Wakame and Vegan Pomelo Salad
If you want a vegan pomelo salad, but also want to do something a little different from the typical Thai pomelo salad, try this version that combines a pomelo with a seaweed salad. The distinctive seaweed flavor is matched with the equally distinctive pomelo. The savory mineral flavors play off the sweet, tart, and bitter of the pomelo. It’s all tied together with a dressing featuring lime juice, chili peppers, garlic, and cilantro. A few shallots to top it off, and you’ve got the dynamic seaweed and pomelo salad of your dreams!
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All About Pomelos
You might have come across pomelos at the supermarket and assumed they were simply oversized grapefruits. Visually, they share a striking resemblance—large, often surpassing the size of a softball- boasting green or yellow rinds. These pomelos belong to the original five citrus varieties, which also includes kumquats and mandarins. Interestingly, all other citrus fruits are offspring resulting from crosses among the original five. For instance, the combination of a pomelo and a mandarin yields the sweet orange, and a subsequent cross between a sweet orange and a pomelo gives rise to the grapefruit.
Characterized by their thick rinds, pomelos encase white, yellow, pink, or orange flesh within. The flavor profile is a delightful blend of sweetness, mild sourness, and a touch of bitterness. I love them in the same way I love a good IPA- they’re refreshing, and yet leave me craving more refreshment with each taste. However, peeling pomelos requires a bit more effort than handling many other citrus fruits. Removing the substantial rind and extracting the fruit from its membranous casing can be a task. Alternatively, if you’re not concerned about having large pieces, you can cut them in half and use a grapefruit spoon and scoop out the flesh for a more convenient approach. Pomelos prove versatile in both sweet and savory dishes, with their inherent bitterness becoming more pronounced during cooking—an attribute that, much like chocolate, can be considered a feature.
Primarily cultivated and consumed in Thailand, pomelos are most likely to be found in your local Asian grocery store during the winter months. As the years go on, they have become easier to find. During December, I now find them at Trader Joes and even the local Stop and Shop.
Cooking with Wakame
There are many different types of edible seaweed, with varying uses and attributes. Nori is a red seaweed that most often gets processed into thin sheets and rolled onto sushi. Kelp is becoming more and more popular for its textural properties and more neutral flavor in salads and other dishes- you can even find kelp fresh sometimes unlike most seaweed which is dried. Dulse can be found as a powder and used most of the time for it’s umami flavor. Kombu is popular for flavoring soups and broths in Japan. Other seaweeds like Irish moss are virtually flavorless, but have other excellent properties such as being a thickener.
In this instance we used a seaweed called wakame. Wakame is a green seaweed (there are red, black, and green varieties) that is common in soups and salads. Like most seaweeds, it is usually purchased dried. In order to eat wakame, it needs to be rehydrated with water. Until rehydrating, make sure the container you’re using to store your wakame is air-tight, because it can spoil if too much moisture gets to it. Rehydrated wakame is salty, silky, and savory.
From a nutritional standpoint, wakame, like all seaweeds, is low in calories, boasting a decent protein content and virtually zero fat. Noteworthy nutrients in wakame include niacin, potassium, magnesium, beta-carotene, folate, and iodine.
I got my seaweed from a local seller, who forages wild seaweed off the coasts of Maine. You can purchase the same wakame here.
Looking for Seaweed Recipes? Try one of these!
- Sweet and Umami Homemade Seaweed Jam
- Olive and Dulse (Seaweed) Vegan Scones
- Homemade Vegan Seaweed Crackers
- Sweet and Briney Kelp Relish
- Vegan Fish Fillets: A Versatile Vegetarian Fish Alternative
- 8 Colorful and Creative Vegan Sushi Recipes
- Homemade Vegan Caviar Black Pearls
- Lion’s Mane Vegetarian Fish and Chips
- Vegan Brown Rice Congee with Jackfruit and Mushrooms
- Vegan Fish Sauce (Fish-less Sauce!)
- Seaside Vegan Beet Salad
Looking for Pomelo Recipes? Try one of these!
Looking for Thai-Inspired Recipes? Try one of these!
- Fresh and Vegan Thai Jackfruit Salad
- Thai Rice Noodle Salad with Vegan Chick’n
- Spiralized Radish Thai Noodle Salad (Yum Woon Sen)
- Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip
- Galangal Cookies with Lime and Coconut
- Vegan Lime and Coconut Spicy Cashews
- TVP Vegan Larb
- One-Pot Green Curry Noodle Soup
- Chicken of the Woods Vegan Pad Kee Mao
How to Make Wakame Vegan Pomelo Salad
This salad uses two ingredients that require a little preparation, but the rest is just a simple chop, mix, and chill. The pomelo and the seaweed both require some attention, so start with those. Seaweed needs to be rehydrated in cool water for around 15 minutes to get it back to it’s original state. Once rehydrated the seaweed needs to be squeezed to remove excess moisture and chop the seaweed into thin ribbons. Into a large mixing bowl goes the seaweed. The pomelo is the other ingredient that needs a little work- peeling a pomelo takes some time. The rind is thick, but can be peeled off quickly. The part that takes a bit more doing is removing the membrane from the fruit. I find a paring knife, my fingers, and patience to be the best tools. Once the pomelo is peeled, break the fruit up into smaller pieces and add it to the bowl. The rest is just chopping a shallot, and adding it along with cilantro and a simple dressing to the salad. This is one of those salads that tastes better after it’s been allowed to sit and meld the flavors together for a while, so I like to just throw it into the fridge for a few hours, or overnight before eating.
Wakame and Vegan Pomelo Salad
Ingredients
- 20 g. dried wakame seaweed
- 1 large pomelo
- 1 medium-sized shallot
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lime
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 birds eye chili pepper
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
Instructions
- Place the seaweed in a large bowl of cool water and set aside until it has rehydrated and is tender (at least 10 minutes). Once soft, remove from the water, squeeze to get rid of excess water, and finely chop. Place chopped seaweed in a large mixing bowl.
- While the seaweed is soaking, you can start on your pomelo. Peel off the thick rind, and then get to work removing all of the white membrane from the flesh. Gently break the pomelo into pieces and add to the mixing bowl with the seaweed.
- Cut the shallots into thin half-moons, and add to the mixing bowl. Finely chop the cilantro, and add that as well. Mince the garlic, finely chop the birds eye chili, and add them with the juice of the lime, sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil to a jar. Shake well to mix, and pour over the salad. Toss to incorporate, and season with salt to taste.
- For best and tastiest results let the salad sit in the fridge for a few hours before enjoying.
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