Dulse and other sea vegetables

[Ohioan]

I'm about to experiment for the first time with dulse, one of the sea vegetables. I'm planning on trying it as a substitute for anchovies in sauces and sautees, but I'm sure there must be many other good things to do with it. Has anyone else used dulse? Can you give me some recipes and tips, especially for vegetarian uses?

For that matter, does anyone here use any of the other sea vegetables -- that is, for things besides sushi?

Thanks,
Phoebe

[This message has been edited by Ohioan (edited 09-09-2000).]

[lindrusso]

Sorry, I'm not posting to help, but to ask what is dulse - as in what does it look like, etc.? Just curious!

[Ohioan]

Dulse is a dried sea vegetable (like seaweed), a deep red color, quite salty and a bit "fishy," and usually packaged in strips or ribbons. As I write this, I'm munching on a couple of shreds right out of the bag.

It's surprisingly low in sodium for something so salty, but I guess that's because the serving size is so small (a little goes a long way). Here's some of the nutrition info off the bag:

Serving size: 1/3 cup (7g)
Calories: 18 http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Total fat: 0 http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Sodium: 122mg, DV 5%
Potassium: 547mg, DV 16%
Total Carb. 3g, DV 1%
Fiber: 2g, DV 9%
Protein: 2g, DV 3%

Vitamin A: 2%
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 19%
Riboflavin: 10%
Niacin: 1%
Vitamin B6: 42%
Vitamin B12: 23%
Magnesium: 6%
Phosphorus: 3%
Iodine: 243% (This is not a typo!)
Fluoride: 15%
Chromium: 9%
Zinc: 2%

[Natasha]

Phoebe - I have never had these sea vegetables, but found these tips (not exactly recipes) on http://www.seaveg.com/recipes.html (though I bet you have already seen this site... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif ). There is also info and tips for kelp, laver, etc. Enjoy your dulse and I would be interested in hearing about which uses you recommend.

DULSE IN SALADS

Adds tangy taste, rich color, mineral nutrition.
Tear or scissor snip into bite sized pieces.
Mix 1/3 cup per serving. Let stand 5 min. or more.
Great in Waldorf, Caesar, Greek or garden salads.
DULSE IN SOUPS

Adds unique seafood flavor to any potato, tomato or grain based soup.
Toss in about 1/4 -1/3 cup per serving.
Cooks immediately and turns a lighter color.
Try some in chowder, minestrone, bouillabaisse.
Reduces table salt required by recipes.
DULSE IN SANDWICHES

Boosts the flavor and nutrition of any creation.
Add as is to moist sandwiches; rinse quickly for dry.
For crunchy dulse, pan-fry or bake a few min. until crisp and add at the last minute.
Replace bacon in BLT's. Spice up Ruebens and Subs.
DULSE IN STIRFRIES

Complements most veggies. Great with tofu and tempeh and most other seafood.
Cut to bite-size; 1/4 - 1/3 cup per serving.
Cooks immediately and turns dark.
Add to any stirfry and reduce normal salt or soy.
------

UNCOOKED: toss in salads, add to dressings, use as garnish: holds color.
ROASTED: spread thinly on sheet pan in 350° oven, leaves turn slightly greenish red and crisp in 2 minutes for whole, 1-5 minutes for chopped. Burns easily like nuts or toast.
FRIED: deep-fried with batter for tempura or fritter: pan fried as "bacon" for DLTs: press into oiled medium-hot skillet till reddish green and crisp.
SAUTEED: in stir fries: tear up whole leaves or drop chopped dulse in at last minute to maintain red color; saute with garlic or onions for garnish.
BOILED: in soups, stews, chowders, sauces for sea flavor; cooks in 1 minute, dissolves in 5 minutes, loses all color.
BAKED: in casseroles, breads, rolls to add a slight sea flavor element.

[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 09-09-2000).]

[Ohioan]

Natasha, thanks for the site! -- although you're right about there not being any recipes on the recipe menu. How odd. Apparently even they can't figure out how to cook with the stuff! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif

Oh, well. As soon as I get up the courage, I'm going to try using the dulse in a sauce that usually calls for anchovies ... maybe a puttanesca sauce.

