Healthy and refreshing seaweed salad recipe. Served with cherry tomato over green leaf lettuce and drizzled with miso dressing, this vibrant salad is a delicious change to the usual salads at your dinner table.
Surrounded by the ocean, we eat all kinds of seaweeds in Japan. These sea vegetables are used extensively in Japanese cuisine for its health properties and deep unique flavors. The diversity of seaweeds is just as vast as the ocean. Some of the more familiar varieties include nori that is used for sushi and onigiri rice balls, kombu for dashi broth, and wakame for miso soup and salad.
Little did I know seaweed is considered a “strange food” until I came to the US, so I was surprised to receive many requests for a Seaweed Salad recipe from readers around the globe (You may want to read this post about health benefits of seaweed on my site).
It was wonderful to know that there are more people who enjoy eating seaweed than I had thought. When you asked me for a “Seaweed Salad“, it’s possible you were looking for this type of seaweed salad below, which is commonly served at Japanese sushi restaurants in the U.S.
The salad is a little bit spicy but overall quite sweet and crunchy. However, this particular seaweed salad does NOT actually exist in Japan. Since it’s been a while I live in the US, I had asked my friends in Japan to confirm.
Out of curiosity, I looked up what the salad is made of. Besides a mixture of seaweed, seaweed stem (Kuki wakame) and seaweed sprout (Mekabu), there were some ingredients that I had not expected. They include artificially dyed agar (a type of seaweed-based gelatin), MSG and high fructose corn syrup. I asked the workers at sushi restaurants how they make the salad from scratch, and to my surprise, they all said they actually purchase the seaweed salad pre-made.
Needless to say, I didn’t make the copycat version. But instead, I wanted to share the traditional style seaweed salad that we eat in Japan. It’s a lot healthier and even more delicious than the seaweed salad from restaurants.
For this recipe, I used dried seaweed salad mix purchased at my local Japanese grocery store. A well-stocked Asian grocery store should carry them as well. The seaweed mixture is very easy to use, you just need to soak them in cold water for a few minutes to soften and then drain well before tossing with dressing. There are many kinds of dressing that would go well with the salad such as this homemade Sesame Dressing. Today I made our favorite Miso Dressing which is packed with umami!
In case you can’t find the dried seaweed salad mix, you can use a more widely available wakame seaweed (the kind you see in miso soup) as a substitution. Soak wakame until tender and drain completely, toss it with thinly shredded cucumber and some cherry tomatoes, you will have a vibrant, refreshing seaweed salad to enjoy.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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- 15 gram dried seaweed salad mix (½ ounce, about 1 handful)
- 1 Tbsp miso (or ½ Tbsp white miso + ½ Tbsp red miso) (I used awase miso)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil (roasted)
- 1 tsp mirin
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds (and more for sprinkle)
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Gather all the ingredients.
- Soak the dry seaweed salad mix in cold water for 5-8 minutes. Drain the seaweed and squeeze out the excess water. Serve the seaweed in individual bowls or large serving bowl. Chill the salad before serving.
- For the dressing, use a mortar and pestle to grind the sesame seeds. This will add nice aroma and texture to the dressing.
- Combine Miso Dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Put the dressing in a small bowl or dressing bottle. Mix or shake the dressing before pouring to the salad.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
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I had no idea that there was nasty high fructose corn syrup in the restaurant seaweed salad. From now on I will make mine! Thank you for the recipe and info. By the way I order my seaweed by the pound from a source in Maine- online. They regularly test the seaweed for heavy metals and lead.
Hi Brenda! Yeah I didn’t know that too. Although I rarely eat those seaweed salad at a restaurant, it was still a surprise to me. I make this regular seaweed salad at home and it’s very easy to make and very healthy! Hope you enjoy it too! 🙂
Thank you Nami for your enlightment on “seaweed salad”.
I have found the American version somewhat distasteful compared to wakame/cucumber version I’ve had at “unAmerican” Japanese restaurants. The tastes just didn’t seem in harmony with the other flavours of the cuisine.
The other seaweed salad I find absolutely delicious is Hijiki.
Miso dressing is always a hit.
As something to consider from a cross-cultural standpoint – Tahini, a Middle Eastern condiment of ground sesame seeds, may be an interesting substitute to grinding sesame seeds with a surabachi (if you don’t have one). A few drops of sesame oil will compensate for the mildness coming from lack of depth that roasted ground sesame seeds have.
(PS. Use a little sesame oil in your hummus – yowsa!)
Hi Al! Thank you so much for your comment! I love hijiki too! I wonder how many of my readers would know hijiki… I have been a little bit reluctant to share hijiki recipes as I assume most people don’t know much about it (or at least Google tells me not many research on that subject!). Thank you for the tahini and sesame oil tips as well! 🙂
Thanks so much for posting this–I keep telling people that you can’t get the seaweed salad in the picture above in Japan and they’re so surprised… Love the wakame version!
