"Eating seaweed has entered the culinary mainstream, but it's still mysterious on many levels. When creating an entire salad around this salty, savory ocean algae, you definitely want to get it right. That means knowing which types of seaweed are edible and how the flavor profiles and textures differ from one another. For some insight on the topic, we turned to an expert, Chef Mike O'Mara, Food Scientist, Development, and Culinary Innovation."
"As for the style of salad best suited for seaweed, he discusses flavor profiles and what seaweed contributes. "In the quest for flavor balancing, seaweed is a great ingredient for bringing a umami hit if it is lacking from a salad, or complementing what's already there," notes O'Mara, but "the flavor profile best fits with Asian themed salads such as soba noodle salad or anything with a sesame dressing.""
"With all this talk of tasty seaweed in salads, it's important to note that not all seaweed is edible. It's not as simple as dragging strings of it from the ocean or scooping up stragglers from the beach. In fact, that's almost never a good idea. While many species are safe and even nutritious, others can be contaminated, unsafe for eating, or should be"
Seaweed offers diverse flavors and textures that can form the centerpiece of salads. Wakame is commonly used as a primary base because it delivers a subtly sweet yet strong flavor and a satiny texture. Seaweed contributes umami that can balance or complement other salad ingredients and pairs especially well with Asian-flavored salads, soba noodles, and sesame dressings. Nori works well as a dried garnish for crisp texture and umami, while thinly sliced kombu adds a rich umami depth. Not all seaweed is safe to eat; some species can be contaminated or otherwise unsafe, and beach-harvested seaweed is often risky.
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