Shio Kombu Tofu

Shio Kombu Tofu is a refreshing and protein packed dish! Quick make, no cooking involved. Mix tofu with tuna. Season with shio kombu, green onions, sesame seeds and oil. Served chilled. Enjoy plain or with rice. So good and full of flavor.

Shio kombu is one of those magical ingredients that make everything taste better. I've been exploring different ways to cook with shio kombu, and this is one of my favorites.

It combines ingredients I love: fresh tofu, good tuna in olive oil, green onions. Plus sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Best part is that you don't need to cook anything. Just place all the ingredients in a bowl and gently mix with two forks. Serve slightly chilled (you don't need to refrigerate before serving, it will already be a little cold because the tofu is cold).

It takes just 20 minutes to put together (and 10 minutes of that is just waiting to drain the tofu).

And though it's not the most beautiful looking dish, everyone seems to love it! We usually serve it as a side dish along a nice bowl of rice. You can also serve it with a simple noodle dish. Tonight, I ate it alongside yakisoba.

Or you can even eat it plain, just as it is. So good on these hot summer nights.

What Is Shio Kombu?

Shio Kombu is composed of two words:
Shio = Salt.
Kombu = Kelp.

Shio Kombu = thin sheets of kelp boiled in shoyu / soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. The sheets of kelp are then dried and cut into thin strips.

It tastes sweet and salty, and super umami. If you taste shio kombu straight from the bag (which you should definitely try), it is a little chewy and packed with flavor.

You can use shio kombu in endless ways. Mix with rice to make Shio Kombu Rice. Add tuna and a few extra seasonings to make it Shio Kombu Tuna Rice. Use it to make onigiri. Make Shio Kombu Roasted Sweet Potato. Add a sprinkle of shio kombu to stir fry or noodle dishes. Mix it with raw fish for Shio Kombu Sashimi...this is super good with ahi / tuna and salmon.

Use shio kombu when you want an extra flavor boost.

Many Japanese markets sell a variety of shio kombu. There's the regular version (the red bag pictured below) and a low sodium version (the green bag pictured above). There is even a super finely chopped version of shio kombu.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need:

• Firm tofu - Soft tofu is too soft for this recipe, so please get firm tofu.
• Shio kombu - You can use regular or low sodium, whichever you prefer.
• Tuna in olive oil - Make sure to get tuna in olive oil and not tuna in water.
• Green onions
• Roasted sesame seeds
• Sesame oil - I like this sesame oil for a good everyday brand.

Instructions

Let's get cooking:

Prepare the tofu.
Place the block firm tofu on a plate (with a rim) or a shallow bowl. Place a paper towel on top of the tofu, and then place something heavy on top of the paper towel like a cutting board or frying pan.

Let sit for 10 minutes for the water to drain out of the tofu.

Combine and mix.
Place the tofu in a bowl. Open the can of tuna and drain the oil. Add the tuna to the bowl.

Then add the chopped green onions and roasted sesame seeds to the bowl.

Use two forks to crumble the tofu and mix everything together.

Eat and enjoy.
Once everything is evenly mixed, drizzle the sesame oil on top and mix once more. Serve and enjoy!

This dish is great with rice or a simple noodle dish. You can even eat it plain for a great hot weather meal.

Top Tip

Make sure to drain the tofu! It might seem like a small step that you can skip. But don't. If there's too much water in the tofu, you'll have a watery dish. It's just 10 minutes of waiting time for the tofu to drain. And it will make a big difference.

FAQ

Shio Kombu Tofu Recipe