Sea vegetables a.k.a. seaweed is a whole category of vegetables available on earth for humans to ingest that is grossly underutilized in the American diet. Most Americans have had nori which is the deep green sheets of seaweed (but actually classified as a red seaweed) that wraps sushi rolls and is now readily available packaged as dried and seasoned sheets, usually with added salt and oil. But there are many other kinds of seaweed readily available in most grocery stores sold dried and ready to add to your cooking that will enhance the flavors, add complexity to the taste, and most importantly boost the nutritional content of the meal.

I wanted to learn more about this versatile vegetable so I took a class with Brett Mayette of Conscious Cuisine.

Brett lives near coastal Rhode Island and has become an expert in cooking with locally foraged wild plants including sea vegetables and weeds. In his class “Cooking with Sea Vegetables”, we learned about the health benefits of eating a variety of seaweed and how to make several dishes that I will share at the end. He recommended the book Seaweed: Nature’s Secret to Balancing Your Metabolism, Fighting Disease, and Revitalizing Body & Soul, by Valerie Gennari Cooksley, RN which I bought and love! It is filled with tons of information on incorporating seaweed into your diet.

Seaweeds are divided into three groups according to their color: green, red and brown. The color difference is determined by the amount of chlorophyll contained in the seaweed. Green seaweed like sea lettuce, grows near the surface of the water where sunlight is the greatest; it has the highest amount of chlorophyll so lots of photosynthesis (the process of turning sunlight into energy) can take place. Brown seaweeds like bladderwrack and kelp grow 5 to 7 feet under the surface in sub-tidal areas. Red seaweed like dulse, Irish moss, and nori grow several hundred feet deep.

Seaweed contains more vitamins (13), minerals (60), amino acids (23), and salts than any other land vegetable! They are rich in all the B vitamins including B12 which is rare to find in plants. Seaweed also has vitamin A and vitamin C - some varieties with more vitamin C than an orange! Seaweed also has Vitamin D for healthy nervous system, healing, and bone health, vitamin E for cardiovascular health, and vitamin K for energy production and clotting.

Seaweed contains a plethora of minerals because it accumulates minerals from the sea and concentrates them into its structure. Seaweed has an abundance of natural iodine - over 1000x more than any land plant, that helps to promote healthy thyroid function and helps to detoxify radioactive elements, heavy metals, and free radicals.

It also contains a nondairy but bioavailable source of calcium to improve bone health and strengthen hair, teeth and nails. Other minerals found in seaweed include chromium, copper, iron (sea lettuce has 25x the iron as beef by weight), lithium, magnesium, potassium, selenium, and zinc, among others!

Seaweed contains fucoidan which stimulates the immune system as well as many antioxidants that help counteract the damaging oxidative processes in the body that contribute to disease. Seaweed is packed with essential amino acids and essential fatty acids including the omega-3 fatty acid DHA. In addition, it contains antibacterial, antiviral, and anti parasitic properties to help boost immunity and fight infection. Wow! Who knew??

Seaweed can be gathered from the coast if the water is clean and free of heavy metal, radioactivity, and bacterial contamination. It is best done in the spring and summer after a storm at low tide when fresh varieties come detached but have not yet started to loose their color. The cooler waters off the coast of Maine and Canada and the waters off California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska provide a wealth of variety that changes with the seasons, providing an abundance of nutrients. Sea lettuce, Irish moss, Atlantic kelp, alaria, and bladderwrack can all be found off the eastern seaboard. Bull kelp, arame, kombu, wakame, sea lettuce, and bladderwrack are found off the western coast.

When collected fresh, it should be rinsed and cleaned in sea water (not fresh water) and stored immediately in a cooler. It can be eaten fresh right away, stored in the fridge and used within a few days, or dried for a much longer shelf life. To dry fresh seaweed, leave to air dry for about a day in the sun and breeze, or bake in single layers in the oven at 150 - 250 degrees F until dry and crisp - time will vary depending on the thickness. After cooling, dried seaweed can be stored in an air tight container.

