Seaweed Salad with Ponzu (Printer-friendly)

Delightful seaweed blend combined with crisp veggies and tangy ponzu, garnished with sesame seeds.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Seaweed

01 - 1 ounce dried mixed seaweed (wakame, hijiki, or arame)

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
03 - 1 small carrot, julienned
04 - 2 scallions, thinly sliced

→ Dressing

05 - 3 tablespoons ponzu sauce
06 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
07 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
08 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
09 - 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
10 - 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup
11 - 1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)

→ Garnish

12 - 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
13 - 1 tablespoon thinly sliced red chili (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Place the dried seaweed in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let soak for 10 minutes, or according to package instructions, until fully rehydrated. Drain well and squeeze out excess water.
02 - In a large bowl, combine the rehydrated seaweed, cucumber, carrot, and scallions.
03 - In a separate small bowl, whisk together the ponzu sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, grated ginger, sugar, and chili flakes (if using) until smooth.
04 - Pour the dressing over the seaweed and vegetables. Toss gently to coat evenly.
05 - Transfer the salad to a serving platter or individual bowls. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and sliced red chili, if desired.
06 - Serve chilled or at room temperature.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours preparing something fancy, but you'll actually finish in 15 minutes flat.
  • The sesame seeds and ginger give it a warm, toasted complexity that makes your kitchen smell incredible.
  • It's one of those dishes that somehow feels both light and deeply satisfying at the same time.
02 -
  • Squeeze that seaweed dry or the salad becomes watery and the dressing gets diluted—I learned this the hard way at a dinner party and watched my beautiful salad turn into a puddle.
  • Don't dress it more than an hour ahead of serving or the vegetables will wilt and lose their crunch, which defeats the whole refreshing purpose.
03 -
  • Toast your own sesame seeds in a dry skillet for two minutes just before serving—the difference between store-bought toasted and fresh-toasted is the difference between something good and something unforgettable.
  • Use a microplane grater for the ginger so you get the finest possible texture, which distributes the flavor evenly and avoids bitter ginger chunks.
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