Sunomono (Japanese Cucumber Salad)
Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) is light, refreshing, and packed with umami flavor. It features thinly sliced cucumbers and wakame seaweed in a tangy vinegar dressing topped with sesame seeds. Enjoy this simple 10-minute salad as an appetizer or side for any Japanese meal!
Servings: 2
Calories: 79kcal
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers
- 1 tablespoon dried wakame seaweed
- 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Additional Mix-Ins
- Kani kamaboko sticks (imitation crab sticks) separated and chopped
- octopus (tako) thinly sliced
- shirasu
- shrimp
Instructions
- Soak wakame - Soak the wakame seaweed in cold water to soften, then drain and dry. Rough chop into bite-sized pieces.1 tablespoon dried wakame seaweed
- Salt cucumbers - Thinly slice cucumbers using a knife or a mandolin. Add cucumbers to a bowl, sprinkle kosher salt on top, and allow to sit for a few minutes. This will help soften the cucumbers. Use your hands to gently squeeze the cucumbers to remove excess water, Remove the excess water from the bowl and place the cucumbers back in the bowl.1 cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Prepare vinegar sauce - Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar to a mixing bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved.3 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoon sugar
- Assemble - Add the wakame and cucumbers to a bowl, and any optional mix-ins. Since the cucumbers vary in size and volume, spoon the sauce over the cucumber mixture so there is just enough sauce to coat the cucumbers without over-saturating the salad. Stir and top with toasted sesame seeds then serve.1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Video
Notes
Notes
- Use date sugar instead of granulated sugar to make the recipe refined sugar-free.
- Use tamari instead of soy sauce to make the recipe gluten-free.
- If you are not serving the salad immediately after making it, chill it in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat it so it will be fresh.
- Be sure to slice the cucumbers thinly so the slices can absorb the yummy dressing flavors and matches the texture of the seaweed.
- Figure out what you want to make with this cucumber salad ahead of time. If you need to cook the other dish, let it cook while you assemble the salad.
- This salad is best enjoyed fresh or chilled. You can also refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 485mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 238IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg