On a recent visit to the Farmer’s Market, my guys and I discovered a new-to-us superfood that had us totally intrigued. This delicate-looking sea vegetable packs a seriously nutritious punch, offering many health benefits.
Sea asparagus is loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin B2 {great for energy}, Folic Acid and Vitamin B9 {good for stomach and skin}. Apparently this hydroponically grown sea vegetable even helps detoxify your liver and improve muscle function. And the best news? It tastes fantastic!
You can definitely just nibble on the sea asparagus raw for a crisp, light, super-salty snack {Noah loves it this way!}. It also makes a lovely and unexpectedly salty addition to a salad. If, however, you want to add it as a side dish to a meal, you will likely want to soak it to remove a bit of the salt content. Just soak for about an hour in cool water before cooking.
Then what? Well, we happened to purchase our bag of sea asparagus just as a Toronto restauranteur was purchasing it by the bushel-full for his new seafood restaurant. I can’t begin to describe his enthusiasm about this lacy little sea-wonder – he was practically giddy about it! He generously suggested just sautéing it with butter, shallots and garlic, so that’s what we did! It turned out beautifully and made for a gorgeous side with some broiled salmon. A light but very flavourful, super-food lunch!
INGREDIENTS:
2 c. soaked sea asparagus {soaked for 1 hour}
2 small shallots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Knob of butter
Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
METHOD:
Add butter and olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat. {The olive oil will keep the butter from burning.} Melt butter and add shallots and garlic. Cook until translucent. Add sea asparagus, tossing in the shallot and garlic butter mixture and sautéing until softened but not limp. Plate and top with a beautiful piece of broiled or grilled fish. Enjoy!
The season for sea asparagus is a short one, so be sure to get out to your local Farmer’s Market to see if you can find some! Local Toronto forager Jonathan Forbes of Forbes Wild Foods is currently selling it at these locations:
Mondays at Sorauren Farmer’s Market {3-7pm}, Tuesdays at Riverdale Farmer’s Market + Trinity Bellwoods Farmer’s Market {3-7pm}, Thursdays at Dufferin Grove Farmer’s Market {3-7pm}, and Saturdays at Evergreen Brickworks Farmer’s Market {8am-1pm}.
Happy foraging, and happy weekend!
xo
s.
We just saw this sea asparagus at the Ferry Building in San Fran and I was intrigued. I hope that I can find it here in the Vancouver area and give this is try. It looks delish!
I work at a farm called Olakai Farm in Kahuku, Oahu. We grow it organically and aquaponically all year round. We make a number of condiments out of it as well! Pesto (fan favorite at farmers markets), Lomi Salad, Salad Dressing, Salsa Verde and pickled Sea Asparagus. We sell it at over 12 farmers markets through out the week. The farm website is http://www.olakaihawaii.com
My catering company, Pono Aina Catering (www.ponoainacatering.com) also uses Sea Asparagus in a lot of our dishes. Sea Asparagus is becoming increasing popular here in Hawaii.