Spotlight on seaweed

Recipes

• Sesame Seaweed Salad
• Smoked Salmon and Avocado Rice Triangles

What’s in it for you:

• Omega-3 fatty acids Fish and seaweed are both a good source of omega-3s
• Vitamin A and folate Good for the eyes and heart, both nutrients appear in high concentrations.
• Vitamin C Seaweed even has a little of this scurvy-fighting com-­pound—who knew?

Note: One popular seaweed, hijiki, may contain high levels of arsenic—best to avoid it.

Seaweed choices:

Dulse: A tangle of soft, reddish purple ribbons with a salty, fruity, slightly tangy taste.

How to try it: Good raw, toasted until crisp for snacking, or stirred into salads, soups, or potatoes—no soaking needed.

Nori: Shiny black-green sheets with a mild, sweet, minerally flavor.

How to try it: Buy toasted sheets and wrap around rice, or cut into strips to sprinkle over soups or vegetables.

Arame: Long brown-black slivers turn olive green as they soak. Sweet, earthy flavor and slightly firm texture.

How to try it: Soak briefly in cool water, then drain and serve in salads or stir-fries.

Wakame: Crinkly pieces turn supple and emerald green when rehydrated. Mild and briny.

How to try it: Soak briefly and add to salads or miso soup. Or dry-toast, then crumble and use as a seasoning.

Where to buy: Get dried seaweed from natural-foods stores and Asian markets, great-eastern-sun.com, loveseaweed.com, ohsv.net, or seaweed.net