Dulse Recipes

Freshly harvested and dried dulse is too tough for most people to chew. The secret of tender dulse is a bit like aging cheese. The dulse is spread out in the early morning hours to soak up a bit of humidity from the air, and then it is packed away tightly for a few weeks. This kicks off an enzyme process that breaks down the cell walls of the dulse, and the flavors slowly change. Thus "crisp" dulse becomes "soft" mellow dulse. You can order it from me in either form.

Once dulse has been softened, it needs to be used within six months, unless it is kept refrigerated, in which case it can be kept for a year. Crisp dry dulse has a shelf life of two years or more, provided it is kept out of sunlight and tightly sealed away from humidity in the air. Most people eat soft dulse as is.

2 pears (you can substitute apples)
Lemon juice
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, grated
1/2 c dry-roasted nuts or seeds (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or sunflower seeds)
1/2 c dried soft dulse, cut into small pieces
1-2 Tbsp Vegenaise or tofu mayonnaise
1 tsp umeboshi vinegar

Chop pears into 1/2" pieces. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Add celery, carrots, nuts or seeds (chopped coarsely if desired) and dulse. Combine with Vegenaise and umeboshi vinegar to taste.

1 c dulse, rinsed and cut into small pieces
2 cups sprouts
1/2 cup sliced red and yellow peppers
1/2 cup sliced scallions or red onion
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/2 cup avocado, scopped with a melon ball tool
1 tomato cut into small wedges

Combine the above salad ingredients and serve on a bed of greens, topped with dressing.

Dressing: lemon juice, raw honey, and tahini, in proportion to your taste

Shred or grate carrots and beets
Soak the grated carrots and beets in a dressing of lemon juice, raw
honey, and ginger juice

Top with your choice from each group below:

• reconstituted dried cherries, cranberries, raisins
• walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds
• rinsed dulse, chopped fine
• parsley, chopped fine

There are many variations on chowder recipes that can be made using dulse. Chowders are usually comfort foods for warming us up, and there are several ways to create that thick creamy base that glides down to the tummy. One way is to use dairy, but that has the tendency to create stuffiness in people, so I prefer other methods. One method is to cook digitata kelp for an hour or so until the alginates go into solution. The Japanese would call this flavorful soup base dashi. Another method is to cook rolled oats for half an hour, adding water to create a soupy consistency. Another possibility is arrowroot and/or soymilk. Once you've established the base, sauté sliced onions with a sprinkle of salt and a lot of thyme. Use refined sesame oil. Sautéed garlic is a good addition, too. While occasionally stirring the onions over low heat, slice potatoes and carrots, dice turnips and/or rutabaga, and start them cooking. Turn off the onions when they're translucent. Cut up fish (haddock, salmon, cod, hake, or pollock) in cubes and marinate in tamari to firm it up. Chop a stalk of celery. Add the fish to the pot when the roots are almost done, and a few minutes later, add the celery, then the onions, and some finely cut dulse. If you like a bit of spice, sprinkle a bit of cayenne. Frozen corn can also be thawed and added for the last five minutes of simmering. Serve with a garnish of parsley. On the second day, try adding parsley or kale greens when you reheat the chowder. Green it up! This will taste even better than it did the first day. (I've also been known to add a quart of pasta sauce when guests show up unannounced at the last minute, stretching the chowder to yield a few extra bowlfuls.)

Clams can be substituted for fish in the above recipe.

2 c carrot, sliced
1 c celery, sliced
1 c dulse, soaked 2-3 minutes and sliced.

Placewater in pot and bring to boil. Reduce to med-low, add carrots, blanch till bright and still crisp. Remove carrots to plate to cool, reserving cooking water. Bring water back to boil, and repeat process with celery. Drain carrots and celery, mix together with dulse in a serving bowl.

4 c. cooked rice
1 c (1/2 oz) dried dulse
1 c green onions
Refined sesame oil for sautéing

Snip dulse into small pieces. Slice scallions thinly. Sauté both in oil about thirty seconds. Add rice and sauté till very hot. Add shoyu to taste and sprinkle with lemon juice or fresh ginger juice.

Mince two cloves garlic and sauté briefly in two tablespoons refined sesame oil. Add two quarts chopped kale and sauté until the color deepens. Add 1/2 cup soaked drained, chopped dulse and 1/3 cup tamari-roasted sunflower seeds. Cover and steam about two minutes.

A variation on the above recipe would add sautéed parsnips and/or onions in addition to the garlic.

Pan fry dulse in refined sesame oil until it crisps, turns yellow/green, and smells like bacon.

Spread mayo on toasted & buttered bread, add lettuce, dulse, and tomato. A DLT!