Crab Sunomono (Japanese Crab Cucumber Salad)

Crisp cucumber and sweet crab tossed in a delicate rice vinegar dressing — this Japanese sunomono salad is light, tangy, and irresistibly refreshing. Perfect as a side or appetizer ready in 15 minutes.

Course Salad

Cuisine Asian

Diet Low Lactose

Dietary Egg Free, Low Carb, Nut Free, Pescatarian

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings people

Calories 37kcal

Author Sammy Eng

Ingredients

Salad

1 tbsp dried wakame
3 Persian cucumbers (2 Japanese cucumbers)
1 tsp salt
4 crab stick
1 tsp sesame seeds

Salad Dressing

4 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp soy sauce

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Rehydrate dried wakame according to packaging. Takes about 5 minutes.
Wash and thinly slice cucumbers using mandoline or knife.
Sprinkle with salt and leave for 5 minutes.
Whilst soaking wakame and salting cucumbers, pull the strands of crab sticks apart.
Squeeze salted cucumbers to remove excess water.
Mix dressing ingredients until sugar dissolves.
In a mixing bowl, add sliced cucumbers, wakame and crab.
Toss together with dressing.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds to serve.

Video

Notes

You can substitute Persian cucumbers with continental or English cucumbers. If there are a lot of seeds, remove the seeds to avoid excess liquid in the salad.
Japanese crab sticks are ideal, but real crab meat or shrimp are possible alternatives.
For vegan salad, omit imitation crab or substitute with tofu skin or thinly sliced hard tofu.
If you can’t find dried wakame, you can skip it or add thin strips of nori as a topping just before serving.
Use tamari instead of soy sauce for gluten free salad.
Important to salt cucumbers to draw out extra moisture and be sure to squeeze the cucumbers after salting.
Chill cucumber sunomono in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition