Hello,
While everyone and their cat seem to be holidaying during the month of August, I’ve been living for this Bank Holiday weekend. My only plan was to sleep, swim, eat well and use my hands and so far, I am doing pretty well on all fronts, with nearly two full days to go still.
Another week, another ingredient. Nori is probably familiar to most of you through sushi making. I neither make nor like sushi, but I do have a few sheets in my cupboard. If you read some of the previous issues, you’ll know that I don’t like fishy fish. Nori to me is on the level with fishy fish. It tastes like the sea and honestly, for someone who loves nothing more than being in the water, I don’t know how I was gifted with this sea-hating palate. But hopefully, if you are reading this, you’re more of a grown up and love the taste of the sea.
About Nori
What is nori? Nori is a dried edible seaweed, popular in Japanese cooking. It’s made from species of the red algae genus Pyropia, including P. yezoensis and P. tenera.
What does it taste like? It has a strong distinct flavour, it tastes like the sea, salty-sweet, umami rich.
Can it be substituted? If you’re making onigiri or sushi, you can opt for yuba and rice paper. And if you want to impart the flavour then replace it with kombu. It’s not an exact match but it will work.
History of the ingredient
Nori is a group of edible seaweed that grows organically on rocks around shallow areas in cold-water oceans. It’s been harvested for thousands of years, primarily used as food as well as fertilising. ‘Asukasa’ nori is named after where it was discovered, along the Sumida River and it’s been harvested since 1600’s.
It was harvested by the locals, casting their nets, then in the 18th century, fishermen found a primitive but effective way to harvest more seaweed. They drove stakes into the seabed at the mouths of rivers, creating areas for the algae to attach. Salty water also helped the spores grow, so naturally, it grew in abundance.
Seaweed used to always be consumed raw in Japan but due to the increased demand, there was a need to find a way to preserve the produce. And the idea came from looking at the paper industry. They started to preserve seaweed by shredding it, then shaping it into sheets and drying it in the sun. Nowadays, nori farming and preservation are far more mechanised.
Luckily, nori farming is considered to be somewhat sustainable compared to other forms of aquaculture. It doesn’t require much input and the seaweed can be grown on the nets in the ocean, reducing the intrusion on the coastal ecosystem.
Not only it’s tasty (for some) but it’s also nutritious. It’s packed with vitamins and minerals as well as fibre, making it a perfect healthy snack. It’s also high in antioxidants which reduce inflammation and help with having healthy, glowing skin (sign me up!) However, as with anything, too much of a good thing can cause thyroid problems, thyroid medication interaction, digestive discomfort and potential exposure to radiation and heavy metals.
QUICK SUGGESTIONS FOR USE:
Naturally, more suited to savoury dishes, nori can be used as a vessel, as an infusion or as a final sprinkler (and so much more!)
Savoury
Eric Kim’s Creamy Bucatini with Seaweed (thanks, Juste!)
You can top your salads with crushed nori
Make your own Togarashi mix and top your eggs, noodles, rice and sandwiches
Or simply mix it with some of your favourite salt, you don’t need a recipe for that
Make a Hawai’ian Poke Bowl with Yellowfin Tuna
Up your condiment game with this Nori Mayonnaise and mix some in with your butter, use in sandwiches and to roast your veg
Put your AirFryer to work with these Garlic Nori Fries
Nori crisps are a popular snack, you can add flavour by using salt, sesame seeds, chilli flakes or whatever else you fancy
For a tasty side dish, Radishes with Nori Lemon Butter
Can’t leave you without a recipe for Onigiri (comes with a video to help you on your first go)
Use crushed nori as a flavouring for your meat, especially minced meat
Baby’s first Goop Recipe - Kimchi & Nori wrap
Sweet
Nothing to see here. Really
Drinks
Seaweed Syrup for your grown-up cocktails
And a Martini for the road
Even more recipes to get creative with:
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN
You can collect seaweed and dry it, the U.K. shores don’t have the same type of seaweed as you’d find in Japan, but if you do fancy a project, here’s how
WHERE TO BUY
Anywhere. All major supermarkets stock nori sheets, if you fancy an outing, visit your local East Asian supermarket and check out all the varieties of nori sheets available and visit the snack aisle for all the different flavours.
Something to watch: love it or hate, but you can’t deny the pull of ‘And Just Like That’. The second season has come to an end and it was far less try-hard than season one. And let’s be honest, we are all wondering htf Carrie parades around NYC in those heels.
Cookbooks to explore: Korean American is perfect for using up all those nori sheets. Dive into the world of Tim Anderson and take the fear out of cooking Japanese food (thank you, Tim!) - start with Japaneasy and maybe pre-order Ramen Forever. Ottolenghi’s Flavour is heavy on nori use and so is Aloha Kitchen, a book on Hawai’ian cooking
Something to read: an extract from Bee Wilson’s upcoming book - The Secret of Cooking, with some recipes in tow and a quick read on turning your cocktails savoury
My favourite part of this week’s newsletter is so many of you saying ‘well I just crush it and sprinkle on everything’. So if all fails, just do that.
Appetite will be taking a break over the month of September. Send in your requests, ideas etc. etc. Visit Appetite Index for more flavour adventures until my return in October.
Anya xx
Coming up next week in October: honey