Tossed with wakame seaweed and imitation crabmeat, this sweet and tangy Japanese Cucumber Salad goes well with any Japanese-style meal. Make this refreshing side dish for your next potluck or dinner party. It will be a big hit!
A typical Japanese meal consists of one main dish of meat or seafood with rice and miso soup, complemented by several side dishes.
Today’s recipe is a sweet and tangy Japanese Cucumber Salad with Crab (きゅうりとワカメと蟹の酢の物) that goes well with any dinner meal. This easy salad happens to be one of the side dishes that I prepare regularly.
Table of Contents
What is Cucumber Salad?
This Japanese cucumber salad is a type of sunomono (酢の物), or vinegar-based dish. When we mention sunomono, it typically refers to cucumber salad. It’s a common Japanese side dish to the main dish as the refreshing sour flavor helps whet the appetite.
Classic sunomono salad includes sliced cucumber and wakame seaweed dressed in rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. Sometimes, boiled octopus slices, boiled baby anchovies (shirasu), or even thin slivers or carrot are added. My version includes crab to add a beautiful bright color and a bit of protein.
Serve this Japanese Cucumber Salad as a refreshing accompaniment to chicken teriyaki, garlic saikoro steak, honey pork belly, sushi, or miso cod.
Health Benefits of Cucumber Salad
We tend to overlook the health benefits of cucumbers, but they are actually high in fiber, light on calories, and great for digestion. Vinegar is also thought to help control blood sugar levels. You can see the full nutritional information at the end of the recipe card.
For these reasons, you can often find cucumber served as a part of salads in Japanese meals. Growing up, my mom served different kinds of side dishes including a sunomono dish during mealtime.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For today’s cucumber kani salad recipe, I added imitation crab meat for a pop of color, but it’s completely optional. You can still enjoy it as a vegetarian dish without the crab sticks.
- Japanese or Persian cucumbers – you can also use English cucumber with the seeds removed
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- dried wakame seaweed
- real crab meat or imitation crab meat (kani kama) – I used imitation crab sticks since I‘m allergic to crab; skip for vegan/vegetarian
- toasted white sesame seeds – optional
For the Dressing
- rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- sugar – for a touch of sweetness
- soy sauce
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- dashi (Japanese soup stock) – use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi
Variations and Substitutions
- Experiment with the garnishes. Try ikura (salmon roe), tobiko (flying fish roe/eggs), or salmon flakes. Sprinkle black sesame seeds instead of the white variety.
- Vary the dressing with a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil or lemon juice.
- For a spicy kick, sprinkle shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) or even drizzle sriracha sauce.
How To Make Japanese Cucumber Salad with Crab
With a prep time of 10 minutes for the vegetables and crab, you can easily whip together this side dish in a total time of just 15 minutes.
- Prepare the cucumber. Peel thin strips of the skin to create a striped pattern. Cut into thin slices. Sprinkle with kosher salt and distribute it evenly. Rinse, then squeeze out the water.
- Rehydrate the dried wakame seaweed in a small bowl of water and squeeze it out.
- Cut and shred the crab meat sticks.
- Heat the dressing ingredients in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves and let cool.
- Combine the vegetables, crab, and dressing in a large bowl and toss. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Enjoy at room temperature or chilled.
4 Tips To Make Japanese Cucumber Salad
- Choose Japanese or Persian cucumbers. Avoid American cucumbers that contain big seeds and more moisture. Their skin is also waxy and thick, which is not ideal for this salad. If using English cucumbers, scoop out the seeds first as they contain moisture that could dilute the dressing.
- Use the itazuri preparation for Japanese cucumbers. This step of rubbing salt on Japanese cucumber skin is necessary to remove the pointy bumps. It also helps absorb the dressing and refreshes the color. See the recipe card for detailed instructions.
- Generously salt the cucumbers. The salt helps draw out the moisture from the cucumbers so it does not dilute the salad dressing after mixing. It also keeps the cucumber crisp. This ensures a great crunchy texture for the salad.
- Squeeze out the liquid from the wakame and cucumbers. If you don’t, the dressing will become diluted and the salad will have a bland taste.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Japanese Kani Salad (Japanese Crab Salad)
- Octopus Salad
- Sunomono Salad
- Cucumber and Chicken Marinated in Chili Oil
- Lobster Roll with Spicy Mayonnaise Dressing
- Japanese Potato Salad
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Japanese Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Japanese or Persian cucumbers (or use ⅔ English cucumber)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed
- 4 real or imitation crabmeat (skip for vegan/vegetarian; I used imitation crabmeat since I‘m allergic to crab)
- toasted white sesame seeds (optional)
For the Dressing
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
Instructions
- If you are using Japanese cucumber, this step called itazuri is necessary. Wash 2 Japanese or Persian cucumbers and sprinkle them with Diamond Crystal kosher salt. With both hands, rub the cucumber against the cutting board. It removes the pointy bumps on the cucumber and helps absorb the dressing.
- Alternate peeling ½-inch (1.3-cm) strips of skin lengthwise and leaving strips of skin intact. With this striped pattern, the cucumber slices have some decorative dark green accents and a little bit of extra crunchiness. Cut the cucumbers into thin slices, about ⅛-inch (3 mm) thickness (or even thinner).
- Sprinkle with Diamond Crystal kosher salt and rub the cucumber slices gently with your hands. Let it rest for 5 minutes or so until they are wilted. Then, quickly rinse the cucumber slices under cold water. Squeeze the cucumber to get rid of the water.
- Put 1 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed in a small bowl and soak in water for 10 minutes to rehydrate. Squeeze dry to get rid of the water.
- Cut 4 real or imitation crabmeat sticks in half and shred it with your hands.
- In a small saucepan, combine the dressing ingredients: 3 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 1 Tbsp sugar, ½ Tbsp soy sauce, ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and 2 Tbsp dashi (Japanese soup stock). Mix well. Then, heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, wakame, and shredded crab sticks. Pour the dressing on top and mix together. Sprinkle toasted white sesame seeds and enjoy the salad at room temperature or chilled.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for a day. However, the crispness of the cucumbers will be lost and the seasoning may become diluted due to moisture released from the cucumber.
I’ve tried everywhere to buy Hashimoto’s Tohoku Recipes book, and even on the website you provided, no luck. I’ve followed you for years and always read my emails from you, beginning to end. If there’s another way to purchase this book, please contact me. Thank you!
Hi Marie! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and her newsletter!
We had searched for the book, but unfortunately, the book is currently sold out. You might want to check out the use book store.
Fabulous and easy to follow recipe, I have made this multiple times now with no substitutions and it comes out so perfect and delicious! Thank you!
Hi Bonnie! We are so happy to hear this was so perfect and delicious recipe!! 😍
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback! Happy Cooking!