Diversify Your Menu with Sea Vegetables
Dulse, kombu, wakame, nori — no, they aren’t the new hip baby names for 2009 (although they’d certainly make for a uniquely-titled tot). These are varieties of edible sea vegetables (seaweed) that are increasingly gaining popularity among American diners.
In addition to being tasty, plants from the sea are full of iodine and minerals, making them a nutritious meal addition - and a great option this time of year, when most supermarket produce is anything but fresh.
Dried seaweed can be purchased at many natural food stores, Asian groceries, or from any number of online distributors. Because its flavor (and mineral content are concentrated), a little goes a long way.
While most of us probably associate seaweed with Japanese cuisine, there’s no need to limit your sea vegetable consumption to sushi or miso soup. Cookbooks (such as last year’s The New Seaweed Cookbook by Crystal June Maderia) offer more than enough inspiration for the amateur seaweed chef. Recipes such as Chrysanthemum Blossom Soup, Roast Lamb with Mint, Arame and Kumquat Jam, and Lavender Lemon Pots of Cream are sure to challenge your preconception of the sorts of foods that can include seaweed.
Go out and buy yourself a package of seaweed, choose a recipe and see how it comes out. You (and your culinary guinea pigs) may be surprised at the results. Even if you don’t enjoy the outcome, for the chef-in-training any new cooking experience is a chance to learn something new.
If you liked this post please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed.
Share your thoughts about "Diversify Your Menu with Sea Vegetables"
None yet, geterdun!
Share your thoughts