Japan · Salads · Vegetarian
Chuka Seaweed Salad
A classic Japanese seaweed salad made from chuka (wakame-style sea greens) dressed in a light sesame-soy vinaigrette with chili and ginger. Silky, refreshing, and packed with minerals — the perfect appetizer alongside sushi or miso soup.
10 min 45 kcal 2 serves Medium🌿Vegetarian🇯🇵Japan★★★★★4.7· 6 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 100 gchuka seaweed
- 1 tspsesame oil
- 1 tbsprice vinegar
- 1 tbspsoy sauce
- 1 tspsugar
- ½ tspchili paste
- 1 tsplemon or lime juice
- 1 tspwhite or black sesame seeds
- ¼ tspfresh ginger
- pinch of garlic powder
Method
- If using dried chuka seaweed, soak it in a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes until it rehydrates and turns silky. If frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or run it under cool water. Once soft, drain thoroughly in a colander — excess water dilutes the dressing and makes the salad watery.
- Grate the fresh ginger on a microplane or the finest side of a box grater — you need just a quarter teaspoon, but it makes a real difference. The ginger should be almost a paste, not chunky pieces.
- In a small bowl, whisk together sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar (or agave syrup), chili paste, lemon or lime juice, grated ginger, and garlic powder if using. Stir until the sugar fully dissolves. Taste the dressing on its own — it should be bold and slightly more intense than you'd want, because the mild seaweed will absorb and soften the flavors.
- Place the drained seaweed in a mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss gently with chopsticks or a fork, making sure every strand is coated. Let it sit for 5 minutes so the seaweed soaks up the dressing.
- Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle generously with sesame seeds (use a mix of white and black if you have both — it looks striking), and serve cold.
FAQ
Chuka is available in Asian grocery stores and supermarkets — frozen or dried. Wakame or thinly sliced nori can be used as substitutes, though the texture will be slightly different.
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Comments (1)
Cold plates are a small detail that make this chuka seaweed salad noticeably better. Ten minutes in the fridge before plating keeps everything crisp through the meal. It's a restaurant trick worth stealing.