SF SuperFoods spotligts local foods that are both delicious and packed
with powerful health-promoting nutrients.
By Rachel Cole
WHAT IT IS: Seaweeds are nutrient-rich
vegetables harvested from coastal waters.
Enjoyed for thousands of years, these
plants are an important part of many
Asian cuisines; historically they have
been found in the diets of the Aztec, Viking,
Irish, Scottish, and Maori peoples.
Today, most packaged food products and
even cosmetics contain processed sea
vegetables, but in natural form, few foods
are as delicious, versatile, and nutrientdense
as fresh seaweed. Just like all
vegetables, seaweed is seasonal, coming
in slowly in late spring with the bulk of
the crop picked in June and July.
HEALTH BENEFITS: Ocean waters
impart each seaweed variety with a
unique abundance of important minerals,
including calcium, boron, iron,
magnesium, manganese, phosphorous,
sodium, and other beneficial trace nutrients.
The high concentration of iodine
helps to support the endocrine system,
especially proper thyroid functioning.
They are rich in protein and a range of
vitamins, including A, C, E, and B complex.
Seaweeds are also prized for their
powerful detoxifying properties.
AT HOME: An increasingly wide selection
of sea vegetables is available in
grocery stores. While certain varieties
are imported here from Japan or coastal
Maine, the unparalleled clean waters of
the nearby Mendocino coast provide
a wonderful and diverse selection to
choose from. Popular locally harvested
varieties include:
Nori: A salty yet sweet seaweed, commonly
pressed into sheets and used for
making sushi rolls. Local Nori, however,
is available in unpressed, natural leaf
form. It’s great dry-toasted in a pan or
the oven and added to a wide array of
dishes, including salads, warm grains, or
roasted vegetables.
Mendocino Kombu: A dark, meaty,
flavor-imparting seaweed rich in iodine.
Classically Kombu is used to make dashi,
a Japanese stock commonly used in miso
soup. It can also be added to a pot of dried beans to soften them as they cook
and enhance their digestibility.
Mendocino Wakame: A mild, sweet,
and tender seaweed. Like Kombu, it can
be used to make dashi and soups, as well
as briefly rehydrated and added to almost
any dish, including bean and grain salads,
soups, and casseroles.
Sea Palm: A mild seaweed that’s
great simply sautéed with other vegetables,
added to slaws, or crumbled dry
into trail mix. It is sometimes labeled
“Sea Crunchies” in grocery stores.
Dulse: A soft, salty, rust-colored seaweed
found in small quantities locally,
though Atlantic Dulse is more common
in stores. It comes in leaf, flake, and
granulated forms and can be enjoyed
raw or cooked, rehydrated or dried, and
even sprinkled over top most dishes as
an iron-rich replacement for salt. Try it
over scrambled eggs, popcorn, or added
to vinaigrettes.
If you are interested in expanding
your seaweed repertoire, hijiki, arame,
and agar (a good substitute for gelatin)
are a few great imported varieties.
EATING OUT: At Delica rF-1, a lunch
hotspot in the Ferry Building, sea vegetable
offerings include everything from
a simple, soothing organic miso soup
with Wakame to the deliciously complex
Hijiki-soybean salad with mountain
potato, daikon radish, wild mizuna, fried
tofu, and wolfberries.
At Ame in the St. Regis, Chef Hiro
Sone prepares fish using a traditional
Japanese method called Kombujime,
where it is cured inside a Kombu wrap
that imparts a savory umami flavor.
Daniel Patterson, executive chef at
Coi, is working on innovative creations
that use fresh local seaweeds in dishes,
such as a poached and seared Beck
Farms pheasant with cauliflower,
borage, and Mendocino Wakame, Sea
Palm, and Kombu.
SOURCING IT: You can purchase Mendocino
seaweeds and imported varieties
at Rainbow Grocery, Whole Foods,
Bi-Rite Market, and Other Avenues
Food Cooperative. Three active local
harvesting companies take great care in
sustainably wildcrafting the sea vegetables
so as to maintain the reproductive
health of the plants for next year’s
harvest. You can purchase seaweed
directly from them as well: Mendocino
Sea Vegetable Company (www.seaweed.net), Ocean Harvest Sea Vegetable Collective
(www.ohsv.net), and Rising Tide
Sea Vegetables (www.loveseaweed.com).
STORAGE: Because seaweeds are
dried, it is important to store them in
moisture-proof containers in dry areas.
RECIPE: SESAME-SEAWEED GUACAMOLE
Serve this creamy, vibrant, mineral-rich dip
with corn tortilla chips, alongside any summer
grilled vegetables, or tucked inside fish tacos
with a crunchy Asian slaw.
Makes about 2 cups
3 tablespoons (about .25 oz.) loosely
packed dried seaweed such as sea
palm (a.k.a. pacific sea Crunchies),
wakame, hijiki, or arame.
dressing
1 1/2 teaspoons white miso paste
3/4 teaspoon raw honey
3/4 teaspoon tamari or shoyu sauce
1 tablespoon brown rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 large very ripe avocados
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1 tablepoon dried dulse flakes
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
pinch of cayenne or wasabi powder
(optional)
Place the seaweed in a small bowl and
cover with warm water to rehydrate for
10 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve,
press out extra water, and coarsely chop.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine
the dressing ingredients and whisk
together until the miso is completely
incorporated.
Slice avocados in half, remove pits,
and scoop the flesh into the bowl along
with the rehydrated seaweed, cilantro,
dried Dulse, and sesame seeds. For
added spice, sprinkle a little cayenne or
wasabi as well. Using a fork, mash until
just combined but still chunky. Top with
any leftover rehydrated seaweed.
Rachel Cole just completed a master’s in
holistic health education from
John F. Kennedy
University.
Her
writing and
photos have been published
on the websites Mighty Foods,
Ethicurean, Eggbeater, and Eat
Grub. She is interested in the
many ways that making deep
connections at the table can
bring about well-being.
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