How To Dry Sea Lettuce for Eating all Winter Long

Sea Lettuce
Raw + Organic

0.75 oz

Common green “sea lettuce” (Ulva lactuca Linnaeus) is an edible alga with nutritional benefits that adds a delicious flavoring to foods. You can bring your own home from the beach and dry it yourself. It’s an easy process, but not one most take advantage of simply because we don’t eat many algae in this part of the world. However, you might consider adding it to your diet, as the flavoring and nutrients sea lettuce adds to your food are worth it.

Here are two methods of how to dry sea lettuce:

1. First, make sure the sea lettuce is freshly collected from nice clean flowing water. Also, ensure the plant was anchored by roots and not free floating. Once you get it home, thoroughly rinse the sea lettuce. It may have a bit of a slimy feel. Continue thoroughly rinsing with cold water until this feeling is gone. Then, lay it out on paper towels or clean cloth to remove excess water. If it’s a summer day with a hot sun, you can let it naturally dry outside. It will take all afternoon. So, make sure you begin early in the day. Next, crumble the dry leaves. Begin with your hands and then move to a mortar and pestle to handle the smaller pieces. Place the dried sea lettuce in herb jars.
2. The second method includes all the easy steps as the first, but differs if the day or sun is not hot enough. After the leaves are towel dried, spread them out in the oven on cookie sheets at a temperature no higher than the lowest setting, which is about 200 degrees. Check often and remove when they are completely dried and crispy.

That’s it! Now, you have sea lettuce to add to your foods all winter long. Use it instead of salt directly on food or in soups and stews.

Bonus tip – If you like smoky flavors, dry out the sea lettuce on the grill, but be extra careful to keep the flame as low as possible. Enjoy!

Second bonus tip – You can follow these two procedures for all edible sea lettuce and moss

image credit – photo by upupa4me titled, “Sea lettuce and Snail,” via creative commons

By melaniekaren – professional writer specializing in ocean and seaside-fun, travelling and seafood.
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