Dulse, also known as red algae or lappet seaweed, is a pretty and tasty red algae that grows on the northern coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Scientifically, it is called Palmaria palmata.

The use of dulse algae as food was first mentioned in writing over 1400 years ago by an Irish monk. Today, lappet seaweed is primarily harvested and eaten in Ireland, Iceland, and the Atlantic coasts of Canada and the USA. Lappet seaweed has become increasingly popular since the books by Anthony William. These strips are not suitable for the blender. It's better to use the flakes.

Dulse at a Glance

Origin: Ireland, from wild harvest

Production: Air-dried (raw food) and "tobacco moist," as one customer described the dulse.

Ingredients: Dulse (Palmaria palmata)

Allergens: Sea algae contain no allergens. However, as it is a natural product, traces of mollusks, crustaceans, or sand may be present.

Storage: Cool and dry

Warning: Algae are naturally rich in iodine. Excessive intake of iodine can lead to thyroid function disorders. Daily intake must be adjusted to personal needs.

Of the various types of algae we offer, some are regularly tested for heavy metals.

Using Lappet Seaweed

What does lappet seaweed taste like? What does dulse smell like?

Lappet seaweed tastes salty (the white secretions are salt!) and slightly nutty.

Our lappet seaweed is not dried rock-hard, as is customary in Ireland, but just enough to make it durable. (A customer described it as "tobacco moist.") This keeps the algae tender and they can be nibbled directly from the bag.

Sometimes dulse smells a bit stronger of the sea, sometimes less. As a minimally processed natural product, the algae are subject to natural fluctuations. If you want to minimize the smell, you can simply store the dulse in an open bag for a while. Below, we write more about how to store the algae.

How can I eat dulse?

First of all: You don't need to wash the dulse. We even prefer it 'dry', directly from the bag.

The elongated leaves of the lappet seaweed can be pulled apart and torn into thin, smaller pieces. Dulse can be enjoyed excellently as a snack this way. Try a thin strip at first.

The combination of fruit and lappet seaweed is unusual but delicious, e.g. as a wrap for a dried apricot and a walnut. Dried fruits and nuts can be exchanged as desired. Dates, almonds, Brazil nuts, raisins... whatever you have at home.

You can also fry dulse in a pan to make crispy chips.

Dulse tastes good in salads as well as with potatoes and pasta. In soups and similar dishes, dulse enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.

Lappet seaweed is also suitable as an ingredient in baking, e.g. for a savory bread. This is similar to the so-called laver bread, a Welsh specialty made with nori. In Iceland, butter is eaten with lappet seaweed. In Ireland, dulse was traditionally served with beer.

More recipes can be found here: https://brunnen.eichenhain.com/tag/dulse/

How do I store dulse?

Dulse should not be stored in the refrigerator. You can store dulse in two ways, depending on what you want to achieve with it:

- If you want to keep it "fresh" as it comes out of the bag, you can simply store it in the bag. It will dry out very slowly because the bag is not as airtight after opening as it was upon delivery. This way, it will last at least according to the best-before date and actually indefinitely, as it will continue to dry out.

- If you want to dry the dulse a bit more (and thus reduce the smell, for example), you can loosen the algae (the strands stick together) and store it in an open bag. It will dry quite quickly and is then practically indefinitely durable.

Tip: Algae dry quickly. However, you can easily refresh the sea vegetable: Moisten the dulse with a plant sprayer or simply sprinkle it with some water. Then shake it in a bag so that the water can distribute evenly, and let it sit for at least 20 minutes.

How much iodine is in the algae?

It is very difficult to provide an exact indication of the iodine content per 100g because it can vary greatly. Our dulse is a wild-harvested natural product. The amount of iodine depends on the harvest location, the harvest time, the season, environmental influences, etc. The drying, storage, and preparation of the dulse also affect the iodine content.

Here, by the way, we have written something about iodine loss during cooking: https://brunnen.eichenhain.com/wieviel-jod-verlieren-algen-beim-kochen/

And, for those who still want a number, the study mentions 97 micrograms of iodine per gram of dried dulse.

What else should I know about algae and dulse?

Dulse is a natural product. Depending on the harvest time (season), it will have a different color or texture. Sometimes it will be very tender and salty, sometimes more firm. Occasionally, you may also find (larger) shellfish between the leaves.

White spots on the dulse that look like mold are merely sea salt.

Dulse dries out over time. During this process, salt separates. The salt looks like mold, but it is not. When we started with algae, we asked the same question. We turned to Manus, our algae harvester with decades of experience. He explained everything to us – and we are now passing this knowledge on to you.

You can easily test this yourself by placing a strip in water. After absorbing the water, the strip will no longer have a white coating. With mold, there would still be a coating. But not with salt. Additionally, mold stinks.

If you taste the dulse, you will notice that it tastes quite salty. Because it is so salty and well-dried (but not so dried that it is no longer tender), we have had fewer cases of mold in over 10 years than you can count on one hand.

p.s. In a product image, you can see the good Manus harvesting. :-)