Easy Cucumber and Seaweed Salad (Sweet & Tangy)

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Easy Cucumber and Seaweed Salad (Sweet & Tangy)

This Cucumber and Seaweed Salad is a quick and easy dish that's refreshing and endlessly craveable. Sweet, tangy, with a hint of umami, it's the kind of Asian-inspired side dish that goes with almost anything, and disappears just as fast.

Prep Time10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: people

Calories: 25kcal

Author: Edwina

Ingredients

1 cucumber
2½ tablespoons cane sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 small handful dried seaweed
½ teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Instructions

Peel the cucumber with a peeler, trim the ends and cut it in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the soft seeds.
Slice each half diagonally into thin slices.
In a big bowl, mix cucumber slices with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of sea salt, let it sit for 15-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, rehydrate the dried seaweed by soaking it in cold water for about 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and chop it into smaller pieces.
To assemble, drain the excess water from the cucumber, then add the minced garlic, seaweed, vinegar, and ½ tablespoon of sugar. Toss well to combine.
You can enjoy it right away, or chill it in the fridge for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Traditionally, only salt is used to draw out the moisture from cucumber, but I find it can make the cucumber too salty and even give it an unpleasant bitter taste. Using sugar with just a little salt works better instead.
This salad is very forgiving and easy to customize. I recommend following my recipe the first time, and then adjusting it to your taste, or adding other ingredients like shredded carrots, sesame oil, sesame seeds, or chili flakes to make it your own.

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