{"id":110345,"title":"What is wakame seaweed?","modified":"2025-10-29T17:12:36+01:00","plain":"Wakame is among the most common edible seaweeds. Widely used across Asian cooking, it often appears in salads and soups, or served alongside seafood.\n\n\n\nWhile it\u2019s also harvested wild in Australia, cultivation is centered in Japan and Korea. Most wakame you\u2019ll find in stores likely comes from one of these two countries. Wakame is an edible kelp.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat is wakame?\n\n\n\nWakame is a sea vegetable\u2014an edible seaweed\u2014widely used in Japanese cuisine and other Asian cuisines. It\u2019s frequently used in soups, salads, snacks, and as a seasoning.\n\n\n\nDark green, wakame is sometimes nicknamed \u201csea mustard\u201d because it resembles cooked mustard greens, though its mild flavor lacks that pungent bite.\n\n\n\nWakame comes in two forms: dried, which is the most common, and salted. The salted version is sold refrigerated and vacuum-packed.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWakame vs. nori: what\u2019s the difference?\n\n\n\nWakame is distinct from nori, another variety of dried seaweed commonly used in making sushi. Nori comes as flat, dehydrated sheets, whereas dried wakame usually appears as slightly crinkled strips, a bit like small \u201csea raisins.\u201d\n\n\n\nBefore using, dried wakame needs rehydration, whereas nori is typically toasted before being added to sushi rolls or onigiri.\n\n\n\nHow to use wakame\n\n\n\nAlways rehydrate wakame before using. Place the seaweed in a bowl and cover with warm water for a few minutes. It will swell substantially, so you may not need much.\n\n\n\nOnce hydrated and drained, add it to salads and soups, or chop, season, and serve as a salad. The classic miso soup is often garnished with diced tofu, sliced green onions, and small pieces of green seaweed\u2014those green strands are wakame.\n\n\n\nThe miso soup recipe\u2014spot the wakame floating\n\n\n\nHow to cook with wakame\n\n\n\nAfter rehydrating, soak it in ice water for 5\u20136 minutes, then drain and squeeze out the excess water.\n\n\n\nTo blanch, briefly immerse dried wakame in boiling water, then drain and rinse under cold water before pressing it dry.\n\n\n\nBlanching intensifies wakame\u2019s bright green color; it\u2019s often done for wakame salad rather than soup. Finally, the dried strips can be ground in a spice grinder and used as a seasoning for salads, soups, fish, or tofu.\n\n\n\nWhat does wakame taste like?\n\n\n\nWakame, like many sea vegetables, is briny, salty, and umami-rich, with a hint of sweetness. Because it comes from the sea, it tastes distinctly marine without being fishy.\n\n\n\nIn terms of texture, rehydrated wakame is slightly chewy and silky, with an almost snappy bite. Eaten straight from the packet as a snack, dried wakame is reminiscent of a slightly leathery chip.\n\n\n\nWhere to buy wakame\n\n\n\nMost Asian grocery stores carry wakame, but it\u2019s also available in many supermarkets\u2014often in the international aisle or a dedicated sushi section, alongside sushi rice, soy sauce, and nori.\n\n\n\nAlternatively, buy it online. Wakame is typically sold in small packets in its dried form, while the salted variety is found refrigerated\u2014more often in an Asian market than in a conventional grocery store.\n\n\n\nHow to store wakame\n\n\n\nStore dried wakame in its sealed pouch, away from light, in a cool, dry place for about a year. Once rehydrated, it keeps in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.\n\n\n\nYou can also freeze rehydrated wakame; it will keep for up to a year. Salted (refrigerated) wakame should be kept in the fridge and stays fresh for several weeks\u2014always check the best-before or expiration date.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\tHow to Rehydrate Dried Wakame Seaweed\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t1 handful dried wakame seaweed1 large bowl water\t\n\t\n\t\tSoak the seaweed in water for 12 minutes.Drain well, squeezing out excess water. That's it!\t\n\t\n\t\tIf they're still too salty, soak for another ten minutes.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tCondimentJaponaisealgue japonaise, salade de wakame","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110345"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110663,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110345\/revisions\/110663"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}