How to cook with seaweed at home

There’s more to seaweed than sushi. Rich in minerals, low calorie and found on coastlines all over the world, marine algae is set to be the next big superfood

Whether foraged or flaked, handpicked is the most environmentally friendly

As on often overlooked natural ingredient, seaweed can be foraged from coastlines and, after washing thoroughly, used in your home cooking. But make sure you’ve read up on which types are edible first, as not all varieties are fit for eating.

If you’re not by the coast, you can often find dried varieties, or flaked, in shops and online to buy in the form of flakes and pastes too. Just make sure it’s been collected by hand as this is the most environmentally friendly way to source it.

Asparagus with gorgonzola sauce

Time: 45 minutes

Serves 4

Asparagus

1 piece oarweed
1 pinch of sea salt
½ orange (organic)
500g green asparagus, peeled, break off the lower woody stem
500g white asparagus, peeled, break off the lower woody stem
Iced water

Place the oarweed in boiling water with a little sea salt. Squeeze the orange and pour in the orange juice mixed with the orange pulp. Cook the asparagus until tender. Leave the asparagus to cool in the iced water, drain well and set aside.

Gorgonzola sauce

2 soft boiled eggs
2tsp white wine vinegar
2tbsp soft butter
6tbsp cold vegetable stock
6tbsp vegetable oil
100g mild blue cheese

Blend the soft boiled eggs with vinegar and butter in a food processor. Without stopping the machine, add the stock a spoon at a time and add the oil in a thin drizzle, so the liquids will be well mixed. Finally add the blue cheese. Leave the sauce at room temperature.

Topping

50g toasted hazelnuts
4g dulse
4g orange zest (organic)
10g strong blue cheese, crumbled
Fresh cress

Arrange the asparagus evenly on four plates. Pour over the sauce. Finally, sprinkle the topping over the sauce and over the asparagus.

Cold vegetable stock

Time: 1 hour

2 leeks, only the green parts, coarsely chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
¼ celeriac, coarsely chopped
A few pieces of oarweed (15g)
10 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 small bunch of parsley (you can also use the stalks)

Place all the vegetables in a large saucepan. Pour cold water over the vegetables so the water level is approximately 5cm over the vegetables. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer over a low heat for approximately 40 minutes.

Leave to cool before sieving the stock. You can use the stock for soup or keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or it can be frozen. You can also use seaweed in meat stock. Seaweed gives the stock a delicate, slightly thicker consistency and enhances the flavour of all the other ingredients.

Brandade with dried cod and seaweed

Time: 2 hours

Serves 4

300g dried cod
150g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves
100ml milk
100ml cream
50ml olive oil
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Half-dried tomatoes
500g cherry tomatoes
3tbsp olive oil
1tsp dried thyme
Seaweed salt
Seabelt flakes
7g laver flakes

Soak the dried cod in cold water for at least 24-36 hours. Change the water 5-8 times. For the half-dried tomatoes: mix tomatoes, oil, thyme, seaweed salt and seabelt flakes. Place everything in an ovenproof dish and leave to dry overnight in the oven at its lowest setting.

Pour the milk and the cream into a saucepan with the garlic. Cut the pre-soaked cod into 5cm pieces and mix the fish and potatoes with the cream mixture. Leave the fish to cook over a low heat for approximately 30 minutes until the fish and the potatoes are tender and the fish is cooked through.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave it all to cool. Pour the liquid off the fish and the potatoes and keep for later. Blend fish, potatoes, olive oil, nutmeg and half of the liquid in a food processor.

Add more liquid to taste, if necessary. Serve the brandade on toasted sourdough bread, or other good bread, with half-dried tomatoes, seaweed salt and a sprinkle of laver.

Slow-cooked cod parcels in winged kelp

Time: 1 hour

Serves 4

15g winged kelp
3tbsp olive oil
½ small red onion, coarsely chopped
100g red pepper, cut into cubes
1 garlic clove, crushed
2g saffron
1tbsp mild, smoked paprika
​700g cod fillet
Seaweed salt with dulse and pepper
10g pistachio nuts, toasted
​3 tomatoes, sliced
3 lime tree blossom sprouts (optional)

Place the winged kelp to soak in water for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas 2. Blend 2 tablespoons of olive oil, red onion, red pepper, garlic, saffron and smoked paprika to a smooth paste in a food processor.

Set aside. Divide the fish into 4 portions, season with sea salt and pepper, rub each fillet with the spice paste, sprinkle pistachio nuts over and roll each one in separate leaves of winged kelp. Set aside. Place the sliced tomatoes in an oven dish and arrange the fish parcels on top. Add the rest of the olive oil, seaweed salt with dulse and pepper. Cook the fish parcels in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve the cod with or without the winged kelp. Sprinkle a few sprouts over the top before serving.

‘Seaweed’ by Claudia Seifert, Zoe Christiansen, Lisa Westgaard and Hanne Martinsen is out now (Grub Street, £20)