There are many reasons to get into foraging for wild seaweed. One of the main ones is how delicious this superfood is. Northern California is home to many different kinds of seaweed. The best way to prepare your dish might depend on what species of seaweed you were able to get your hands on!

Before preparing any sort of seaweed dish, it’s important to clean your kelp properly. You can do this by swirling it around in a bowl of water, taking it out, and putting it back into new water. Repeat this at least 3 times to ensure that the seaweed has been properly rinsed. You can then dry and save it for future use. To bring the seaweed back to its natural texture, all you need to do is let it soak in warm water for about 5 minutes and then give it a quick rinse!

Below are a few of the best ways to enjoy some fresh, wild seaweed.

Seaweed Salad

A seaweed salad is one of the most popular ways to eat seaweed. There is maybe no better way to enjoy the fresh flavor and natural texture than this delicious dish. Seaweed naturally has an umami flavor that many people just can’t get enough of. What’s great about a seaweed salad is that you can create a delicious vinaigrette to compliment the seaweed’s natural flavor! Many people like to add sesame seeds as well. 

Seaweed Snacks

In the last few years, there has been a massive uptick in the number of stores that are selling seaweed snacks. These dried and flaky seaweed chips are delicious and convenient. The ones from the store are salted and even come in different flavors.

If you love seaweed snacks, try making your own. It’s really quite simple and it leaves you with the opportunity to create your own custom seaweed snack. Plus, it’s free! The classic seaweed for seaweed snacks is Nori, a type of Red Algae that grows in Northern California.

Kombu Beans

Beans are a common dish on an American dinner table. Seaweed, however, is not so common. If you want to spice up your dried bean dishes, add a few strips of Kombu in.

Not only will this give your beans a new and exciting flavor, it will also add tons of vitamins and minerals! Even if you aren’t crazy about the flavor of seaweed, it contains a lot of nutritional benefits that make it worth incorporating into your diet. 

Once you learn more about the different types of seaweed that you can find in Northern California, you’ll find many different uses for them. The array of seaweed species really leaves you room to get creative with the umami flavor and unique textures. Who knows, you might even discover some tasty flavor combinations of your own!

Hungry to find your own seaweed to cook up? Join us on a seaweed foraging class and harvest up to 10 lbs of fresh California seaweed to take home.