Kelp Noodle Salad with Mango and Peanut Dressing
If you’ve never tried kelp noodles before, don’t be afraid! This kelp noodle salad with mango and peanut dressing is the best dish to try it in! The crunchy and chewy noodles add tons of texture, and soak up the spicy peanut sauce, and the sweet mango makes it taste bright and summery! Bulk it up with protein like grilled chicken or baked tofu!
This post was originally published July 2014. Text and images have been updated.
I was first introduced to the world of food blogs back in college, when a friend turned me onto the site Hungry Girl. It was perfect timing. I had just moved into my first apartment and was learning to cook, and had just decided to double major with nutrition.
If you remember that blog, it was full of tons of recipes that were quick, easy, and fit my definition of healthy. Of course, back in college healthy meant low calorie. And Hungry Girl was ruthless in chopping calories. She swapped burger buns for those sandwich thin atrocities, had the gall to use fat free cheese, and sweetened everything with Splenda. Somehow I convinced myself that these were all things that were edible.
One of the swaps I remember most were these weird tofu noodles and kelp noodles she used for pasta dishes. Her whole shtick was you were *allowed* to have a whole bowl of pasta, as long as you swapped actual noodles for these weird low-calorie noodles. Even in my slightly disordered mind, that was one step too far.
To this day, I still have lingering food trauma, and every time I pass these "Hungry Girl foods" at the grocery store, I shudder a little bit.
But one day a couple years ago, curiosity got ahold of me and I decided to grab a bag of kelp noodles. Weirdly, I actually kinda liked them! Lawd knows they are no pasta, and I wouldn’t suggest doing the Hungry Girl thing and loading them up with fat free sour cream and Laughing Cow cheese and pretending it’s fettucine alfredo (ick). But for cold noodle salads, kelp noodles are pretty tasty! They have this slightly crunchy texture that I really like in there. If you've ever had cellophane noodles, they kinda remind me of that (and you could easily swap them or rice noodles in the dish if you can't find/are too terrified to try kelp noodles). I don't recommend them right out of the bag, but after soaking a bit in peanut sauce, they soften up a bit, but still retain a slightly crunchy, chewy texture.
What are Kelp Noodles?
If you’re scratching your head wondering what this whole kelp noodle thing is, first of, #same. I did some research (i.e. googled “what are kelp noodles?") and discovered that they are made the jelly-like extract that comes from steaming kelp. Mmmmm, I know I’m selling it to you. Kelp noodles were originally used in Korean cuisine, but now are big with the raw vegan and low carb crowds.
How to Make this Kelp Noodle Salad
I almost didn’t share this recipe with you because technically it is raw/vegan/gluten free/paleo/grain free and that is just TOO MUCH. But you know, it’s actually really tasty, and why do the diet folks get to lay claim to fun foods?
For this kelp noodle salad, I tossed the kelp noodles with zoodles, sliced mango and a spicy peanut sauce. The sweet-tart mango is SO good with the spicy, peanut sauce, and the noodles and zoodles add great texture. There’s no cooking involved so it’s a perfect summer dish.
To make the zoodles, simply cut the zucchini into ribbons using a spiralizer. I use this one, but I love this version that spiralizes them into a cup. Looks much easier for cleanup! If you don’t have a spiralizer, a regular mandolin slicer will work too. You could probably use that on the mango too if it’s not too ripe and still has some firmness, but mind was quite soft and just turned to mush, so it was much easier to slice on my own.
Kelp Noodle Salad Recipe Adaptions
It makes a really nice light lunch salad, but I would definitely bulk it up with some baked tofu or grilled chicken. To save time, swap a bottled peanut dressing.
Kelp Noodle and Mango Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
Salad:
1 lb bag of kelp noodles, rinsed
1 large zucchini
2 mangos
Sliced scallions optional, for garnish
Chopped peanuts optional, for garnish
Cilantro, optional, for garnish
Dressing:
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted peanut butter
Juice from half a lime
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed chili flakes
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sriracha
1/2 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons water
Instructions
Rinse the kelp noodles briefly in water and drain in a colander. Place in a large mixing bowl.
Spiralize the zucchini using the spiralizer, or julienne cut with a mandolin. Place in a bowl with the kelp noodles
To slice the mango, cut down the wide side of each mango. Scoop away the flesh using a spoon and slice into thin strips. Run your knife along the thin side of the mango. Use your spoon again to scoop the flesh away from the skin, then slice the flesh into thin strips. Place the mango in the bowl with the kelp and zucchini noodles.
To prepare the dressing, whisk all dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl. Pour over the salad and toss to combine. The kelp noodles will soften in a couple minutes in the dressing. Garnish as desired, with scallions, chopped peanuts and cilantro
More noodle salads:
Kimchi Noodle Salad
Sesame Soba Noodle Salad
Cilantro Pesto Soba Noodle Bowl with Broccolini and Seared Tofu
