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1
Combine rice vinegar, soy sauce, and mirin in equal volumes to make the sanbaizu. If using dashi, add it now at 10–20% of the total dressing volume. Stir briefly to integrate. The dressing should smell bright and sharp with a distinct sweet undertone from the mirin; no single element should dominate.
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2
Slice cucumber to 1–2 mm. Toss with fine salt and set aside for 15–30 minutes. The salt draws surface and cellular moisture from the flesh. At the end of the resting period, take the cucumber in both hands and squeeze firmly — the bundle should feel almost dry, and the expressed liquid should run freely. Insufficient squeezing here dilutes the dressing at table and softens texture unacceptably: this is the step on which the dish lives or dies.
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3
Reconstitute dried wakame in cold water until pliable. Bring a small pot of water to a full boil and submerge the wakame for 10–15 seconds only. Transfer immediately to ice water. The colour brightens from brown-grey to a vivid deep green — that colour change is the signal that blanching is complete. Drain and squeeze firmly.
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4
Arrange the squeezed cucumber and wakame in four small bowls — glass dishes, celadon, or seasonal ceramic are all appropriate. Keep portions restrained: 50–80 g total per vessel. The dish functions as a palate cleanser, not a salad course.
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5
Dress the sunomono only at the moment of service. Spoon sanbaizu over each portion — enough to coat and pool lightly beneath the vegetables, not to flood them. Pre-dressed sunomono becomes watery within 10 minutes; the window between dressing and eating is brief.
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6
Lay a single narrow strip of yuzu zest across each portion. Serve at slightly cool rather than refrigerator temperature — 10–15°C allows the acid-sweet balance of the sanbaizu to fully register on the palate. The dressing should taste bright and immediately refreshing, with the soy's umami as a quiet undertone.