I need some seaweed help

Stlight · Jan 21, 2015

Since it's winter I thought I'd make some soups - split pea, lentile, and maybe a pot or two of blackeyed peas.

Opened the jar and discovered I was seaweedless. This wouldn't be that much of a problem except that I threw away the wrapper, so I don't know which seaweed I bought. I used to go to a farmer's market but not now. There are hundreds of seaweeds on Amazon.

Anyone have a brand they like enough to suggest? Hopefully, a not too expensive brand?

Thanks for reading.

kikazaru · Jan 22, 2015

What do you need the seaweed for?

When I make soup I will usually wing it from the stuff I have in my kitchen. The base is almost always a mire poix (finely chopped carrots, celery, onions) usually garlic, and a stock of some sort - either I will make it myself with meat, or if I want a meatless soup, I'll use a boxed, canned or cubed stock which do come in vegetarian friendly brands as well. Add veggies, seasonings and voila - soup.

The last soup I made was borscht, but when I do make something with lentils or split pea, I like ham with it. If I don't have a hambone, I'll use chicken stock with the addition of a bit of liquid smoke.

Oh, and while it's good the first day, it's infinitely better the second (and third and fourth day!)

harmonyisarine · Jan 22, 2015

I think brand of seaweed is less important than type. Do you remember the size, shape, and texture of the seaweed you used to have? And do you use (or does the recipe call for) it only in the stock mix or does it remain in the soup afterwards to be eaten?

Fair warning: I don't have a lot of experience with seaweed (live in a tiny town in the Appalachians, seaweed is hard to come by), I just hope that someone who does will be able to use these answers, or I'll run off and flex my google-fu muscles.

RobLineberger · Jan 22, 2015

Without knowing why you want the seaweed, this is nearly impossible to answer.

Stlight · Jan 22, 2015

I use the seaweed in place of salt because split pea, lentiles and blackeyed peas soak the stuff, and any other flavoring you put in up.

What I used before was about an inch wide and 8 inches long. It was probably cut at the plant to fit the packages. The seaweed was smooth. I put it in after the split peas/or lentiles had done their 48 hour soak and drain. So the soup was cooked with it. I remove the seaweed before serving. The type I had was much too salty to eat on it's own.

I was hoping someone had a favorite brand or country for seaweed. Is Scottish seaweed good? Is Korea saltier than Japanese?

Does that help tell you what I need to know?

Kikazaru, I should have mentioned that the soups are veggie, no meat, no meat flavoring, no meat or chicken stock. I don't use any stock as the peas and lentiles make a fairly thick base. Other ingredents are carrots, celery, and onion. (I do make a tomatoe soup with spinach, blackeyed peas and okra. I the water left over from boiling brocoli for the stock for that one.)

Thank you for helping.

blacbird · Jan 22, 2015

harmonyisarine said:
I think brand of seaweed is less important than type.

Echo this, although for simple cooking, like soups etc., it isn't terrible critical in my experience. I do a lot with seaweed as an addition to soups, stews, pasta dishes. Probably the most commonly used seaweed is nori, widely available in Asian markets and most standard supermarkets these days. You can get it either crumbled up, or as sheets (these latter make excellent snack munchies, too). Just remember that any dried seaweed expands when wet to a supernatural degree. You don't need much dehydrated seaweed to make plenty for any cooked dish.

When I get the chance (seldom, alas), I collect seaweeds from seashores. It's free and good. The best kind to look for, if you have rocky seashores around, is the very thin, brilliantly bright green stuff that goes by the common name of sea-lettuce. It looks almost artificial, like dyed cellophane, and tends to coat rocks at low tide. Easy to spot, because most other seaweeds are duller or darker green.

caw

Stlight · Jan 23, 2015

blacbird, your description of nori sounds like what I had. The farmer's market I used to go to had a large Asian selection. Thanks.

no rocky coasts, rather inland here.

harmonyisarine · Jan 27, 2015

There's also kombu, which is really wonderful for stocks (I know I'm late to the party, I've had some busy days). It's thick and leathery and not for eating, but adds a very rich flavor to the liquid it's boiled in.

Also, blacbird, I was a marine bio major and lived at the coast and never once thought of collecting sea lettuce for eating, despite knowing it was possible to do so. Things to look forward to, next time I make it to the ocean.

I need some seaweed help

Stlight

ideas are floating where they will

kikazaru

Benefactor Member

harmonyisarine

RobLineberger

Stlight

ideas are floating where they will

blacbird

Stlight

ideas are floating where they will

harmonyisarine