I want to start eating more seaweeds...

[SandyBeachBums]

The only one we eat is Nori. and, that is usually once or twice a month when we make Nori rolls. I was listening to the Compassionate Cook this past week. What seaweeds do you eat and how? I know I have had some in the past at Japanese restaraunts. But, I would like some easy ways to add it at home.

[askew]

I used Kombu when I cook beans. Hiziki is pretty good as a salad. That's about all we do, so I'll be interested to see what others have to say! 

[es1967]

I keep dulse in my purse and eat it as a snack.  I love it.  I also put it into my miso soup.

[mmmmochi]

So, I live in Japan, so seaweed is a unavoidable fact of life for me.

Kombu is good for making stock to use in soup, risotto etc. Take a long strip of kombu and simmer for 45 mins to make a dashi. I also put a little cooking ricewine into my stock at the start, to help it `release` the flavour.

Wakame can be found dried, soak for 5 mins in boiled water to reconsitute. This is good in salads with dressing,  - cold, in soup, not just miso soup, and stews. A little goes a long way, overboiled it goes slimy.

Nori can also be shredded and put on the top of rice, wrapped around mochi rice cakes with a little soy brushed on top. Think of it as a wrapper, not just for sushi....It is also nice passed through a flame a few times to roast it. It is also good sprinkled on salads, after dressing so it does not get too wet. It is also lovely as `onigiri` - a riceball, stuffed with a filling (you can make a filling for the riceball from konbu seaweed), like tuna mayo, bonito with soy, salmon, pickled plums, and then wrapped with the nori.

...Finally, if you want some recipes feel free to ask, Im happy to oblige!

[goldingoddess]

We eat a lot of seaweed.

We get the roasted nori from TJs.

Bulk dulse and carry it around for a snack.

Our Costco just started carrying seaweed salad like served in Japanese restaurants.

We also buy rice cakes with seaweed on top.

[Coco17]

Hi SandyBeachBums. Adding more sea veggies to your diet is easier than you think. Our family eats nori, dulse, arame, wakame and kombu. I am sure various macrobiotics and Japanese cookbooks would have recipe ideas for you. My favorite cookbook so far (for various reasons) is the vegan cookbook called Clean Food by Terry Walters. She incorporates seaweed into alot of her recipes and the results are delicious. I highly recommend this book. Her recipes are simple to prepare, short ingredient list, vegan and are delicious!!! We use/eat dulse by itself or sprinkled onto salads. We use wakame and kombu in soups and stews. (I soak it first for a few minutes in warm water, then dice it into very small pieces and add to soup pot.) Nori is used for wraps/rolls and torn into pieces on salads. I use arame sauteed with broccoli. Again, alot of my inspiration for the uses of sea veggies comes from Terry's book. I hope this helps. Good luck...

[SandyBeachBums]

Thanks for the cookbook suggestion. I have never seen it before at my library. But, they had it in the catalog. It must be a new order.

[maciascl]

I just to eat nori rolls alot, but all seaweed tastes way to fishy to me now and turns my stomach. I do use komdu when I cook beans but really need to learn to like more types. I am hypothyroid and could really use the nutrients. Anyone else bothered by the fishy taste? How do you avoid/remedy it?

[Spring Lily]

Some of it bothers me, too, because of that fishy smell. I had to throw a whole package out once because I reconstituted some and it was so pungent I couldn't stand it! Some brands of nori are better than others, so that is one thing. When making nori rolls I find that if you use some strong flavors it can help hide that.

I've made dashi from kombu and it is really good, doesn't bother me at all--also added shitake mushrooms to it, a splash of light soy sauce, and some noodles, tofu and a few veggies. Makes a great dinner that doesn't take too long. (Prep the veggies while the broth is simmering.)

I have some wakame here but I've been hesitant to try it in case the smell is too strong. I know they make seaweed salad in Japanese restaurants by tossing with with sesame oil and sesame seeds. Maybe the oil will help, maybe smelling it combined with another smell will be the key.

[mmmmochi]

If the wakame is over cooked while reconsituting it, it can have a very slimy texture, so soak in hot water, but dont boil it. Nori doesnt need any reconsituting, it is like a paper, and should not be wet. I find passing it over an open flame to `roast` it can improve the flavour.

Seaweed (nama wakame) salad recipe

1 large cumcumber

2 radishes

50 gram nama wakame (green wakame)

4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, or if not available white wine vinegar.

2 teaspoons dark Japanese soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar (can omit but is better with)

3 tablespoons seaweed konbu stock.

Slice cumbers and radishes thinly. Salt them and leave until the water has been absorbed from them. Rinse with fresh water and squeeze out the moisture to get rid of the salt water. The idea is to get the moisture out of the vegetables. Pour boiling water over the wakame, then squeeze excess liquid out and cut into bite sized bits.

Mix the dressing ingredients together, and pour over the cucumber and radish. I like to leave it a little while to soak in the dressing.

[Comtessa]

I struggle with the 'fishy' taste of most seaweeds, too, and DH hates them, so I'm always trying to sneak them in where he/I won't taste them.  The easiest thing I've found is powdered kelp: I just keep it in a shaker and add it to soups, stews, wherever one might add salt.  Kelp is pretty salty anyway, so that helps. 

[Owen'nZoe]

Dulse is my favorite, too. I like to roast it in a pan, and then use it in place of bacon in a BLT. Delicious! I like it way better than fake bacon. I don't think it tastes fishy...

Other than that, the ways I use it have all been suggested already - kombu in my beans and wakame salad.

[ahimsamom]

Arame is really great in salads, especially one's with creamy dressings. Just soak it in warm water. It almost tastes like mushrooms.