Hijiki seaweed salad is a classic Japanese side dish. Even if you are new to hijiki seaweed, this is a simple recipe that is savory, tasty, and full of nutrition.

You might have tried hijiki salad at a Japanese restaurant and wonder how to make it at home.
It is one of the basic Japanese dishes perfect for everyday meals and obento (lunch box).
It's seasoned with soy sauce, so it's savory and goes well with Japanese rice.
- This recipe is for you if:
- You love Japanese food.
- You want to learn how to make Japanese hijiki salad.
- You are looking for a traditional Japanese recipe.
I will show you how to make it with great details so please stay with me!
If you want to check the recipe, please jump to the recipe.
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What is hijiki seaweed salad?
Hijiki seaweed salad is a simmered dish.
It's simmered in soy sauce-based soup with other ingredients such as vegetables and soybeans.
It's one of the traditional side dishes and also the most popular recipe using hijiki seaweed.
📋 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients (amounts are in the recipe card below).

- Hijiki seaweed: Use dried hijiki seaweed.
- Soybeans: I usually cook dry soybeans in a pressure cooker and have some stock in the freezer, but you can use canned soybeans also. Or you can substitute them with other beans such as edamame, lentils, and chickpeas.
- Dashi powder: Any dashi (Japanese stock) is ok. For vegan/vegetarian, use kombu dashi powder, or you can also make dashi on your own. See here: homemade vegan dashi.
- Carrot, Aburaage (deep-fried tofu)
- Mirin, Soy sauce
What is Hijiki Seaweed?

Hijiki seaweed is commonly eaten seaweed in Japan. It grows on the rocks near the coast and is harvested from spring to early summer.
Most of them are dried before being sold because they get harder after the harvest season. So you need to soak in the water before cooking.
It doesn't have a strong taste and has a slight smell of the ocean. The texture is soft, so easy to bite.
All seaweeds are known as healthy food, but so is hijiki. It is full of calcium, magnesium, and dietary fiber.
If you wonder where to buy it, please look for it at an Asian grocery store or find it online store easily.
How do we cook
Hijiki seaweed salad is the most popular recipe, but we use it for a variety of dishes.
We mix with rice, simmer with vegetables, put in a soup, top on a salad, and more. There are so many ways to enjoy this healthy seaweed.
Here are my favorite hijiki seaweed recipe.
- Tofu and hijiki tamagoyaki(Japanese rolled omelet).
- Vegetarian tofu hambagu
- Lotus root and kabocha salad with hijiki seaweed
🔪Instructions
Now you have all the ingredients, so let's start cooking! You can also watch this video.

- Preparation: Soak hijiki seaweed in the water for more than 5 minutes and drain it. Shred carrot and cut aburaage into strips.
- Stir fry: Add oil to a pot, stir fry carrots, hijiki and aburaage over medium heat.
- Add seasoning: Add dashi powder, mirin, soy sauce, and water.
- Add soybeans: Add soybeans, and mix lightly.
- Simmer: Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for about 7-10 minutes on low heat
After simmering, you can leave it with the lid until it cools down or opens the lid and boil it down a little.

Here you go! The easy side dish is ready to serve!
Storage
When it cools down, transfer it to a storage container and store it in the refrigerator. It will last up to 3 days.
You can put it in the freezer bag and store it in the freezer. It will last up to one month.
Make another dish with leftover
When you have leftovers, but you don't want to eat them, here are some ideas:
- Mix with rice and make hijiki rice
- Wrap in dumpling skin and make hijiki dumpling
- Mix with egg and make hijiki omelet
- Mix with boiled potatoes and make hijiki potato salad
- Mix with shred vegetables and make hijiki vegetable salad
It would be good to mix with something different texture or less taste.
Variations
There are many different ingredients to go well with hijiki salad. If you want to have variations, why not try the following ingredients.
- Green peas
- Snow peas
- Snap peas
- Edamame
- Lotus roots
- Burdock root(gobo)
- Atsuage (deep-fried tofu)
- Chikuwa (fish cake)
Thanks for Stopping By
Even if you haven't cooked seaweed before, hijiki salad is so easy to make. If you feel like a Japanese dinner, please try making it!
I hope you like the recipe.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog♡ If you’ve tried this recipe(or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!
Also, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!
Chef JA Cooks is a Japanese food blog that shares simple and healthy Japanese home cooking recipes include vegan and vegetarian. From traditional Japanese recipes to modern recipes with step-by-step instructions.
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📖 Recipe

Hijiki Seaweed Salad (Japanese side dish)
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 2 tablespoon Dried hijiki seaweed
- 1 Carrot
- 2 Aburaage, deep-fried tofu (40g)
- 1 tablespoon Oil for cooking
- 200 ml Boiled soybeans, 145g
Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Dashi powder
- 2 tablespoon Mirin
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 100 ml Water
Instructions
- Soak hijiki seaweed: Soak hijiki seaweed in water for more than 5 minutes and drain it.
- Cut ingredients: Shred carrot, and cut aburaage into strips.
- Stir fry: Add oil to a pot, stir fry carrots, hijiki seaweed, and aburaage over medium heat.
- Add seasoning: Add dashi powder, mirin, soy sauce, water, soybeans, and mix lightly.
- Simmer: Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for about 7-10 minutes on low heat.
Video
Notes
- Equipment: Staub pot 18cm
- Storage: It will last for 3 days in the fridge and one month in the freezer.
- Substitute: You can substitute soybeans with other beans such as edamame, lentils, and chickpeas.
David T Allen
I am looking forward to trying these. I found you through "Jumprope"; when you make Jumprope entries, can you include the amount each ingredient in the steps?
Chef JA
Hi David, Thank you for your suggestions! I will include the amount in the video from now on. I hope you will enjoy this hijiki recipe!