The Virtues of Seaweed

Although separated by thousands of miles, the British Isles and Japan are connected by one, remarkable ingredient: seaweed, the mineral-rich sea algae found in abundance on the shores of these island nations.

Seaweed farming has been commonplace in Japan, Korea and China for hundreds of years, with Japanese cooks in particular, harnessing its intense flavour and mineral-rich properties for generations, most notably in ‘dashi’, a rich soup-stock central to many of the country’s most celebrated dishes.

Long ago, seaweed enjoyed similar status in the U.K where it was used by chemists and cooks alike, but over the years, its popularity waned, until eventually, it all but disappeared from its cuisines.

However, in recent years this unique ingredient has seen a dramatic resurgence, due both to its categorisation as a super-food (calcium, copper, and iron, are just a few of its many mineral properties), and also to the growing trend amongst Western chefs of borrowing from Japanese gastronomy.

With the British Isles and Ireland rich in this naturally occurring green gold, foragers have begun reaping the benefits, and it is becoming increasingly easy to acquire, with companies like Mara Seaweed and The Cornish Seaweed

Company, offering an extensive selection in their online shops.

Beyond its culinary applications, seaweed has huge environmental potential. Unlike most commercial land-based agriculture, it is cultivated without the use of fertilisers, fresh water, or land, and recent studies have also pointed to its carbon-offsetting potential, which could play a key role in reducing the effects of climate change.

With summer fast approaching, the seaweed season is nearly upon us, but incorporating it into our daily lives may seem a little daunting. So how best to use it?

Think like the Japanese and use it as an umami-rich base for stocks and broths; consume as a delicate vegetable not unlike samphire, or grind to a powder and use it as an alternative to salt.