Phoebe

[Nova]

Hi! I'm glad to share with you some experience with sea veggies....I use Kombu alot. Probably once a week, since we are a vegetarian family. Kombu is sold in dried strips and is quite good. I use it most often in Miso Soup and it also is good in Japanese Salads....I have some recipes if you want them. You can just email me.

[Natasha]

Phoebe,

Here s a recipe using dulse (I just couldn t believe there were NONE out there...). Don t know if this is QUITE the kind of thing you were looking for, though!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Hot Dulse Lemonade
This may sound bizarre, but Judith Cooper Madlener in the "Sea Vegetable Book" claims it's an old New England treatment for coughs and colds. That could well be, as many early Irish and Scottish settlers had eaten dulse "back home" and still enjoyed it in the New World.
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon dried dulse
1 cup water
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
Method
1. Soak dulse in cold water for 10—15 minutes. Drain.

2. Boil dulse in fresh water for 20 minutes.

3. Strain out a glassful of liquid.

4. Add lemon juice and honey and drink while hot. (It's good cold, too).

Serves 1

And here is another one (not, not, not low-fat/cal):

Dulse Fried Oyster Mushrooms
Recipe By :


FLOUR
MIXTURE----------------------------
1 t Dulse flakes, pulverized
1/2 ts Garlic powder
1/4 c All-purpose flour
Salt & black pepper
LIQUID
MIXTURE----------------------------
1/2 ts Dulse flakes
1/4 ts Garlic powder
1/2 c Water
BREAD CRUMB
MIXTURE-------------------------
2 c Fresh breadcrumbs
4 ts Dulse flakes
1/2 ts Garlic powder
1 1/2 c Safflower oil
4 oz Oyster mushrooms, rinsed

Combine the ingredients for the three mixtures separately & set
aside. Line a baking sheet with absorbent towels. Heat oil to 350F in
a medium-sized saucepan, about 5 minutes over medium heat. Dredge
mushrooms in flour mixture. Shake off excess flour & dunk in the
liquid, before rolling in the breadcrumbs. Fry in the hot oil for 45
seconds each side, they should be golden brown. Drain & serve. Yield: 6 servings

I also saw a site with maybe 7-8 recipes (Roland s) but they all used seafood/meat, which is kind of ironic, don t you think? So I didn t bother posting them. I also didn t jot down where I got these two (ahem) winners from. It is definitely bedtime!


[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 09-09-2000).]

[Ohioan]

Natasha, those oyster mushrooms sound fascinating -- although I think I'll just spray them with oil and bake them instead of putting them into an oil bath! And it sounds as though this kind of breading might be good on other things as well. I'll give it a shot and report back to you, but probably not for a while, since my (ahem) planned menus are backed up for almost a week. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Nova, thanks for your offer. I've just sent you an e-mail and I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Phoebe

[Anne]

Hi Ohioan. Dulse in one of several types of kelp that are harvested, dried in sheet form, and used in cooking. If I had my packages of seaweed with me I would attempt some of the other names, kombu and nori are a couple, but but my spell checker (computer and gray matter) can't come up with others. I add dried seaweed to soups, particularly egg-drop soup and broth to cover ramen noodles. A little does go a long ways. sorry I can't be more specific. Let us know how the sauce turns out.

[lindrusso]

Phoebe - thanks for the info on dulse. Learn something new every day!

[Nova]

For those of you that are interested....including Ohioan(I emailed you back) there is a website called "MightyNatural.com" that has about 20 recipes involving sea vegetables. I have tried the Dolse Chowder and it was really good! There are also some for kelp and others. If anyone reads it, too, there is an article in the new Vegetarian Times magazine all about sea vegetables...eventhough no recipes!I also have a cookbook by Leslie Ellis called "Seaweed: A Cook's Guide: Tempting Recipes for Seaweed and Sea Vegetables" but I can't find it anywhere!! I will keep looking, but in the meantime, maybe you can find it and check it out. Its fairly inexpensive and there is interesting ideas in there.