Wild Wakame Seaweed
The fertile underwater fields of the Seto Inland Sea are home to an extensive array of edible seaweeds, among which wakame stands out as one of the most highly prized. This kelp variety is distinct from its culinary cousin, konbu, in that it has a less pronounced umami flavor. However, what it lacks in savory notes, it more than makes up for with a delicate, slightly sweet taste of the sea and a pleasingly tender texture. It’s tasty on its own and also pairs well with all kinds of foods. One wouldn’t be going too far out on a limb by saying that almost everyone in the Setouchi region eats wakame daily, as it’s one of the key ingredients in the miso soup served at breakfast or lunch because of wakame’s additional quality of being a nutrient-dense sea vegetable. High in fiber, it’s loaded with iodine and other minerals, vitamins, and fucoidan, a complex carbohydrate that possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
While wakame is more commonly found growing wild in the cold northern seas surrounding Japan, specifically around Hokkaido and offshore Tohoku prefecture near the tip of Honshu Island, it thrives in the shallow, nutrient-rich waters of the Seto Inland Sea. The region's strong currents create an ideal environment for wakame to flourish, resulting in some of the finest wakame in the country. The Seto Inland Sea's wakame has a sweeter, milder taste, a supple yet crisp texture, and a brighter green color compared to its northern counterparts, making it a premium ingredient. The wakame that grows in the Awaji and Naruto straits around Awaji Island, in particular, is highly sought after by chefs across Japan who use it to garnish sashimi and sushi, mix into clear as well as miso soups, make salads, add to seafood dishes, and top rice and noodles.
Harvested in late winter and early spring when it is at its peak growth and nutritional value, wakame is sold either fresh or more often dried, which can give it a shelf life of a year or more. Dried wakame is rehydrated in water before being used. Fresh and rehydrated dried wakame have a similar taste and texture and can be used interchangeably in most recipes, with any flavor differences being mainly due to how it's been processed.
There are several methods for processing wakame, depending on whether it’s fresh or dried. In both cases, the wakame is typically first blanched or boiled. Then, fresh wakame is packaged either raw, salted, or marinated, while dried wakame is sun-dried, oven-dried, or dehydrated, with the latter two methods potentially concentrating its taste.
The best wakame is often wild-caught. One of the most traditional ways of processing it, called “hai-boshi” or “ash-dried,” is to coat it in fine charcoal ash before hanging it to dry in the open air. The charcoal coating helps to remove excess moisture, preserving the wakame’s texture and preventing it from becoming too soft or slimy. This is particularly important for wakame used in soups or salads, where its texture is a key part of its appeal. The charcoal also acts as a natural preservative, inhibiting the growth of bacteria and prolonging the seaweed's shelf life while maintaining its fresh taste. Additionally, the charcoal can impart a slightly smoky, earthy flavor that adds an extra dimension to wakame dishes.
Wild-caught, ash-dried wakame (ten’nen hai-boshi wakame/天然灰干しわかめ)
How To Use
Wakame is a versatile ingredient that can be enjoyed on its own or used to add flavor and nutrition to a variety of dishes in any type of cuisine. It’s often likened to spinach which gives a clue as to how to use it in your cooking.
Some traditional and new uses of wakame include:
Sashimi, carpaccio, and sushi: Wakame is a perfect garnish for thinly sliced raw seafood and can be used as a topping for sushi rolls or as an ingredient in a seaweed salad roll.
Salads: Wakame is a popular ingredient in seaweed salads, seafood salads, mixed green salads, and other salads with vegetables and proteins. It is often combined with other seafood or vegetables in a sunomono, a type of vinegar dressed dish and with any kinds of fresh foods in a seasoned and dressed dish called aemono. Hawaiian poke bowls made with raw fish, rice, and vegetables are a good example of this.
Soups and stews: Wakame is a classic ingredient in miso soup and is often added to other seafood soups, ramen, soba noodle soups, and vegetable stews.
Stir-Fries: Wakame can be a tasty addition to stir-fries with tofu, chicken, beef, or other vegetables.
Sandwiches, wraps, and burgers: Wakame can be used as a filling for sandwiches and wraps or as a topping for fish, bean, chicken, and beef burgers.
Pizza and tacos: Wakame can be added to pizza or tacos with other toppings like mushrooms, onions, cheese, grilled fish, shrimp, avocado, or lime.
Quinoa Bowls: Wakame can be a delicious topping for quinoa bowls with roasted vegetables, tofu, and a soy-based dressing.
Omelets: Wakame can be added to omelets with other ingredients like mushrooms, cheese, and green onions.
Rice, risotto, paella, and pasta: Wakame can be added to rice, risotto, paella, and pasta dishes for an ocean flavor.
Tip: Be careful not to overcook wakame as it can become slimy.
Types and Preparation:
Fresh salted wakame needs to be rinsed and rehydrated in water before use.
Dried wakame comes in three different shapes. Large leaves and thin strands, called "thread" wakame (ito-wakame/糸わかめ), should be first cut into 1-2" (3-4 cm) pieces using kitchen shears. Then, rinse and rehydrate in cold water for about 5 minutes. Small pre-cut pieces (katto/カットわかめ) don't need to be rehydrated if added to soups and other cooked dishes.
Ash-dried wakame must be rinsed and soaked several times before use to remove the ash and rehydrate the seaweed.
Storage:
Fresh wakame must be refrigerated to keep for several months. Check the expiration or sell-by date. It can also be frozen, in which case its shelf life is longer.
Dried wakame should be kept in a sealed bag in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Once it’s been rehydrated, put it in a sealable container in the refrigerator and use within 3-4 days.
Where To Buy
Deguchi Shoten, a dried seafood store in Sumoto City on Awaji Island, offers wild-caught, raw and “ash-dried” Naruto Wakame as well as thread and pre-cut wakame.
Wild-caught fresh and traditionally dried wakame that has been processed and packaged on-site can be found in the Setouchi region near its three main growing areas: the turbulent waters where the Seto Inland Sea meets the Pacific Ocean in the east around Awaji Island and where the sea meets the Sea of Japan in the west between the islands of Honshu and Kyushu, as well as around the Geiyo Islands at the center of the Seto Inland Sea. Local fish and farmers' markets, "michi no eki" roadside stands, and stores that sell dried seafood are good places to find wakame in these areas, and it can also be purchased directly from fishermen who harvest and process it themselves, as well as from specialty stores that offer it online.
In other parts of the Setouchi region and across Japan, you're more likely to find farmed fresh and dried wakame in most supermarkets, specialty food stores, and from online retailers.
If you're outside of Japan, Asian grocery stores and online retailers that sell Japanese ingredients are good places to look for wakame.