This is the crunchiest thing you can do to a cucumber: a cool, no-cook salad dressed with rice vinegar, toasted sesame and KelpEat Sea Lettuce — flaked green seaweed that adds a fresh, garden-of-the-ocean umami. About 20 minutes, zero stove.
Why you'll love it:
- Serious crunch. Salting the cucumbers first pulls out the water, so every bite stays snappy and the dressing never turns into a puddle.
- Two textures from one jar. Half the sea lettuce blooms silky in the dressing; the other half goes on dry at the end, like green confetti from the sea.
- It goes everywhere. Contorno for grilled fish, a cool bowl on the aperitivo table, or a lunchbox side that still crunches at one o'clock.
Ingredients
Serves 2-3 as a side dish.
- 2 medium cucumbers (about 400 g)
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (3 g)
- 2 tbsp KelpEat Sea Lettuce – 100% Seaweed flakes (about 5 g), divided
- 45 ml rice vinegar
- 1 tsp soy sauce (5 ml)
- 1 tsp honey or sugar (4 g)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (5 ml)
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (9 g)
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced (optional)
- A pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
Method
- Slice the cucumbers into thin rounds, 2-3 mm — a mandoline turns this into a 90-second job. Toss them with the salt in a colander set over the sink and leave them for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing. In your salad bowl, whisk the rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey and toasted sesame oil. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the sea lettuce flakes and let them bloom for 5 minutes: the flakes soften, turn silky and quietly season the whole dressing with gentle marine umami.
- Squeeze the cucumber slices firmly, a handful at a time, to press out as much water as you can. Don't be shy — this is the step that guarantees the crunch.
- Add the cucumbers to the bowl and toss with the dressing, most of the sesame seeds, the spring onions and the chilli flakes, if using.
- Finish with the remaining tablespoon of dry sea lettuce flakes and the last of the sesame seeds. Serve straight away, well chilled.
Tip: serve it icy-cold next to grilled fish or prawns, spooned over rice, or as the fresh, crunchy corner of an aperitivo spread — it loves anything cold and bubbly.
Make it with Sea Lettuce – 100% Seaweed: pure dried sea lettuce (Ulva), grown in the ocean with no freshwater, no pesticides and no soil. It's what gives this salad its fresh green, faintly briny character — use 2 tablespoons per batch: one bloomed in the dressing for silky umami, one sprinkled on dry for the bright finish.
FAQ
Can I make it ahead?
You can salt, squeeze and chill the cucumbers a few hours in advance, but dress the salad just before serving — and always add the dry flakes at the last minute so they keep their bite.
What does sea lettuce taste like?
Milder than nori: fresh, green and lightly briny, closer to a delicate herb from the sea than to a sushi wrapper. If you're new to seaweed, this is the friendliest place to start.
How much seaweed should I use?
Treat it like a seasoning, not a salad base. Pure seaweed is naturally concentrated — including in iodine — so 1-2 tablespoons of flakes in a dish like this is the sweet spot, enjoyed as part of a varied, balanced diet.
KelpEat makes EU-organic, ocean-grown seaweed. Eat smarter — regenerate your body and the planet. Information here is educational and not medical advice.
