Sea vegetables in the UK page

[huntingBears]

I've been reading the iodine thread and i'm really interested in getting some sea vegetables like kelp etc, but where is it best to buy this stuff in the UK? there is a big tescos near me but i couldnt seem to find any in there, any ideas of where i could go? I live in Cardiff at the moment

[cori93437]

Hmm... living in Cardiff you should have access to local laver bread which is made from laver, a sea veg. Also, if you can talk to someone at the local fresh seafood/fish market I bet you'll hit the mother load, or at least get access to fresh laver.

As far as the other types such as dried Kombu or wakame that is used in miso soup... I'm only familiar with picking them up in Asian/Oriental supermarkets which fortunately I have local (within about 30-45 min drive) of my home. If I did not have a local market I would order on the internet and have it shipped...

[huntingBears]

cheers cori, i will go down to the market tomorrow and see what i can find, if not i will seek out online

[breadsauce]

I find that my local health food store has a lot of varieties. And if you use eBay or Amazon, you can find them there too. I'm using "Nori Sprinkle" as a sort of condiment - a small amount is fine, a lot makes my food smell like compost.... A sizeable teaspoon mixed in with tinned salmon fish cakes and lots of fresh dill is lovely.

[huntingBears]

do you think these look good? Nagai Roasted Sushi Nori Seaweed - Red 28g: Amazon.co.uk: Grocery

[cori93437]

Nori is good.

Dulse is a good salty seaweed that when ground and sprinkled on can replace salt.

Variety is the spice of life.
Cook's Thesaurus: Sea Vegetables

[huntingBears]

cheers dude

[rockstareddy]

Cant wait for british culture to improve, and slowly accept the nutritiousness and cost effectiveness of sea vegetables! it will happen... hopefully supermarkets will stock more of this in the next few years...

[cori93437]

Honestly it's not the easiest stuff to find here in the US either... but if I drive to an Asian community part of Orlando about a half hour or so away and hit the Oriental supermarket I pretty much have free choice of just about anything seaweed one can imagine.

However... most people I know would not even walk through the front doors of the place! There is a very distinct smell, and though I know some folks think it "stinks" it doesn't bother me. I believe that they ferment veg/kimchi on the premises.
Kind of sad that people would miss all that the market has to offer over that. Well, that and not being able to read labels. LOL They have wonderful fresh produce (veg and fruit), lots of varieties of mushrooms, duck and quail eggs, alternate proteins like rabbit at excellent prices, LIVE fish and crabs, squid and octopus, hard to find spices and flavorings like bonito shavings, and fresh, dried, and frozen seaweeds... it's a great place.

So, if you can find an Asian/Oriental supermarket in your area... or a little bit of a drive... I say hit it one weekend. It could turn out to be worth a trip on a weekend once every month or two. =)

[AMonkey]

I can't seem to get my hands on any cheap sea vegetables. I'm a student and I can't really afford to eat food more expensive than £8 per kg. You'd think that being an island nation Britain would have sea vegetables ingrained and cheaply available but it isn't so.