Hi
Thanks for all the feedback and hello to all!
I will address all of the following requests for info over the coming months, (whist fishing in between the coming storms
Here is some stuff on seaweed in the mean time to keep you hungry!
Seaweed is conveniently categorised in to three main groups defined by their colours - Green (Chlorospermeae), Brown (Melanospermeae) and Red (Rhodospermeae). They also occupy different levels on the shore, the Green ones are generally found in the highest water region ; and often the whole plant is green, but sometimes Olive or black. The Brown ones can normally be found below the tide marks and sometimes are olive green, Brown or yellow(ish), and the Red ones from below the tide marks to a depth of 120 fathoms, in some cases may be green.
First it is always advisable to wash the seaweed or soak it for a short while in fresh water to help expel some of the salts.
Here are some I have tried and how to prepare them to be eaten and cooked:
Sea lettuce, always a favourite with its soft delicate textures and taste, it looks good enough to eat there and then, it’s really good raw or slightly steamed with the addition of a little vinegar and pepper. Also nice wrapped around fish or scallops before barbecuing them as it keeps the fish moist.
Dulse (Pepper) another delicate seaweed that is soft and tender to the bite, also good raw or steamed, boiled or fried. Rather than pepper dulse, it is usually true dulse that is used in soda bread. It might be worth mentioning the difference between them. Pepper dulse is a little more spicy in flavour and has a chewier texture , smaller fronds and more purple colour. True dulse has a larger frond slightly browner colour and an almost cauliflower-like flavour that is the one we were talking about using in coleslaw. Once dried it has been traditionally added to bread dough, used dried or fresh for soups.
Mosses. The mosses are slightly coarser than the dulse or sea lettuce but can be just as tender, first slightly toasted or steamed they are great in salads with a splash of soy sauce and vinegar. They also have carrageenan in them, which is a gelling agent, they are traditionally used in the Hebrides to make milk pudding, Kelp - Oar weed. The kelp family are slightly tougher than most varieties and can benefit from cutting into very fine strips or slices before adding to stir-fries, soups, or stews. Once dried it can also be ground down and used as a nutritious alternative to salt - this could be good in a foragers pack too. Kelp would be good on a barbecue to put under fish fillets as it would infuse them with glutamate giving them natural seasoning, this is something they do in Japan. This versatile variety was even used to make knife handles from the thick rubbery steam that comes from the holdfast (the root like part that attaches itself to the rocks). When wet and first collected the stem is soft and will allow the tang of a knife to easily be pushed into it, as it dries and becomes hardened it also shrinks to make a firm handle.
Sea spaghetti - Long and brown this spaghetti like seaweed is easy to cook if cut into pieces as long as you want it does as do many seaweeds change colour when cooked from a brown to a green, resembling French beans, once slightly poached it makes a great addition to strips of meat or stir fried vegetable.
Here are some simple recipes to try on the beach and at home. Because of its slightly salty taste seaweed makes for a great way of seasoning food when salt is not available.
Sea lettuce and fish sashimi.
Wash fresh pieces of sea lettuce in fresh water and pat dry with a clean cloth. Cut into pieces the size of your finger. Take small skinned and boned fillets of fish, cut into small bite-sized strips and roll the sea lettuce around it. They are delicious like that, but great with a little vinegar or mustard. The small sachets of vinegar they give you at cafés are a great addition to the coastal foragers pantry, as are the pepper ones.
Sea spaghetti with strips of meat or fish.
Any oily fish or fatty tender meat or game will do, with the addition of some fat or oil added to the leaner cuts.
Cut the chosen meat or fish into boneless thin strips, pre-heat a pan and add the cut meat, fry quickly and then add the pre-washed and boiled sea spaghetti, its better if you change the cooking water twice when boiling as some jelly can come out of the seaweed (sea water can be used). Cut into pieces as long as your finger and add to the hot pan of fish or meat. Add pepper and a pinch of any available spices. Continue cooking for a few more minutes, turning a few times.
Seaweed and shellfish soup.
First start by frying some chopped onion, garlic or leeks in a little oil or butter. Take a selection of pre-baked shellfish (can be backed on stones around the fire or on the embers), cleaned and chopped (without the shell J) add the shellfish to the pan and with a selection of any of the softer seaweeds like pepper dulse and sea lettuce, cover with fresh water, some herbs or spices of your choice and simmer for 5/10minutes.
The great nutritional benefits and uses from seaweeds are far reaching and many products already contain seaweed extracts such as carrageen and alginate. The next time your lucky enough to find some seaweed, take some home, identify it, wash it and use it, don't worry if even after you have eaten it raw cooked and dried, that you have some spare, it makes a great base for compost and due to the fact that a lot of cultivated vegetable originally came from the coast, it makes a great mulch or soil improver for the vegetable garden - slugs hate it! When dried, most of the tougher varieties will make fuel for a fire when wood is hard to find (soaking it or steeping it in fresh water for a day gets rid of most of the salt that inhibit combustion).
