Seaweed tartare — Mediterranean or Asian
The garden of the sea, finely chopped: minerals, protein and that iodised 'good salt' that replaces the salt shaker.
Seaweed tartare is a living condiment, at the crossroads of the garden and the sea. Fresh seaweed, finely chopped with onion, gherkin and lemon, releases a saline, deep flavour — a natural 'good salt', this time accompanied by minerals rather than isolated like refined salt.
Two versions, one gesture: the Mediterranean with olive oil, the Asian with sesame oil and soy sauce. To spread, to set over raw vegetables, to fold into an avocado.
Ingredients
- Fresh Biovie seaweed (or dried, rehydrated), chopped — a mix of dulse, sea lettuce, wakame
- 1 small onion (or shallot), finely chopped
- 2 to 3 gherkins, chopped
- The juice of 1 lemon
- 1 grated garlic clove
- Freshly ground pepper
- Optional: 1 tbsp capers (the classic tartare pairing)
- Mediterranean version: first-pressed olive oil + herbs (parsley, dill)
- Asian version: sesame oil + soy sauce + sesame seeds (+ a dash of rice vinegar)
- Optional: a little tahini to bind
Method
- 1
If the seaweed is dried, rehydrate it for 10 minutes in cold water, then drain well and chop.
- 2
Mix the seaweed with the onion, gherkins (and capers), grated garlic and lemon juice.
- 3
For the Mediterranean version: bind with olive oil, add the fresh herbs.
- 4
For the Asian version: sesame oil, a dash of soy sauce, sesame seeds, a little rice vinegar.
- 5
Season with pepper, let it rest 30 minutes in the fridge so the flavours meld. Taste before salting — the seaweed already salts.
The tip
Seaweed is the most mineral-dense food on the planet: iodine, calcium, magnesium, iron, and a good share of protein. Its salt is never bare — it comes escorted by that whole mineral retinue. This is why we always salt last, and often not at all. A spoonful of seaweed, and you salt less while nourishing more. Just take care not to overdo kombu, richer in iodine: a dulse-sea lettuce-wakame mix stays gentle.
Where I find it
Fresh or dried seaweed: Biovie. Oils, gherkins, capers: organic grocer. Herbs: the market.
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