Seaweed Smorgasbord: Greens from the sea the next power food?

It’s slippery, it’s slimy, it’s salty and it’s briny — and it may be the next “it” food. Whidbey Island has a bonafide cornucopia of seaweed along its shores and there are a variety of ways an adventurous eater can try a bite.

Indigenous cultures from all over the world have cooked with seaweed since time immemorial, but it’s not been very popular in Western cooking. Many Asian cultures also use various types of seaweed in soups and salads, and most people are familiar with the nori that chefs use in sushi.

“Seaweed is a food that has been questioned and kind of poked fun at,” said Western Washington University researcher and instructor Jennifer Hahn.