Ocean Harvest Sea Vegetables

Sea Palm Salad

Sea Palm is one of my favorite seaweeds. Not only is it delicious to snack on and in salads, it is one of the most adorable sea vegetables on the coast. They stand in clumps along the rocky shoreline, greeting all passersby with their cheery topknots. Their fronds jostled by the wind and waves, they look like something out of a children’s story. We affectionately call them “Dr. Seuss trees” in my family.

We harvest sea palm early in the spring for the delicate new growth. This is our silky sea palm. It is already in small pieces and has a delicate texture perfect for adding into any salad after rehydrating. Then, later in the season we revisit the sea palm stands for the slightly larger fronds. We harvest carefully, always leaving enough to sustain the population, never cutting the stipe to make sure the plant lives and maybe even talking to them a little as we go through (at least I do). As an annual, the cycle repeats each year.

This summer, I have loved harvesting and eating sea palm. I have been making my Sea Palm Salad on repeat, with no complaints from my family! It is a perfect accompaniment to a rice bowl or piece of fish. It has a bit of texture from the sea palm, a sweet, tangy flavor from some added ginger and rice vinegar, and just enough spiciness from a little garlic and chili sauce. For an added bonus, it is super fast to make and is so healthy with all of the micronutrients that seaweed provides. All in all, a winner in my book. 

Enjoy! 

Amanda

Sea Palm Salad

Serves 4 as a side dish

Time: about 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 oz. Sea Palm 

2 cloves garlic

1 inch piece of fresh ginger

1 tsp. Toasted sesame oil

3 tsp. Rice vinegar

3 tsp. Soy sauce

1 tsp. Sugar (optional)

½ tsp. Chili garlic sauce (optional)

Process:

1. Soak the sea palm in a bowl of cool water for 10-15 minutes until it looks green and soft.
2. While the sea palm is soaking, chop garlic and ginger finely and mix with other ingredients.
3. Once the sea palm is pliable, drain it well. I usually put it in a colander and let it drain for a minute or two, giving it a few good shakes to get any extra water out.
4. Mix the sea palm and the sauce together and enjoy!