Those of us who pour seaweed solution on the plants in our veggie gardens and who queue for nori-wrapped sushi at Mee’s Sushi in Manuka, know that edible seaweed was likely to be part of the research by Julie Ryder for her exhibition The Hidden Sex at Craft ACT (until March 16).
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When Julie was in Ireland last June, she starred in a TV advert for the Atlantic Irish Seaweed company as part of Failte Ireland (Tourism Ireland). She sat in front of the cameras and ate and drank everything made with seaweed (a degustation menu) then went foraging down at the nearby beach. The company operates from a small town called Caherdaniel on the south Kerry coast, along the Wild Atlantic Way.
Working for the company, John Fitzgerald leads regular foraging walks to identify edible seaweeds while Kerryann Fitzgerald does the cooking and experiments with using seaweed in various dishes.
Among the seaweed foraged by Julie and others was Sea Spaghetti (Himanthalia elongata) which can be eaten straight from the sea, no salt required. Julie says it has a crunchy texture and she ate almost all they collected as they waited for the film crew to have the right light for filming. Sea spaghetti can be dried and stored, like durum wheat spaghetti. Kerryann’s recipe for Atlantic Irish Seaweed Company, follows. It is like cold soba noodle dish which can also have an Asian-inspired dressing of ginger, soy and sesame oil.
John and Kerryann say, “Now is a good time to harvest healthy and versatile sea spaghetti. The French call it ‘Haricot vert de le Mer’ the ‘green bean of the sea’. I like to serve it cold as a side salad with a dressing but it can perk up a pasta dish such as creamy crab linguine. Sea spaghetti is easily identified at low tide as it grows from a button or disc at its base. Make sure when cutting the plant to leave at least two feet attached to the rocks so it regenerates happily.”
Sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) is easy to find in Ireland but also in Australia and a fortnight ago Julie found a motherlode of it at Bagnall’s Beach in Nelson Bay, huge samples of fresh, bright green algae. Kerryanne makes a pesto from it to top a mound of fresh labneh.
For eating, care should be taken to wash seaweed very well and only pick and eat when fresh, not washed up on the beach.
Porphyra, which we know in Canberra as Nori, is used by the Irish to make laverbread. Sushi outlets and some fish shops also sell seaweed salad which is a type of Wakame seaweed.
KERRYANN’S SEA SPAGHETTI
Serves 4
- 400g fresh sea spaghetti
- basil
- parmesan
Dressing:
- juice of half a lemon plus zest
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- quarter tsp demerara sugar
- good pinch of sea salt
- pinch of black pepper
METHOD
- Rinse the sea spaghetti in fresh water then place in a pot and simmer for around 5 minutes, check for the bite and texture you like, al dente is best.
- Plunge sea spaghetti in cold running water, rinse and rub gently with your fingers until the water runs clear.
- For the dressing, add all the ingredients in a jar, seal and shake.
- Allow for the sugar to dissolve then taste and season accordingly. Plate up and cut to 2-inch lengths.
- To finish the dish, drizzle dressing over sea spaghetti, tear up basil leaves and dust some grated parmesan and lemon zest over it.
GREEK LUNCH
Back on the land, on Saturday, February 23 from 1pm at Geldmacher House Museum in Nimmitabel, Ghikas ‘Jigger’ Boulgaris, the first Greek settler on the Monaro 190 years ago, will be remembered with a Greek-inspired lunch.
President Sue Jardine says tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, zucchini and herbs all grown locally will be used in moussaka, soutzoukakia (meatballs), Greek salad, tzatziki and spanakopita cooked by country people from the Monaro.
There will be Greek music and dance. Everyone welcome, tickets $30 to raise funds for the Museum. Bookings required from Laine on 6454 6307 or Britt 6454 6477. A bus group is going from Canberra.
