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Easy seaweed recipes for people who need more minerals in their diet

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By Emi Schemmer

In the past, I wrote a general guide to Japanese seaweed, its health and beauty benefits and why you should eat this superfood more often than not. This time, I’m here to introduce some easy seaweed recipes you can add to your diet to reap all of its benefits.

By now, you know that seaweed provides us with several essential nutrients, including:

  • Fiber
  • Iron
  • Iodine
  • Zinc
  • Magnesium
  • Vitamins A, C and B

Seaweed is also a wonderful source of antioxidants, which are known to have anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits. You may also know that other wonderful health benefits of seaweed include helping to improve the symptoms of osteoarthritis, assisting with weight loss and helping moderate blood sugar levels.

Now, all that’s great, but — aside from eating sushi all day and adding some dry seaweed to your miso soup — are there any other easy ways to incorporate this superfood into our diet without having to sign up for Japanese cooking classes? To encourage you to give seaweed a try, here are five easy recipes that will help you fall in love with seaweed — or at least have it a bit more often. Enjoy!

1. Seaweed Chips

2. Kombu Tsukudani

3. Pickled Cucumber & Wakame Salad

4. Japanese Hijiki Salad

5. Seaweed Omelet

1. Seaweed Chips

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This is a great recipe for a yummy and healthy alternative when you’re craving something to snack on.

Ingredients

  • 5-6 sheets of roasted seaweed
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • Sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional)

Seasoning Mix:

  • 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon karashi (Japanese mustard)
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

  1. Mix all the Seasoning Mix ingredients in a small bowl.
  2. Brush a bit of sesame oil onto one side of a seaweed sheet. Generously sprinkle the seasoning mixture as evenly as possible on the oiled side. Repeat for all the seaweed sheets.
  3. Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat until hot. Lightly toast each side for about 10-15 seconds.
  4. Cut each sheet into smaller pieces of your preferred shape and serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds!

2. Kombu Tsukudani

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Kombu tsukudani is thinly cut kombu seaweed cooked and seasoned mainly with sugar and soy sauce. It is a Japanese household staple and is often used as a delicious accompaniment for plain rice (like tsukemono pickles). You can top a bowl of rice with it or mix it into your onigiri rice balls.

Ingredients

  • 15g dried kombu
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) water
  • 1/2 tsp rice vinegar (komezu, 米酢)
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sake for cooking (ryorishu, 料理酒)
  • 1 tbsp mirin (みりん)
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Place the kombu in a large bowl of water and leave it for about 15 minutes until it has absorbed most of the water.
  2. When the kombu becomes soft, remove it from the water and pat dry. Then, slice it into two long, thin strips.
  3. Put 1/2 cup water and vinegar along with cut kombu in a small pot. Cook at medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Then add all the seasonings, and cook until the liquid is gone. Add sesame seeds and mix.

3. Pickled Cucumber & Wakame Salad

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Click here to read more.

© Savvy Tokyo

©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.

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