Chinese Jellyfish Salad

Chinese jellyfish salad is commonly served at Chinese banquets. This salad is tangy, crunchy, savoury and refreshing. Make this restaurant quality dish right at home!

Jellyfish itself isn’t very flavourful but it offers a distinct chewy and crunchy texture. Typically, a seasoning packet comes with the jellyfish. I wouldn’t recommend using it. Dressing it with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil is all it takes! Trust me on this one.

Looking for More Vegetables Recipes? Check These Out!

Easy Chinese Vegetables

Chinese Garlic Green Beans

Chinese Stuffed Peppers

Here’s Why You Will Love the Chinese Jellyfish Salad

• Customizable: Pair this salad with your favourite things such as cilantro, crushed peanuts, green onions, cucumber ribbons and more! Add some shredded chicken for additional protein.
• As authentic as it gets: You will see jellyfish salad at Chinese restaurants for wedding banquets and special occasions. Now, you can make this at home and impress your guests!
• Simple: You can make this recipe regardless of your cooking skill level. It’s very easy to make.
• Perfect pairing: This makes a delicious side salad or use it in the center of a shared Chinese style cold dish, just like the restaurant!

Equipment and Tools to Make Chinese Jellyfish Salad

Cutting board and knife: To cut the daikon, carrots and cabbage for the salad.

Pot: To heat up pickling juice.

Container: To pickle vegetables.

Medium bowl: To rinse and marinate jellyfish

Measuring spoons

Ingredients

Jellyfish: I bought Watson brand from my local Asian grocery store. They are ready to eat.

Light soy sauce: Imparts a nice savoury flavour to the jellyfish

Vinegar: To pickle vegetables and to marinate jellyfish

Sugar: Balances all the flavours

Sesame oil: Gives a nutty flavour

Toasted sesame seeds: Sprinkle on top of the jellyfish

Cabbage, carrot and daikon: My favourite choice of vegetables to pickle

Chinese Jellyfish Salad Options and Substitutions

• You can substitute vinegar with rice wine vinegar (makes it less acidic) or Chinese black vinegar (for a more intense acidity)
• Make it less salty with a low sodium soy sauce.
• Add shredded chicken for more protein or add cucumber ribbons for an extra crunchy freshness. Make sure you season the chicken and cucumber in the same jellyfish marinade.
• Drizzle some chili oil for a spicy kick!

How to Make Chinese Jellyfish Salad

Let’s make this dish!

Pickle vegetables. Boil vinegar and sugar in a pot. While that cools, cut cabbage into thin strips. Cut carrot and daikon into matchsticks. Place in a glass container and pour cooled pickling juice over them. A quick pickle of 4 hours would work but overnight would be better.

Prepare jellyfish. Remove jellyfish from packaging. Discard the seasoning packet. Rinse well and drain jellyfish in a bowl of water.

Season jellyfish. Mix soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil in a bowl and pour over jellyfish. The jellyfish does not need to be marinated for long. Remove after tossing jellyfish in soy sauce mixture. However, if you add cucumber ribbons and shredded chicken to the salad, those two items must marinate for 30 minutes.

Plate the final dish. Remove vegetables from pickling liquid and put it on the plate. This will serve as the base. Add jellyfish on top. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve cold. Enjoy!

Storage and Reheating Tips

Cover and store leftover salad in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. I do not recommend freezing this salad. There is no need to reheat this as it is served cold or at room temperature.

Make Ahead Options

Pickle the vegetables up to 3 days in advance. This will allow maximum flavouring and it will be ready to go when you want to add jellyfish on top.

Recipe Tips

Make it spicy! Add some chili oil to bring in some heat.

Choose a good quality soy sauce. You can taste the difference between different brands of light soy sauce.

You can buy ready to eat prepackaged and shredded jellyfish at your local Asian grocery store. If you find a jellyfish that has not been shredded, follow the instructions on how to prepare it.

To make this dish more unique in taste and texture, serve with pickled vegetables. Every bite is refreshing!

Frequently Asked Questions

What does jellyfish taste like? Jellyfish is slightly salty but rather, it is more known for its chewy and crunchy texture, similar to cartilage. The seasoning of jellyfish is so important because it absorbs all flavours put into the marinade.

What is in jellyfish salad? The jellyfish is marinated with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil. Pair it with pickled vegetables, like cabbage strips, shredded carrot and cucumber ribbons.

Is jellyfish good for you? Jellyfish is low in fat and calories and high in protein. It is rich in collagen, which is so good for your skin!

How do you eat Chinese jellyfish salad? The salad is served cold or at room temperature. I prefer it served cold just like the Chinese banquets. Jellyfish is a great accompaniment to the cold appetizer plate or as a side dish.

Hungry for More Chinese Recipes?

Chinese Mango Pudding

Chinese Braised Mushrooms

Crispy Garlic Chicken Wings

Lastly, if you make my Chinese Jellyfish Salad, be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a star rating! I love to hear from you guys and respond to each and every comment. Also, don’t forget to tag me @cookwith.chopsticks and #cookwithchopsticks on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you have made makes me sooooo happy! You can also follow along on Facebook and Pinterest.