Umami, refreshing, and packed with flavors, this wakame seaweed salad makes a great summer side dish! A simple 15-minute recipe that is healthy and nutritious.
if you love refreshing Asain sides, I recommend checking out my tofu rice paper rolls next!
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 and refreshing. Additionally, it pairs with various mains, from tofu yakisoba to sushi like my avocado maki.
It is also incredibly easy to make, and only calls for a handful of ingredients and is ready in 15-minutes.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- A light and refreshing salad that is perfect for the warmer months
- Simple to prepare and ready in 15 minutes
- Low in calories, nutritious, and packed with fiber
- Goes well with a variety of dishes!
🧂What you will need
📃Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Wakame - An edible green seaweed usually sold in the dry form and must be reconstituted before use. You can find it in Asian markets or groceries (usually in the international food aisle). I recommend getting precut wakame, like this Shirakiku's cut wakame, instead of whole pieces.
- 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 - I am using brown sugar, but any other granulated sweetener will work.
🔪How to make
In a bowl, add wakame and sufficient water to cover it. Let it sit for 10 minutes or until the wakame is soft and pliable. Drain well and gently squeeze out excess water.
While the wakame is soaking, make the dressing by combining all seasonings needed.
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Pour in dressing to the rehydrated seaweed, and toss to combine.
Optionally, top your wakame salad with chopped green onions and sesame seeds before serving.
✔Helpful tips
- Using whole wakame - Although pre-cut ones are more convenient, whole wakame can also be used. Simply cut the seaweed into smaller pieces with kitchen shears before adding the dressing.
- Drain the wakame well - Drain the seaweed, then gently squeeze out excess water with your hands. This ensures that the dressing can be readily absorbed and prevents the excess water from diluting the seasonings.
- Chill salad before serving - If you have extra time, chill the wakame salad for about 30 minutes before serving. This will help the flavor develop. Additionally, seaweed salad is traditionally eaten cold!
- Customize this recipe - Jazz things up and add other veggies, such as cucumber slices, tomato, or salad greens. Mix in other aromatics or seasonings like ginger, yuzu juice, or mirin. You can also use a blend of seaweed instead of only wakame.
- Spice it up - Add a generous pinch of chili flakes. You can also mix some sriracha into the dressing.
- 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.
🍙How to serve
This wakame salad can be served as an appetizer or side dish. Below are some mains that goes well with this salad:
Noodles - Stir-fry noodles like my tofu noodle stir-fry and peanut sauce rice noodles are some great options. If you prefer soup noodles, try out my miso ramen instead. You can use it as a component for poke or sushi bowls.
Meaty mains - Such as teriyaki tofu, teriyaki salmon, or chicken katsu. Check out my teriyaki baked tofu for a plant-based alternative!
Use it as a filling - This wakame salad makes a great filling for onigiri (Japanese rice balls).
❔Commonly asked questions
Wakame is an edible seaweed that is umami, savory and briny with a subtle ocean taste. Its texture can be described as silky and slippery, with a slight chew to them.
Wakame and nori are 2 different types of seaweed. Nori is usually sold in a flat sheet-like form that is dried and roasted. It has a crisp texture when dry, but will turn chewy upon coming in contact with moisture. Nori usually has a strong umami and savory flavor.
On the other hand, wakame is usually sold in the dried form, either in long strips or in small, precut pieces. Wakame has a milder flavor when compared to nori, and its texture can be described as satiny and slightly chewy.
Nori can be consumed on its own or used to make sushi or onigiri. On the other hand, wakame is commonly used to make salads or added to miso soups.
Both the commercial, bright green wakame salad and the traditional version are usually vegan and only contains plant-based ingredients. However, it is recommended to turn and read the ingredient label to ensure that no animal products were added.
I would not recommend freezing this wakame salad. Rehydrated wakame is quite delicate and will fall apart upon freezing and thawing.
📖 Recipe
Wakame Seaweed Salad
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)
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. Serve immediately, or chill until ready to serve.
Notes
- Drain the wakame well - Drain the seaweed, then gently squeeze out excess water with your hands. This ensures that the dressing can be readily absorbed and prevents the excess water from diluting the seasonings.
- Chill salad before serving - If you have extra time, chill the wakame salad for about 30 minutes before serving. This will help the flavor develop. Additionally, seaweed salad is traditionally eaten cold!
- Customize this recipe - Jazz things up and add other veggies, such as cucumber slices, tomato, or salad greens. Mix in other aromatics or seasonings like ginger, yuzu juice, or mirin. You can also use a blend of seaweed instead of only wakame.
- 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.
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Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
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.
Kathy says
I know you mention oil can be omitted but what are your thoughts on replacing the oil with tahini?
Meesha says
I would not recommend that as the texture and taste of tahini is quite different than sesame oil. 😊