This vinegary, sweet seaweed salad is a refreshing summer side dish! Miyeok (미역), also known as wakame, is an edible brown sea vegetable that is highly nutritional. Muchim (무침) means mixed with seasonings. Seaweed contains high levels of iodine, calcium, magnesium, iron, protein, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and detoxifying properties. It helps improve your health related to thyroid, bone, digestive, heart, etc. More than enough good reasons to eat seaweed!
As mentioned in my miyeok guk (미역국) recipe, because of the many health benefits, new moms traditionally eat miyeok guk (soup) for the first few weeks after giving birth to help with recovery. Ancient folklore tells us that our ancestors learned from seeing whales eating seaweed after giving birth.
Dried miyeok is staple in Korean pantries, and used to make soups and salads year around. In the raw/fresh form, miyeok is brown. You may see brown raw/fresh miyeok sold in markets if you are in Korea. It turns green when blanched in boiling water. You can use fresh miyeok for this recipe.
Once soaked, miyeok turns green, plump, and ready to be eaten. However, blanching it briefly in boiling hot water will slightly soften the texture and brighten the color of green. It’s typical to add some cucumber slices as well as Korean radish (mu), carrot, and/or onion. The vegetables add a nice textural contrast and color. I used a cucumber and a couple of red radish here. You can make this seaweed salad a little fancier by adding some boiled shrimp or squid.
- 1 ounce dried miyeok 미역, (a little more than 2 cups soaked)
- 1 small kirby cucumber 1/2 Korean cucumber, thinly sliced
- 2 red radishes or equivalent amount of white radish, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 4 tablespoons vinegar
- 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
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Soak the dried miyeok for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse 2 or 3 times thoroughly. Drain after each rinse, and squeeze or knead (as if you are working with bread dough) to remove excess salt used in the drying process, and rinse off any hidden sand. Drain well.
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Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Plunge the miyeok into the water and blanch for a minute. Drain and rinse in the cold water until the miyeok is cool. Drain well, and squeeze out excess water.
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Cut the miyeok into bite size pieces by running a knife through a few times in different directions.
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In a large bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients well until the sugar has dissolved.
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Add the miyeok, cucumber, and radish. Toss well to combine everything together. Serve cold.
This looks like a delicious recipe, and thanks for sharing it! I must admit my experience of eating seaweed is very limited, so I must seek out some miyeok and give this a try, as I am always on the lookout for new salad recipes
Thanks Clare. Hope you try it soon and enjoy. Cheers!
I love this salad and I’ve always wanted to know how to prepare it. What kind of vinegar do u usually use…? Rice vinegar, apple vinegar, white wine vinegar…?
Thank you in advanced!
I generally use rice vinegar, but I also have apple vinegar, lemon vinegar, persimmon vinegar, and maesil vinegar. Haha I sound like vinegar collector. Try a couple of different vinegar and see what you like.
This sounds so refreshing and so easy to make. Does it keep well? I was thinking of making a batch and keep it in the fridge. Thanks!
It’s best to be eaten within a couple of days, but should be okay up to 4 days. Hope you make it!
What type of Miyeok did you use? Every time I make this salad my Miyeok turns slimy….help.
It probably has to do with the quality of miyeok. Try to buy high quality ones by paying a little more. When in doubt, ask someone at the store.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It looks delicious. I am going to try this Saturday for a potluck.
Legit speechless, this miyeok muchim seaweed salad recipe looks unreal!!! I am obsessed with healthy salads! Definitely it will be yummy!