Seaweed Salad Recipe with Fresh Vegetables – Ready in 15 Minutes

Seaweed Salad

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Long ago, in the days of total shortages, seaweed and salad mixes with sea kale could be bought in almost any store. The product was considered healthy and dietary, first of all thanks to its high iodine content. Its low calorie count also made it popular for all kinds of diets.

Brown algae, or kelp (laminaria), is often called “sea kale”, and the name has stuck for almost any similar product. Strictly speaking, though, seaweeds can be quite different. Stores sell dried seaweed, which is very light and only needs soaking. We use it to make Chinese egg drop soup.

Sea kelp is harvested in various ways and, after washing and preparation, it is turned into different semi-finished products or ready-made salads, and is even frozen. By the way, the fronds of the plant are usually several meters long, so for packaging they are cut into pieces and mixed with preservatives to keep them fresh.

The most widely available now are salad mixes with kelp. You can buy ready-made salads in which marinated seaweed is mixed with pieces of vegetables – carrot, celery, garlic, hot pepper. The salads are dressed with a mixture of oil and vinegar. Very often they also contain finely chopped herbs and sesame seeds, and sesame oil is used too.

It is worth saying that seaweed salad can be made successfully either from marinated kelp or from a salad mix without overly spicy or aromatic additions.

None of the ingredients for this appetizer needs any heat treatment beforehand. Basically, you just chop the ingredients and mix them. The dressing is made separately and poured over the salad right before serving. If you like, you can vary the flavor by adding “chili” – many people enjoy a noticeably spicy salad. The appetizer is served at room temperature, right after it is made.

Ingredients

2 servings

For the salad

  • Marinated seaweed 150 g
  • Celery stalk 1
  • Fresh cucumber 1
  • “Cherry” tomatoes 2-3
  • Lettuce 0.5 bunch

For the dressing and serving

  • Vegetable oil (sesame or sunflower) 1–1.5 tbsp
  • Vinegar (wine or rice) 0.5 tsp
  • Sesame seeds 1 tsp (3 g)

Step-by-step recipe

Vegetables and seaweed

We made this seaweed salad as a vegetable appetizer, combining fresh vegetables, lettuce leaves and marinated kelp. As it turns out, seaweed is available in almost any store. If you can’t find plain marinated seaweed, you can use mixes that already include finely chopped vegetables and dressing. If you like, even a ready-made salad can be a good ingredient.

  1. Prepare the seaweed: rinse the marinated kelp briefly under cold water to wash off the leftover marinade and drain it in a sieve. If you use a store-bought salad, rinse off the excess dressing and oil as well.

    Marinated seaweed and vegetables for the salad.

  2. Tear the lettuce leaves into pieces and mix them with the celery and cucumber. Take plenty of leaves for volume and a nice look. Even better, use ready-washed salad leaves from a bag – usually a mix of different salad types: lettuce, endive, radicchio, oak leaf. If the pieces are large, tear them smaller with your fingers.

    For juiciness, cut the celery stalk into cubes or strips. A young green cucumber does not need peeling: just cut it into strips with the skin and add it to the salad.

    Lettuce with cucumber and celery.

  3. Cut the tomatoes: you need only a few, literally one per serving. Finely chop half of the tomatoes and add them to the salad, keeping one for serving.

    Add the finely chopped tomatoes.

  4. Add the seaweed to the salad.

    Mix the seaweed with the salad.

Dressing

There is no need to add salt or spices to seaweed salad.

  1. Mix the dressing and pour it over the salad: in a small cup, combine 1–1.5 tbsp of vegetable oil and 0.5 tsp of vinegar, preferably wine or rice vinegar. The dressing is especially good with sesame oil, though regular sunflower oil works too. Whisk the mixture and pour it over the salad right before serving.

    Vegetable salad with seaweed

Serving

  1. Gently toss the vegetables and seaweed and divide the salad among individual salad bowls or small dishes. Add the halves of the reserved tomato and sprinkle the appetizer with 1 tsp of sesame seeds (3 g).

    The salad is ready to serve. Do not let it sit or chill, so that all the flavors and aromas of the ingredients are preserved. Serve at room temperature right after making it.

    If you like, you can add other vegetables, herbs or bean sprouts to the salad. Asian sauces with mirin, lime juice and soy sauce also work well as a dressing.

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Calories and macros

135 kcal

Serving ≈ 210 g

  • Protein3 g8% of kcal
  • Fat10 g65% of kcal
  • Carbs9 g28% of kcal

100 g65 kcalProtein 1.3 gFat 4.7 gCarbs 4.5 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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