Seaweed

About

Seaweed appears in food more often than most people realize: carrageenan, a thickener used in ice cream, milkshakes, and yogurt, is derived from seaweed and typically listed as E407, while kombu enriches the dashi broth in many Japanese soups and noodle dishes largely undetected. This entry also covers dulse, wakame, hijiki, and sea spaghetti. Beyond its initial marine flavor, seaweed can also taste of hay, licorice, tobacco, oolong tea, geranium, pepper, smoke, jerky, anchovy, bacon, or truffle. It is typically used either in small amounts to season a bland ingredient like potato, or as the main element of a dish balanced with a freshening ingredient such as citrus or ginger to tone down its pungency.

Pairs well with seaweed

• CiLemonThe combination works as a natural extension of seafood and lemon: dried sea spaghetti, a seaweed, cooked alongside wheat spaghetti and…
• EaPotatoIn Ireland, dulse (a type of seaweed) was historically eaten by poorer households as the only relish on potatoes, a dish known as dillisk…
• SuEggTamago-nigiri pairs a sweet, soft egg omelette with a strip of nori over vinegared rice, balancing sweetness, salt and chew.
• CiOrangeOrange complements dark, mineral greens like purple laver seaweed.
• CrCoconutAn unlikely-sounding but effective pairing in savory granola: sunflower seeds and unsweetened shredded coconut are mixed with maple syrup,…
• CiGingerSweet pickled ginger is meant as a palate cleanser between sushi courses rather than eaten alongside seaweed-wrapped rolls, though its…
• EaMushroomKombu and shiitake combine to make dashi, a deeply umami vegan broth.
• GrAvocadoDulse seaweed is often compared to bacon for its saltiness and mild smokiness, though its dominant flavor is distinctly marine.
• RoSesameIn Korea, gim (dried seaweed, called nori in Japan) is flavored with sesame and eaten as a snack, sometimes toasted, torn into pieces and…
• WoCarrotHijiki, a dried black seaweed with a bittersweet, salty, oceanic flavor, expands to about five times its size when soaked.
• BrMisoZen monastery cooking makes miso soup broth from kombu seaweed alone, without the usual bonito flakes.
• FrPlumScottish seaweed producer Mara recommends pairing dulse seaweed with red fruits like tomato, cherry, strawberry and rhubarb for fruit…
• GrBuckwheatBuckwheat is sometimes described as having a faintly fishy quality, making it a natural partner for seafood and seaweed: buckwheat blinis…
• EaRyeRye's rough, salty character suits seafood, particularly in Nordic countries, where it offsets intensely marine flavors like pickled…
• WoOatIn Scotland, dulse (a red seaweed) was traditionally combined with oats in a broth, and is also scattered over oatmeal with berries, nuts…
• EaBarleyKelpie, a dark beer from Williams Bros.
• WoWhole grain riceFurikake, the Japanese rice seasoning blend, almost always contains dried seaweed such as wakame, nori or hijiki, sometimes alongside…
• EaTofuSeaweed (as kombu) flavors the dashi broth central to classic miso soup, where wakame strips and cubes of tofu both float; the same dashi…
• MuRadishJapanese takuan, a vivid yellow pickled daikon radish, is made by layering sliced dried daikon with rice bran and nori (seaweed) in a…
• FfLycheeLychee's texture and a faint garlicky note in very fresh fruit have drawn comparisons to scallop.
• MaSea beanA London fish-and-chip shop makes a vegan "fish" from banana blossom marinated with seaweed and sea beans, relying on the blossom's…