Seaweed- and eat it

If, like me, you feel drawn to be by the sea on hot summer days, maybe it’s because people have been heading to the coast in summer for many thousands of years! Until people started to farm; a mere 7,500 years ago in the UK, we were all nomadic. We followed the food, be it plants, animals to hunt or fish to catch and summer was the time to gather by the sea for the abundance of fish and seaweed on offer. I’d like to think it was a time of socialising, feasting and of course beach barbeques!

Although in the UK, we are surrounded by the most delicious edible seaweeds (only one species is poisonous and that grows in deep waters), we don’t seem to eat it much. Full of all the minerals of the sea, eating seaweed replaces all the minerals and trace elements missing in our modern diet- plus it’s delicious.

All you need is a clean beach- we have plenty of wild beaches in South Hams, away from towns, a basket or a net bag and a pair of scissors. Visit at low tide and you’ll notice that different species live at different parts of the shore. Never forage seaweed that has been washed up on the beach- gather live growing fronds growing off the rockpools- but please cut these from the main plant with scissors. Seaweeds can live over a decade, so this is the sustainable way to harvest it. All seaweed can be eaten fresh- straight from the sea, or fried in a tiny drop of oil- instant hot seaweed crisps from your beach barbeque!

They can also be dried to preserve them. Simply take home, wash in fresh water, checking for sand, shells etc and then lay on baking sheets in a low oven ( 60-80 degrees C) for 20 mins to over an hour. Timing depends on the seaweed, but check it every 10 minutes or so, peel off the tray if sticking and it’s done when crispy. Cool and store in glass jars for many months. Dried seaweed can be added to soups, stews, stir fries, mashed potato or bread ( see my dulse soda bread recipe below).

My easy to find favourites are-

• Kelp- the large fronds found at the lowest part of the shore. Great fried or dried and wonderful in winter soups.
• Flatwrack- any of the brown bladderwrack family are edible. Eat the tips fresh- they taste like green olives, or fry or dry the rest.
• Dulse- a red filmy seaweed that often ‘hitch-hikes’ on kelp. It tastes like Marmite I think- a gorgeous savoury flavour that makes good ‘crisps’ or pairs well with potatoes. Try it in mash, or use fresh or dried in the loaf below.

If you’d like to learn to forage seaweed and to cook up and share a wonderful wild meal, come along to my Seashore Forage along Carswell Farm’s wild beach, near Holbeton, on Tuesday 23rd July. There’s still a few places left, booking details here. Love to see you there!

Dulse soda bread

• 500g strong bread flour (I use a white local flour)
• 3 tablespoons dried or more if fresh, dulse
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 level tablespoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 500ml milk/ oat milk/ or stout beer and milk mixed
• 5 teaspoons wine or cider vinegar
• 1lb loaf tin- greased.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
Mix together flour, dulse, salt and baking soda.
Make a well in the centre and add all the wet ingredients- it will be wet and porridgey!
Scrape into a loaf tin.

Bake approx. 35 mins until a tip of a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool before slicing.