Have you eaten eucheuma seaweed? It is a coral seaweed, chewy and slightly crunchy, common in Malaysian cooking but almost unknown outside Southeast Asia. In this kerabu, dried coral seaweed is soaked, drained, snipped short, and tossed with calamansi juice, sugar, and a paste of red chili and belacan pounded together in a mortar.
The belacan is fermented shrimp paste. Pounded with chili, it becomes the backbone of the dressing. Tart calamansi, sweet sugar, and that salty, funky paste coat the seaweed. Pretty damn addictive once you’ve had it. Just before serving, you fold in sliced torch ginger bud, shredded carrot, Japanese cucumber, red onion, roasted peanuts, and toasted sesame seeds.
Tips for Making Seaweed Kerabu
Soak the seaweed properly
Dried coral seaweed needs 10-15 minutes in warm water to soften. It expands noticeably, so 50 grams of dried seaweed is more than it looks. 
Drain it well and snip it into shorter pieces. Long strands are hard to eat and do not pick up the dressing evenly.
Pound the chili and belacan fresh
Use a mortar and pestle. A food processor does not get the same texture. You want a rough paste, not a puree.
Start with half a tablespoon of belacan if the fermented flavour is new to you. You can always add more. The paste is strong and gets stronger as it sits.
Eucheuma Seaweed Kerabu – A Delicious Aromatic Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Pescatarian
Description
Sweet, sour, and spicy, this vibrant Southeast Asian salad features chewy seaweed, crunchy veggies, and aromatic spices. A perfect side for any occasion!
Ingredients
- 2 oz (50 g) dried coral seaweed
- 3-4 tablespoon Calamansi Juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 red chili
- 1 tablespoon belacan paste (Shrimp paste)
- 3 inches carrot
- 1 japanese cucumber
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) roasted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sliced Torch Ginger Bud (Bunga Kantan)
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) red onion
Instructions
- Drain seaweed well and roughly snip it shorter.
- In a big bowl, toss seaweed with calamansi juice, sugar, and salt.
- Pound chili and belacan together, then toss with the seaweed.
- Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Taste after 30 minutes and adjust seasoning as needed.
- When ready to serve, mix with other ingredients and garnish with coriander.
- Serve chilled.
Notes
- To soften dried seaweed, soak it in warm water for 10-15 minutes before snipping.
- If belacan is too strong, start with ½ tablespoon and adjust to taste.
- For a longer shelf life, store the prepared seaweed mixture separately from the vegetables and garnish until ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Malaysian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 300
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 7
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 10
Frequently Asked Questions
What is belacan?
Fermented shrimp paste, sold in blocks at Southeast Asian grocery stores. It has a very strong smell when raw but mellows when mixed with other ingredients. There is no real substitute. Some cooks use fish sauce in a pinch, but the flavour is different.
What is torch ginger bud?
The pink flower bud of the torch ginger plant (bunga kantan in Malay). It has a floral, slightly citrusy flavour. If you cannot find it, leave it out. There is no close substitute, and adding the wrong thing is worse than omitting it.
Can I use lime instead of calamansi?
Lime is more sour and less fragrant than calamansi. Use it if calamansi is unavailable, but reduce the quantity by about a third and add a tiny pinch of sugar to compensate.
Hi Yin Hui. These euchema seaweed are found/harvested in Sabah, and it’s now commonly sold all over Malaysia at many Chinese herbal shops. 300g is about RM10, if I remember correctly. You can read up more about my writeup here http://www.justasdelish.com/eucheuma-seaweed-kerabu/
Hi Shannon, I stumbled into your website while looking for information on coral seaweed. I am a former Penangite currently living in USA for the past 14 years. I still have family back in Penang and my mom is currently visiting my brother in Penang. I have never known about coral seaweed until last year while googling for healthy food. Since you posted this recipe made of Coral Seaweed, you must know where to buy the coral seaweed. I have asked my brother to look for the product for me while he was in Pangkor Island but he couldn’t find it as we have never had them before in our life. I heard from a Malaysian friend who also lives here in the USA said it is kind of cheap and she was from Ipoh or may be Klang area. Can you please tell me where in Malaysia I could find the coral seaweed and how much is the cost? Thanks for sharing the recipe. It looks yummy and I love kerabu style.