Seaweed salad – wakame salada

Sometimes I get so obsessed with a recipe that I have to make it almost every day to fill my inner craving.

I discovered this seaweed salad recipe in the Izakaya cookbook (I’ve since adapted) about a year ago and still haven’t gotten tired of eating it. The combination of rice vinegar, soy, mirin and dashi has a strange addictive effect on my palate.

Pour this mix over creamy, silken tofu and the mineral taste of seaweed and I’m grinning from ear to ear. It’s one of those dishes that makes me salivate as soon as I think about its taste and super clean feel.

I’ve always adored sunomono which are essentially dishes with a vinegar base. As a little girl taco no sunomono – octopus salad with vegetables soaked in a sweet vinegar dressing was a favorite of mine. I ordered it every time I saw it on the menu and wished for my mother to make it at home.

So it’s no surprise that this seaweed salad is at the top of my ‘dishes I’ve eaten the most in 2013’ list as I have a weakness for acidic foods.

I also love the fact that it is rich in nutrients beneficial to my hair, skin and nails. I practice eating for beauty as often as I can!

If you’ve never used dried seaweed, don’t be intimidated by it!

To avoid slimy, stinky seaweed all you need to know is to soak it in water for a quick five minutes. Anything longer will change the texture and render the pieces too large and soft.

Drain and squeeze out excess water (using your hands) and you should have seaweed that still yields a little crunch and feels almost jiggly. Leave the pieces in the strainer for a few minutes, or in the fridge to cool and dry, and you should be good to go!

This seaweed salad is a small dish and therefore better served as a snack or a side.

The taste is very Japanese; a little fishy, tangy and slightly sweet.

It makes a great side to other Japanese favorites such as omurice, clam chowder, cucumber vegetable maki rolls (use the leftover cucumber for it!) and aspara bacon yakitori.

Did you like this Japanese Seaweed Salad Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

Japanese Seaweed Salad

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Makes this Japanese seaweed salad in 10 minutes!

• Author: Caroline Phelps
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 2 sides 1x
• Category: Salads
• Method: Chopping
• Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/4 cup dried seaweed (wakame)
• 7 ounce silken tofu
• 1/3 English cucumber (Sliced in half lengthwise and into quarters)
• 4 cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
• 1 thumb size ginger (peeled and grated)
• wasabi paste (optional)

For the dressing:

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon mirin
• 2 tablespoons dashi stock

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Instructions

1. Drain and wrap tofu in paper towel (to remove excess water).
2. Put dried seaweed in cold water (enough to be submerged) and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water and divide equally among two bowls.
3. Unwrap tofu and gently slice into bite size cubes. Divide and add to the seaweed.
4. Top with cucumber, tomatoes, grated ginger and a little wasabi paste.
5. Pour dressing and serve immediately.

For the dressing:

1. Pour all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Notes

This Japanese seaweed salad can be served as an appetizer or a side.

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 139
• Sugar: 4 g
• Sodium: 1201.4 mg
• Fat: 4
• Saturated Fat: 1
• Carbohydrates: 10.1 g
• Fiber: 1.4 g
• Protein: 15.3 g
• Cholesterol: 0.5 mg

Keywords: Appetizer, side

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