If you wander down the aisles of any major supermarket, you could be forgiven for getting the impression that we are a nation obsessed with foods that claim to have special healing, weight loss or energy boosting properties. Goji berries, aloe vera, guarana, quinoa are now household names, and are transported at great expense from the ends of the earth to make us slimmer, stronger, healthier and more virile. However, there is a food group – much closer to home – that is packed with nutrients, abundantly available and best of all, free.
The food is seaweed, found right the way along our shoreline and available to be harvested with the most minimal amount of effort. You might well already be familiar with the Nori, used in Sushi rolls, but there are many other types that are equally delicious and by virtue of growing in the sea, naturally absorb many of the minerals from seawater. You’ll find Potassium, Iron, Calcium, Iodine and Magnesium all present plus high concentrations of Vitamin C and B, lots of amino acids and a high fibre content. And to top it all off a very low calorie content.
Of all the varieties of seaweed found on UK shores, only a handful are really worth bothering with. These include Laver, Sea lettuce, Dulse, the Gutweeds and to a lesser extent, Kelp. We’ve experimented with quite a few in our time but have come to the conclusion that the softer more delicate varieties like the ulvas taste the best. These bright green seaweeds are easy to find and don’t need too much preparation before they can be cooked. While the bright green seaweeds are the best for eating there is also something to be said for the achievement of making Laverbread, which involves a marathon 5 hour cooking session, which is not just delicious but research shows can be used to treat flu.
When it comes to collecting seaweed, you should first make sure you are allowed to do so. If in doubt, ask the landowner for permission. Look for a rocky, rather than sandy beach, as this will save time later when washing what you collect. Try to avoid pulling up the holdfast, the part of the seaweed that is attached to rock. Instead use a knife to trim away what you need. At this point a word of warning, no matter how hard you try there will always be sand mixed in with what you collect. This will need to be washed out before you eat it, otherwise you’ll get that dreaded crunch between your teeth. Rinse the seaweed in rockpools as much as possible, or pick seaweed that is already in water as it is likely to be less sandy.