Hi Ilonka! Thank you for your confirmation! Growing up in Japan, I had never had this American (?) version of Seaweed Salad at home or even in restaurants. But since I haven’t been “living” in Japan anymore I wasn’t sure at first (could be a new imported Japanese food like California rolls haha). Glad you also clarify that for me too! I like the real Japanese version better – maybe because that’s what I have been eating… 🙂 Thank you so much for your comment!
Hello Nami,
I’m glad to read your post on the store bought seaweed salad. I always buy it everytime I go to H-Mart. Your version looks so good which I will be sure to make it at home since I love seaweed salad a lot. Do you have a picture for the package of the dried seaweed salad mix?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Hanna! Yes I do – I put the link in the recipe but here it is: https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry/dried-seaweed-salad-mix/
Hope that’s helpful! 🙂
Made this tonight as a side dish for dinner and we loved it! MUCH better than the peculiar, neon green version often served at restaurants. Thanks for sharing, Nami.
Janice, I’m so happy to hear you tried this recipe! Thank you!! Yes, this one is a healthy version. 🙂
I really like the seaweed salad they sell at costco and if anyone has the salad dressing recipe, PLEASE share 🙂 ….much thanks!
Kiapua, I looked and looked around for the recipe, but I couldn’t find it. When check the ingredients on the package, I don’t know most of the ingredients and can’t even pronounce them. It has a lot of…. things that are probably not healthy (chemicals) even though it’s “seaweed salad” (supposed to be healthy)! 🙂 Let’s see if someone can make it with more natural ingredients. 🙂
Njam njam! I put in cucumber and carrot spaghetti thin sliced (I’ve got a wonderful peeler with that possibility), so it looks like green and orange soba noodles, to make the salad even more substantial. The dressing sounds delicious, will try it soon!
Hi Lara! I hope you enjoy the dressing! Your cucumber and carrot spaghetti noodles sounds healthy and delicious!
Hello Nami,
I’ve always loved your recipes and want to try out your salad dressing.
One question: how long can I keep the salad dressing in the fridge if it’s not consumed right away?
Thank you so much!!
Hi Tania! Thank you so much for trying my recipes! Hmmm probably best to use in 2-3 days. Hope you enjoy!
The other day I cooked your recipe of stuffed cabbage rolls, it was so good, the meat was soft and tasty. I really enjoyed the taste so much. Thank you for your wonderful recipe. Warm regards,
Hi Siriveena! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the stuffed cabbage roll! Yay! Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
This looks delicious. My family always enjoys the seaweed salad served in sushi restaurants here in California. But now that I know that it’s not even Japanese,, I’m excited to try your authentic recipe. Please post more seaweed recipes! I made your vegeterian ramen for lunch today and is was very, very good. Last week I made your chicken and egg donburi. It was also a big hit with my family. Thanks for so many fast, healthy, tasty recipes.
Hi Christine! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed my recipes! Thanks so much for trying these dishes and I’m glad you liked them. Hope you’ll like the seaweed salad too! 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback!
I’m currently at work eating the seaweed salad i’ve linked completely with nothing on it and although its not bad, I think this dressing would absolutely elevate it !
Will be trying it with my dinner tomorrow. Thank you for your continued sharing of Japanese recipes. Do you have any more recipes for a slow cooker that you could share with us ? I’d like to have some recipes I can prepare in the morning and come home to after work to warm me up !
https://www.japancentre.com/en/products/7095-kaneryo-kaiso-seaweed-salad
Hi Sophie! Definitely, the dressing will make the salad even better! 🙂
I’ll be working on more Instant Pot recipes this fall and winter. For my schedule, pressure cooker works the best (because I am last minute when it comes to preparing the dinner….), but I’ll try to add more slow cooker recipes too.
Hi Namiko,
I’ve found the dressing a bit salty to taste. Is there something I could add to balance it out?
I tried using a tbsp of mirin but it didn’t help much. My guess is my white miso or Kikkoman soy sauce is saltier than I expected.
Hi Kevin! Thanks for trying this recipe and I’m sorry it was a bit salty for you. I think you can reduce the amount of miso? Then next one is soy sauce. Those are the salty factor, and each brand of miso, as well as each type of miso, has different saltiness. When I switch miso type or miso brand and I get hang of the saltiness, I need to adjust my miso amount as it could be saltier or less salty. Hope you can find the right balance. 🙂
Nami, can I make this in advance for meal prep? Does the dressing keep in the fridge? Thank you!
Hi Ali! Yes you can do that. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Nami – thank you for your detailed recipes that I can trust! I just want to confirm that if I use regular dried wakame instead of a seaweed salad kit, that this can be prepared and eaten raw without scalding. I’m guessing the thing I have to beware of if I don’t use a kit is choosing the wakame more carefully so I don’t use pieces that are tough to chew?
Hi Fen! The salad kit seaweed or wakame are both easier to eat and there is no seaweed that is hard to chew (for typical adults). The only thing I’d worry is to feed small children in case they are too big. You can always cut it into smaller pieces. 🙂