It takes 10 pounds of fresh seaweed to produce 1 pound of dried seaweed.

But the easiest way to start incorporating sea vegetables into your diet is to buy prepackaged dried seaweed from the grocery store. I like Emerald Cove, Maine Coast Sea Vegetables, or Eden brands. It can also be bought online and one reputable source is www.theseaweedman.com. Here, Larch Hanson collects seaweed off the coast of Maine and sells online in 1 - 10 pound bags.

Dried seaweed can be directly added to any soup or rehydrated by soaking in warm water and then added to a stir-fry or salad. Dulce flakes come in a small spice like container and can be used like salt to enhance the flavor of any dish while adding vital nutrients.

BROWN SEAWEED

Kombu Kelp: Dried Kombu can also be added to beans (legumes) while soaking or cooking to aid in their digestibility. (less gas) - as it contains glycemic acid that acts as a tenderizer. Kombu can also be eaten fresh or dried, added to a vegetable dish, wrapped around fish, or used in soups.

Alaria (Atlantic) or Wakame (Pacific): This can be eaten fresh or dried in soups, casseroles, added to a whole grain like brown rice, or used in stir-fries. I like to add this one to miso soups.

Arame: The dried form needs to be soaked first to soften then added to stir-fries, scrambles, bean, or grains.

Bladderwrack: This seaweed is used to makes mineral rich teas.

red seaweed

Dulce: Cooks up quickly and can used like spinach, added to any dish, or dried and eaten like chips. It can also be found in flakes or ground and used as a seasoning.

Irish moss: Used as a thickener for stews, gravies, jellies, and jams.

Nori: Sold in sheets used to wrap sushi and rice - or crumbled into salads, stir fries, or vegetable dishes.

green seaweed

Sea Lettuce: Can be eaten fresh with lemon in a seaweed salad or roasted and crumbled into a salad, grain or vegetable dish, or made into a tea.

bladderwrack tea

Simmer a few pieces of dried bladderwrack in fresh water for 5 minutes. Add fresh grated ginger for extra flavoring. Strain, add honey as a sweetener if desired, and enjoy!

cashew & wakame dressing

Blend at high speed and drizzle over any salad or veggie dish!

1/3 cup cashews 1/2 avocado 1/4 cup dried wakame 1 T miso paste 1 T tahini 1 clove garlic sea salt and black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Arame, Corn & Edamame Salad

1/2 cup dried arame 1 cup corn 1 cup edamame 2 T flavored white balsamic vinegar or rice vinegar

Soak arame for 5 min in hot water and strain, toss with cooked corn, edamame, and vinegar! Easy!!

green & purple salad

2 cup watercress 2 cup finely sliced purple kale 1 cup dulse pieces 1/4 cup sliced almonds 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

lemon juice as a dressing

miso soup with veggies

2 cup water Add in 1 cup chopped veggies - carrots, spinach, asparagus, but you could also add mushrooms, zucchini - whatever you like! 1/4 cup dried arame 2 garlic clove 2 T tamari

Cook until veggies tender. Add to a bowl that is smeared with 2 T miso paste. Stir and enjoy!

stir-fry sea greens

1 T grated ginger 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 bunch scallions, sliced 1 cup crushed peanuts 1 large bunch bok choy 2 carrots sliced 1 zucchini sliced 1/2 cup dried Kombu, rehydrated and chopped up 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 2 T tamari 2 T rice vinegar sea salt to taste

Heat ginger, garlic, scallions and peanuts over medium high heat with some veggies broth for 1/2 min, add chopped bok choy, carrots, zucchini and toss for 2 min. Add Kombu and cook until tender. In a bowl, mix together the hoisin sauce, tamari, rice vinegar and salt - then add to the cooking vegetables. Serve over brown rice or other whole grain.