Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe

Rating 5.0
| 4
Take a figurative trip to Japan with no passport required with this simple Japanese cucumber salad. Refreshing and delicious, it is a healthy crowd-pleaser that everyone will enjoy!
Utensils Appetizer
Globe Japanese
10
ingredients
8
steps
5
minutes
Chef Melissa uses cooking to bring food enthusiasts together, and to celebrate cultures and curiosities. After spending her youth in her home country of Taiwan, she worked as a food writer and spent dozens of years in Boston honing her craft alongside renowned chefs. Part story-teller, part educator, and part food and wine lover, Chef Melissa blends her Asian roots, her world travels and her love of food and culture to bring joy and inspiration to people everywhere.

Ingredients

Servings:
4
For the Japanese Cucumber Salad
1
batch of dressing, see below
1 tblsp
dried wakame seaweed
2
Persian or Japanese cucumber, see notes 1
1/2 tsp
kosher salt, see notes 2
1/2 tblsp
toasted white sesame seeds
For the Dressing
4 tblsp
rice vinegar
1 tblsp
sugar
1/2 tsp
kosher salt, see notes 2
1/2 tsp
soy sauce
1/2 tsp
hon-dashi (instant dashi or fish-broth powder), see notes 3

Directions 8 steps | 5 Minutes

Step 1

Prepare the dressing. In a bowl, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, soy sauce and hon-dashi. Whisk until well combined and set aside.

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Step 2

Rehydrate the dried wakame seaweed. Soak the dried wakame seaweed in water and soak for 10 minutes.

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Step 3

Salt the cucumber. Slice off both ends of the cucumber. Use a potato or vegetable peeler to peel one strip. Move over about the width of the strip, leaving the skin intact. Then peel a second strip, creating a striped pattern. Continue until the entire cucumber is peeled in a striped pattern. Repeat with the second cucumber. 

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Step 4

Slice the cucumber into thin rounds and place them in a bowl.

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Step 5

Sprinkle the kosher salt over the sliced cucumber and gently rub them against each other. Set aside for 5 minutes. (See notes 4.)

 

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Step 6

Squeeze the water out from the rehydrated wakame seaweed and salted cucumber. 

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Step 7

Transfer the wakame seaweed and cucumber into the bowl with the dressing. Toss until evenly coated. 

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Step 8

Garnish with a sprinkling of toasted white sesame seeds. Enjoy!

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Notes:

  1. There are many varieties of cucumbers, but I like using Japanese cucumbers for their crunchy and seedless texture. If you can't find Japanese cucumbers, you can use English or Persian cucumbers. I do not recommend regular (American) cucumbers as they have big seeds, higher moisture content and thick skin.
  2. This recipe uses Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using Morton's use a ¼ teaspoon. Different kosher salt brands have varied crystal sizes and may affect the salinity of the recipe, so adjust accordingly.
  3. Hon-dashi is readily available in Asian markets, such as H-Mart.
  4. For this salad recipe, salting the cucumber is an important step. It helps to remove excess liquid from the cucumber, which in turn yields a great crunch for the salad.

Nutrition Per Serving
View All
CALORIES
45
FAT
0.7 g
PROTEIN
1.3 g
CARBS
9 g

FOOD FOR THOUGHT?

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4 Comments
4 Comments
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Jessica S.

Jessica

20 Jul 2022

I had never used seaweed in my cucumber salad until this recipe. Fantastic way to elevate a classic! Nice summer dish!

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Glen B.

Glen

14 Jul 2022

Simple and refreshing recipe, I always do salt, pepper and vinegar only. I'd like to upgrade my cucumber salad.

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Carmela G.

Carmela

13 Jul 2022

Fresh and refreshing Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe.

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Sandra G.

Sandra

13 Jul 2022

Quick and easy and super healthy!

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