make yor own Seaweed-salt

Make your own seaweed salt – Freediving for food

Here is a great way to get people in to eating seaweed . This is not only simple to prepare, but it lasts forever and adds a huge amount of flavour to your food.
Seaweed salt can either be purchased for a huge amount of cash from specialist deli’s, or just make your own for the price of some seasalt (i guess you could make your own seasalt, but maybe this time give yourself a headstart!)

Stage one

Gather some seaweed!
I would suggest 3 or four seaweed species for this recipe. You want seaweeds that can also act as a flavour enhancer. For this batch i went with three types. Kombu (sugar wrack), Dulse and sea lettuce. All of which are at their best at this time of year (late spring, early summer). All of these seaweeds, when dry, crumble well, which helps the process.
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When you gather your seaweed, look for the cleanest, best examples of the species. Ensure that it is still connected to the reef and is not floating loose. Cut a few inches from the base rather than just tear it off, this will allow it to continue growing and will also avoid gathering bits of rock or sand in to your collection.
Seaweeds inhabit various parts or the tidal range. Sea lettuce is mid-high tidal, Dulse is mid-low tidal and Kombu is very low tidal (rarely being see above the water line). So some you will need to dive for, whilst others can be collected by hand.

Stage two

Dry the seaweed.
Wash the seaweed to get rid of any sand, bugs or dirt.
Dry it either on a washing line in the direct sun or with a food dehydrator (my preferred method is with a dehydrator as it preserves the colour better).
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Stage three

Crumble and blitz
Break the seaweed down in to particles about 1-2mm across. By using a blender or coffee grinder you will also get some really really  small bits (almost dust) which really helps impart flavour in to every sprinkle.
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Stage four

Mix with seasalt
Gather your seaweed mix together and pour in to a seal-able jar or Tupperware. Add salt. The ratio should be between 1-3 or 1-2 seaweed to salt. Give the sealed gar a good shake and there you go…. your own seaweed salt to add to any savoury dish that needs a bit of extra flavour!
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If you want to learn more about freediving then why not go on one of our freediving courses or continue reading this blog… or even buy my book ‘Underwater foraging – Freediving for food’.
About the author – Ian Donald is an AIDA master freediving instructor and author. He has been freediving since 2001 and has been instructing since 2009. He can often be seen on TV programs about freediving and is often called on to talk as a guest lecturer on the subject.