Sea vegetables

The news: Many types of dried seaweed, each with its own distinctive flavor and texture, sit neatly packaged on grocery store shelves: dulse, wakame, hijiki, kombu, nori.

Feel-good factors: In general, sea vegetables are an incredibly rich source of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A and E and iodine.

Ways to try them: Simmer in chicken stock for a haunting, briny flavor. Scatter snipped nori and toasted sesame seeds over steamed white or brown rice. Wrap seafood salad in a nori cone; spoon salmon caviar into the top.

Recipe:  Potatoes with Sea Vegetables