Seaweed Salad (Easy Japanese Wakame Salad Recipe)

This healthy Seaweed Salad is refreshing, delicious, and super easy to prepare. Made of dried wakame, sesame seeds, and a simple dressing, this Japanese salad recipe is made from scratch and loaded with great nutrients. Serve with cherry tomatoes and green leafy vegetables for a low-carb lunch or dinner!

Some people may worry about the texture of seaweed, but when prepared correctly, this salad is soft instead of slimy. My version has a little something extra to make it the ultimate seaweed salad recipe. Vinegar adds a nice tartness to the recipe, while sesame seeds and green onion add a great crunch. It makes any summer meal a breeze!

Seaweed is a super nutritious food, and making this salad is an easy way to get in a lot of great vitamins in minerals in just one dish. It’s a cold salad that’s so quick to make, you may like to add it to your regular rotation.

Ingredients for Seaweed Salad

• Dried Wakame Seaweed: Dried Seaweed rehydrates in a matter of minutes in water. You can find them at most Japanese grocery stores or buy them online. Dried Wakame comes more so in bunches than sheets and is the ideal seaweed to use.
• Soy Sauce: Soy Sauce is one of the main flavor components for the dressing of this salad. You can use the classic type or swap with low sodium or gluten-free version.
• Rice Vinegar: Rice Vinegar will add a bit of tanginess to this recipe, but also carries with it some great health benefits, like aiding with digestion.
• Mirin: It’s a popular Japanese condiment made of rice wine. You’ll likely find the Kikkoman brand at the store. It can surprisingly be substituted out with Sherry in cooking, but I wouldn’t recommend that for this recipe, where you won’t boil out the alcohol.
• Sugar: Sugar will offset some of the sourness of this recipe, for a well-balanced flavor profile. Plain white sugar will work best.
• Sesame Oil: It adds a deliciously nutty dimension to this salad.
• Toasted Sesame Seeds: You can buy sesame seeds already toasted, or, just add them to a hot skillet and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.
• Salt: Any table salt will work fine, but you can also add a coarser grind like Kosher salt or sea salt, if you would like.
• Green Onion: Green onions not only add a mild flavor to this salad, but they also add in a nice crunch, which complements the soft seaweed nicely.

How to Make Seaweed Salad from Scratch

Step 1: Rehydrate Dried Wakame

• Place the dried seaweed in a large mixing bowl.
• Add cold water and soak for 8-10 minutes.

Step 2: Make Seaweed Salad Dressing

• Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sugar, sesame oil, and salt, in a medium mixing bowl.
• Add sesame seeds and chopped green onions. Taste and add more salt or sugar if needed.

Step 3: Mix Everything Together

• Squeeze the rehydrated seaweed with your hands to remove excess water.
• Mix together the seaweed and dressing. Toss to coat. Sprinkle more sesame seeds and green onions. Serve and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Seaweed Salad

• Make sure to squeeze the water out of your seaweed, so you don’t end up with a watery dressing.
• If you have the time, toasting your own sesame seeds will make the flavor much stronger.

What Does Seaweed Wakame Salad Taste Like?

Seaweed generally has a strong taste of the ocean…it’s salty! But seaweed salad blends this saltiness nicely with sweetness and tanginess as well.

Seaweed Salad Nutrition and Health Benefits

Seaweed is so nutrient-dense, that a little really goes a long way. It’s a good source of fiber and protein. It has iron in it and vitamins A, B, C and E. Most notably, it’s a great source of iodine that can help regulate an underactive thyroid. There are also claims it can help with regulating diabetes, improving your gut health and losing weight.

Is Seaweed Salad Good for You?

Seaweed salad has so many health benefits. Seaweed is actually one of the best sources of iodine available. Plus, it has a ton of vitamins, minerals, fiber. The rest of the ingredients are really just used to enhance the flavor of the seaweed and are used in such small quantities that they don’t really affect the nutritional value of the salad.

How Many Calories Does Seaweed Salad Have?

This seaweed salad is healthy and low-carb. It has less than 50 calories per serving.

Where to Buy Seaweed Salad?

Some grocery stores will sell Seaweed Salad where they keep the prepared sushi, but the best Seaweed Salad you’ll get is from your local Japanese restaurant!

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If you tried this recipe, let me know how your Seaweed Salad turns out in the comments below!