Top 3 Edible Sea Weed Species UK
Sea weeds are true super foods. Bursting with vitamins, protein, folic acid, niacin. They don’t cost a darned penny, and harvesting them sustainably yourself is very satisfying. Unlike land-based foraging, the health risks from making a mistake are small, with only one offshore sea weed species (Desmarestia) being dangerous for consumption (but don’t take my word for it, buy an expert guide too!). The easy way to avoid this weed apart from knowing it is to only eat weed you have pulled from the rocks, rather than eating weeds that could have drifted in from offshore. It’s important to also check the water quality. You’re far more likely to slip on the rocks and get caught by the tide than you are eat the wrong thing sea weed foraging – it’s a great entry point to foraging since it requires so little knowledge to safely get started.
In some parts of the UK, sea weeds were part of the traditional diet. Now, they are becoming increasing hip in high end restaurants as their culinary potential is explored and realised.
It doesn’t get more natural than this.
Sea Spaghetti
Sea spaghetti is a mild seaweed that looks like a fresh Italian pasta in shape. Fried in a hot pan with seasoning, it quickly turns a vibrant green colour. I find that butter does it a service and think it’s excellent mixed with tagliatelle, rather that using it as a pure substitute which can be a bit intense. The flavour is mild and pleasant and the texture is fine but can be a little slimy which is why I think it’s best used to make another dish more exciting rather than to be the centrepiece of a dish (I’m sure hardcore weed people would disagree!).
How to Cook Sea Spaghetti:
- Rinse the sea spaghetti in fresh water but do not leave it to sit in it
- Heat a pan very hot and add butter or oil and any seasoning
- Add the sea spaghetti until it turns green which takes around one minute
- Remove the sea spaghetti and serve as part of your chosen dish
Sea Lettuce
This might just be the easiest to identify sea weed of all. It’s really fun to harvest sea lettuce with a snorkel or free diving mask. You’ll see the beautiful, vibrant curled leaves swaying in the water on the seabed, and can dive down to the bottom and pick it just like lettuce. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look so spectacular once removed from the water and is more like a robust cooked spinach.
If you don’t fancy a dip, you can also see sea lettuce in all its glory in rock pools where it’s very common.
You can eat this weed raw or add it to fish stews and soups. You can also dry it out – it has unlimited potential. It’s quite easy to burn it in the oven, though, while attempting to dry it out!
Common Kelp (OARWEED)
This is one of the most abundant species of seaweed on British shores and there’s certainly more of it in 1m squared of intertidal zone than you might like to eat in a year – unless you’re a super fan. This versatile kelp probably isn’t that great to eat raw as it is, given that it’s thick and chewy. Despite being dark brown in appearance, like other sea weeds it turns green and eventually white when broken down, either through decomposition or through the cooking process. Common Kelp can be used in many Japanese dishes, where it provides a moreish flavour and alternative to number of other species.
BLADDERWRACK
When you think of sea weed this might be one of the first species that comes to mind, with its memorable air filled sacks or bubbles. These are often used in Japanese soups with noodles or made into tea. A similar looking species called Serrated Wrack has a similar appearance but lacks the bubbles.
LAVER
Laver is a red sea weed with wide thin leaves. Being so thin, it’s well suited for consumption as it doesn’t have the chewy thickness of other edible weeds such as X (brown kelp). In Wales, you’ll find it cooked into a mushy green puree (sea weed turn green when heat is applied). It’s cooked for hours and combined with other ingredients to create patties which are fried in fat.
Where: Coastlines around the mouths of estuaries.