Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono)

Name: Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 4 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned); 2 Tbsp sugar; ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt; ½ tsp soy sauce ((use GF soy sauce for gluten-free)); 2–3 Japanese cucumbers; 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt; 1 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed ((3 g; 20–30 g after rehydration)); ½ Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds; 4 pieces real or imitation crabmeat ((skip for vegan/vegetarian)); 2 oz octopus sashimi (boiled octopus) ((skip for vegan/vegetarian)); 2 Tbsp shirasu (boiled salted baby anchovies) ((skip for vegan/vegetarian)); 2 red radishes ((for vegan/vegetarian))

Instructions

Prep:15min

For a light and incredibly refreshing side dish, try my classic Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) recipe. This crunchy salad with wakame seaweed and sweet-and-sour dressing goes with any Japanese meal. I'll share 3 seafood variations you can try, too.

Updated at: Tue, 16 Dec 2025 00:01:27 GMT