free to change up the sauce to whatever you fancy! You can use teriyaki sauce or spicy teriyaki sauce. A simple miso dressing works great too!

    2 bowls of seaweed salad with chopsticks and dish of sesame seeds and chopped green onion beside.

    🍙How to serve

    Here are some dishes that go well with wakame seaweed salad: 

    • Japanese mains like vegan miso ramen, teriyaki soba noodles, and seitan teriyaki chicken 
    • As a component for poke bowls and salad bowls 
    • Filling for vegan onigiri or sushi

    ❔Commonly asked questions

    What does wakame taste like?

    Wakame is salty, umami with a hint of sweetness, and has a slightly crunchy and chewy texture. Hence, it is commonly added to salads and soups to give flavor and texture.

    As it comes from the sea, expect some ‘sea’ taste.

    Is wakame the same as nori?

    Wakame and nori are 2 different types of seaweed. Nori comes in a flat sheet-like form and is used for wrapping sushi and onigiri. It can also be eaten raw.

    On the other hand, dried wakame usually comes in small stripes and has to be reconstituted before use. Unlike nori, wakame is used in soups and salads.

    Is wakame salad vegan?

    Yes, seaweed salad is usually vegan and only contains plant-based ingredients. It usually only consists of wakame and seasonings like soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar, sometimes with artificial colorings and flavorings.

    Can I freeze wakame salad?

    I would not recommend freezing this wakame salad. Rehydrated wakame is quite delicate and will fall apart upon freezing and thawing.

    Plate of wakame salad on a bamboo mat with tea and soy sauce in the background.

    🍽More vegan Asian side dishes

    • 2 bowls of cabbage soup with dish of sesame seeds, teacloth and a pot beside.
      Chinese Napa Cabbage Soup
    • Plate filled with japchae topped with chopped scallions and sesame seeds with chopsticks beside.
      Vegan Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles Stir-fry)
    • A plate of halved rice paper rolls served with peanut sauce.
      Vegan Rice Paper Rolls with Tofu
    • A plate of dumplings served with soy sauce with a pair of chopsticks and 2 cups of tea beside.
      Vegan Chinese Tofu Dumplings

    If you did make this recipe, do leave a rating and comment down below, we love hearing from you! Subscribe to My Plantiful Cooking to get new recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get the latest updates. 😉

    📖 Recipe

    Seaweed salad on a plate on a bamboo sushi mat with a cup of tea beside.

    Wakame Seaweed Salad

    Meesha
    This Japanese-inspired wakame seaweed salad is bold, savory, and umami-tasting! Ready in 15 minutes, this light and refreshing side dish is a crowd-pleaser.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine Chinese, Japanese
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 31 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 ¼ cup dried wakame
    • 1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce or tamari/shoyu (use gluten-free if needed)
    • ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
    • 2 teaspoons sugar (any granulated sugar will work)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Start by rehydrating your wakame in water for 10 minutes. Then, drain well and gently squeeze out excess water from wakame using your hands.
      1 ¼ cup dried wakame
    • Combine all seasonings needed and stir to mix.
      1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce, ½ tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 2 teaspoons sugar
    • Pour dressing over your rehydrated wakame and toss to coat. Give it a taste and add more seasonings, if needed.
    • Optionally, top it with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions. Your chuka wakame salad is ready to be enjoyed!

    Notes

    Helpful tips 
    • Thoroughly drain the rehydrated wakame and gently squeeze it to remove excess water before using. This is to prevent watery salad with its taste diluted.
    • If you have extra time, chill wakame salad for around 30 minutes before serving. The flavor will better develop, and this salad is traditionally eaten cold! 
    • Leftover salad can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. I do not recommend keeping it longer than that, as wakame will turn slimy and mushy.

      Nutrition

      Calories: 31kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 391mgPotassium: 15mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 6IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 4mgIron: 1mg

      Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Kathy

        May 17, 2022 at 8:00 pm

        I know you mention oil can be omitted but what are your thoughts on replacing the oil with tahini?

        Reply
        • Meesha

          May 21, 2022 at 9:59 am

          I would not recommend that as the texture and taste of tahini is quite different than sesame oil. 😊

          Reply

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