Move over, kale.
There’s a new vegetable on the menu. Long found only in Asian, especially Japanese, cuisine, sea vegetables are experiencing an increased popularity in the Western diet. While the health benefit claims can be over-inflated, as with most foods that find themselves ushered into the world of fad eating and “superfood” categorizations, seaweed does contain viable amounts of vitamin C, calcium and antioxidants. Research also suggests that sea greens may even help regulate sexual hormone levels, aiding in decreasing the risk of breast cancer, improving female fertility and alleviating PMS symptoms. But it’s generally not recommended to start dissolving seaweed supplements in the wife’s morning coffee.
Even more importantly, sea vegetables are a mega-source of iodine, a nutrient necessary for healthy thyroid function. Seaweed is, in fact, one of the few food sources of this valuable nutrient.
While several producers began adding iodine to salt supplies around the world as early as the 1920s to aid in the prevention of several health issues, such as goiters, neurodevelopmental problems in utero and a host of thyroid-related diseases, there has been an increase once again in iodine-deficiency related diseases. The decrease in cooking at home, the intake of processed foods, toxic chemicals and even the increased use of sea salts contribute to the rise in these diseases.
Enter seaweed. A gram of brown seaweed can contain anywhere from the recommended daily intake to 50 times the necessary amount of recommended iodine, depending on the variety and water source in which it was grown.
While there are over a thousand different varieties of sea vegetables, not all are viable food sources. The most common types hail from Japanese cuisine, but Gaelic varieties are also available. Among the red algae, Nori is perhaps best known as the sushi seaweed. Its tell-tale dark purplish-green color is generally seen wrapped around sushi rolls. Brown algae form another group of seaweed. Among this variety, Wakame often floats in our bowl of miso soup. Kombu is very dark in color, and often sold in wide strips used to flavor soups, such as ramen. Hijiki looks like wiry black noodles; and Arame is a lacy, delicate, mild-tasting seaweed used in salads. The most common of the Gaelic varieties is another red algae, Dulse, which has a chewy, soft texture and a bright red color.
With their historic use based heavily in Japanese culture, it’s no wonder these vegetables have typically been found only in our favorite sushi and ramen shops in town. But recently, chefs across the world have been exploring the use of these flavorful algae in unexpected ways.
In keeping with Welsh traditions, a new breakfast trend utilizes the spreading of seaweed on toast or oatmeal with bacon and malted vinegar added. Snackers crunch on roasted flavored nori. Chefs are adding ground seaweed to soups to create new flavor layers, having learned that seaweed naturally increases a dish’s umami, or that elusive fifth taste. Risotto, pizzas, mushroom appetizers, pastas, burgers and even sandwiches are all experiencing increased dimensionality with the addition of seaweed. Flavored breads, creams, ice cream, jellies and even cheeses are cropping up in restaurants and stores the world round.
But it’s not just the food world that has found uses for these “jewels of the sea.” Brewers in Maine are infusing their craft beers with seaweed, enjoying the earthy, saltiness the kelp adds. Kelp-infused whiskeys; seaweed Bloody Marys; and Martinis-By-The-Sea, heavy with the oceanic taste of seaweed are delighting drinkers across the country, and adding to the list of challenges craft cocktail creators and distillers face.
Some distillers are even investigating the possibility of deriving alcohol directly from seaweed.
But, in spite of its health benefits and growing popularity, the seaweed craze has yet to hit the Boulder scene. The forbidding wall of the Front Range appears, once again, to insulate Boulder from trending cuisine and adventurous recipes. Sea vegetables are still a mainstay at any Japanese restaurant in town, and can even be found in Asian-inspired dishes at a number of other local restaurants. But chefs seem to be loath to leave the world of Asian flavors and traditional recipes, and experiment with the use of sea vegetables in other, less traditional dishes. Kelpinfused whiskey-braised short ribs atop sweet potato gnocchi, anyone?
So where does Boulder’s hesitation lay? As one of the fastest growing plants in the world, seaweed farms are examples of incredible sustainability. They require no fresh water, deforestation or fertilizer. It would seem, given Boulder’s interest in all things sustainable, that seaweed utilization would be of heavy, focused interest. To those who perhaps would complain about transportation costs, examples of inland seaweed farming should come as a happy alternative to investigate. An increasing number of inland farmers are experimenting, quite successfully, with the inland cultivation of seaweed crops.
There seems little standing in the way of seaweed’s increasing popularity, except a lack of zeal for the adventurous — for straying off the conventional path. With the number of award-winning chefs packed into Boulder’s republic, it’s obvious the creativity exists. Who will be the first to travel that proverbial Frost road? Will Boulder foodies be able to soon enjoy the complex layers of flavor in new menus, or will seaweed be relegated solely to crunchy Annie Chun snacks and tuna handrolls? Only tides will tell.
