Recipe

How to Make Seaweed Salad at Home

By Emily Chandel at University of Pennsylvania

Seaweed is supposed to be one of the major food trends of 2017. For years, foodies have savored seaweed in sushi, miso soup, and seaweed salad. All the while, nutrition buffs have praised seaweed's nutrient-dense profile. I'm talking about vitamins A, B-12, and C, soluble fibre (i.e. the good kind), calcium, and iodine – a critical nutrient for thyroid and hormonal health that's missing in most foods.

But I'm on a college budget, and a 2 oz container of seaweed salad can cost up to $5 or more – even though the ingredients are very affordable! So why not make it at home? The recipe is straight-forward and way more budget-friendly.

Raw Seaweed Salad

  • Prep Time: 15 secs
  • Total Time: 15 secs
  • Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 oz dried seaweed wakame
  • 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • optional: sub out 1/2 the soy sauce for lime ponzu sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp ginger ground
  • 1/2 tsp garlic
  • 2 green onions
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds or dried seaweed for garnish

Emily Chandel

Step 1

Put the dried seaweed in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let soak ~10 minutes, until softened.

Step 2

Drain in a colander, pat dry, and if not pre-sliced, slice the seaweed into thin strips. Place in a serving bowl.

Emily Chandel

Step 3

While the seaweed soaks, rinse the cucumber and green onions. Chop the the green onions and put aside.

Step 4

Cut the cucumber in small, thin strips (like short noodles) and put aside.

Step 5

Next, make the dressing. Whisk together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl.

Emily Chandel

Step 6

Combine ingredients! In the serving bowl, mix the cucumber strips in with the seaweed. Stir in the dressing.

Emily Chandel

Step 7

For the final touch, add green onions on top of the salad. Additionally, sprinkle sesame seeds and/or dried seaweed for a crunchy garnish.

Emily Chandel

The best part about cooking (besides saving that $$$) is that you control the ingredients and nutrient profile of your food. No surprises, no added sugar, no added chemicals.