Sea Vegetables

The asparagus has finished, the samphire is reaching the end of its season and I've only just got the first flowers on my runner beans, so they are a while away.

My hyperthyroid has now been overtreated and I am officially hypOthyroid. Before asking for a prescription for thyroxine I thought I'd tinker with iodine and see if I can get my thyroid to reboot.

I hadn't had sea vegetables for a while now, since the Health Food Shop moved them and I couldn't be bothered to find where they moved them to.

I just bought a whole bunch, today I had Wakame with my herring. Not totally successful, I soaked it then boiled it briefly but it tasted a bit like plastic that had been for a swim.

No worries, I have others, I'll report in as to their palatability.

I really don't know too much about sea vegetables ... so I've just started doing a little reading!

"Sea vegetables are an excellent source of iodine, vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin B2. They are also a very good source of vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids) and copper as well as a good source of protein, pantothenic acid, potassium, iron, zinc, vitamin B6, niacin, phosphorus, and vitamin B1."

Read more here
Sea vegetables - The World's Healthiest Foods
www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=135

Be interested to hear how you get on with the Wakame Chris  

Has anyone else tried out any?

All the best Jan

Today I had Arame with my other herring.

This is a bit like tarred string. I overdosed on the Wakame as I hadn't realised how much the (dried) sheets would swell when soaked. If anything I didn't soak enough of the Arame, it didn't swell as much, but after soaking and boiling briefly it was quite good, with a dark somewhat smoky flavour and a texture a bit like licorice shoelaces. I'll be using more of this one.

chris c wrote:Today I had Arame with my other herring.

This is a bit like tarred string. I overdosed on the Wakame as I hadn't realised how much the (dried) sheets would swell when soaked. If anything I didn't soak enough of the Arame, it didn't swell as much, but after soaking and boiling briefly it was quite good, with a dark somewhat smoky flavour and a texture a bit like licorice shoelaces. I'll be using more of this one.

When you talk about licorice shoelaces I can remember eating those in my youth    but using a google search, I also found these details:

'Licorice Laces are made in both red (strawberry) and black (licorice).

Licorice Laces History

Licorice Laces are sometimes called Licorice Shoe Laces probably because of a movie made by Charlie Chaplin. Mr. Chaplin had a special set of licorice shoe laces made to be used as a prop for his classic 1925 film The Gold Rush, in which his character eats shoe leather to avoid starvation.'


But now, more on Sea Vegetables ...

" All of the 56 elements essential for human health are present in sea vegetables, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, iron, and zinc, together with important trace elements such as selenium that are often lacking in land vegetables due to soil demineralisation.

What is more, the minerals in sea vegetables exist in a chelated, colloidal form that makes them readily 'bioavailable' for use in crucial bodily functions. Population studies show that people with a regular intake of sea vegetables show few symptoms of mineral depletion and the longevity of the people of Okinawa is believed to be due to their regular consumption of sea vegetables.

Sea vegetables have traditionally been consumed in moderate amounts and on a regular basis to provide a balanced intake of minerals. For example, kombu is a good source of iodine, which is necessary for proper thyroid function and is of general benefit to health, but a few people with sensitive thyroids may have an adverse reaction to excess iodine, and for this reason kombu should not be consumed in excess.

Over the last few decades, medical researchers have discovered that a diet rich in sea vegetables reduces the risk of some diseases and helps the body eliminate dangerous toxins."

More here
https://www.clearspring.co.uk/blogs/news/10122969-the-secret-health-benefits-of-sea-vegetables-seaweed

I hope you continue to use/experiment with these sea vegetables.

All the best Jan

Yesterday I had Hijiki. This resembled a brillo pad that had survived an inferno, but plumped up nicely on soaking. It was otherwise very similar to the Arame but slightly darker in flavour.

Since I'd run out of herrings I had it with a cross between prawn curry and a stir-fry - cashews, coloured peppers, garlic and king prawns fried in coconut oil, with the addition of tumeric, coriander, cumin, cardamom, a pinch of ginger, a smaller pinch of cayenne pepper, a sprinkle of toasted sesame oil and the juice of a lime.

There's a warning that Hijiki may contain arsenic so shouldn't be eaten too often. No big deal, I prefer the arame which doesn't as far as I know.

Yes they all have high levels of minerals, especially iodine, but after Fukushima I suppose I should look to see if they glow in the dark.

I love your descriptions Chris ...

but thank goodness for Wikipedia ...
Hijiki is a brown sea vegetable growing wild on rocky coastlines around Japan, Korea, and China. Hijiki has been a part of the Japanese diet for centuries. Hijiki is rich in dietary fibre and essential minerals such as calcium, iron, and magnesium ...


However, the image above is from Emily Han's recipe Hijiki with Carrot ... Hijiki seaweed and carrots are classic combination in Japanese cooking. This marriage of earth and sea is salty, sweet, pleasantly crunchy, and highly nutritious

Hijiki with Carrots
Serves 2-4

1/2 cup dried hijiki seaweed
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup julienned carrots
2 teaspoons sour citrus juice or rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
White pepper, to taste
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

see more here:
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-hijiki-with-carrots-77809

I still have yet to try any sea vegetables!

All the best Jan

The other day I had Dulse with half my smoked haddock. This tastes and smells like the seaside - not surprisingly as it's a local seaweed species. A bit of an acquired taste.

I had some more of the Arame with a (tinned) salmon stir-fry, definitely my favourite so far, but I still have a couple more to taste.

Reading more about Dulse ...

"If your seaweed consumption is limited to the miso soup and seaweed salad from the corner takeout sushi joint, you need to meet dulse. Researchers are betting you’ll soon be downing this seaweed with an enthusiasm normally reserved for bacon because, well, it tastes like bacon.

“Fresh, raw dulse has a nice minerality and tastes very much like the ocean,” says Jason Ball, a research chef who works extensively with dulse at Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center in Portland. “But when you pan-fry it, it takes on a lot of those smoky and savory characteristics that are very, very similar to bacon.”"

More here
http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/dulse-seaweed

Or these words ...

" DULSE

(Palmaria palmata)

Dulse (also dillisk, dilsk or handed fucus) is a red seaweed. It has a rather wide distribution, including Ireland, India, the Philippines, Yemen and Ghana.

In Ireland dulse is traditionally used as a cure against hangovers, but it  is also a healthy and tasty ingredient in fish dishes, soups, desserts, bread, chowders and salads. It can be eaten straight from the ocean and when dried it makes an excellent on-the-move snack. Or, try deep-frying it for a few seconds, seriously better than potato crisps!

Nutritional benefits

Dulse is very rich in vitamins, particularly vitamin A. It is also an exceptional source of fibre (up to 30% when dried) and is bulking with proteins (up to 35%). It further contains a range of trace elements such as iron, sodium and potassium that are essential for your body’s every day functioning. In fact, there is more iron in 8 gram dried dulse than in a 100 gram sirloin steak!"

and more here
http://cornishseaweed.co.uk/our-seaweeds/dulse/

Great stuff Chris ...
Wonder who else may have tried this ?

All the best Jan

Thanks, I'll try frying it next time. Still have a couple of others to try.