Dulse - How to use it?

Palmaria palmata, also called dulse or dillisk is a red alga. It grows on the northern coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It can be found dried or added to food for its nutritional benefits.

• Purple in colour and is leathery in texture, with flat fronds of up to 50cm long
  
• Seaweeds are more easily digested and contain more vitamins, nutrients and minerals weight for weight than land plants
• It can be used as a food additive, instead of salt; ground, chopped or whole.
• It is a source of iodine, B6, iron and potassium
• Health and Cosmetics – as a mineral supplement and in the body care industry.

How to use it fresh dulse? It is very strong in flavour so a little goes a long way! While it is lower in sodium than sea salt, as a food it contains high quantities of sodium. A 4-5g portion is what you would be looking at.

• Blend it into smoothies to add extra nutrients
• Rinsed and shredded into salads
• Added into miso, broths or stews
• Chopped into omelettes or scrambled eggs and served with smoked salmon for brunch
• Added to fermented vegetables
• I have also heard of it fried and used as a bacon replacement!

For the dried version, I would tend to use it ground and add it to my sourdough crackers or sprinkled into soups and stews instead of salt.

Let me know if you try it out and how you like to use it!