We’ve been working with Dafne Romero for a little over two years to share her hand-harvested kelp from Haida Gwaii with our members. But it was only last summer that we managed to offer frozen kelp blades rather than our dried varieties. Believe it or not, these giant kelp blades are incredibly versatile, as illustrated by the variety of these delicious recipes! Check them out below, and add a package (or two) to your next order with us! You never know, these giant kelp blades might just turn out to be your next freezer staple item.

1. Oyster Rockefeller with Kelp
2. Creamy Miso Pasta with Kelp
3. Giant Kelp Slaw
4. Kelp Lasagna
5. Kelp-Steamed Fish

Oyster Rockefeller with Kelp

This recipe comes to us from Chris Kantowicz, our COO, who whipped this up for his Valentine’s dinner feast this week. Sure, we might be out of our frozen oysters at the moment, but consider this an opportunity to get excited for our next batch coming in just a few weeks!

• 6 Pacific oysters, shucked
• 2 giant kelp blades, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp butter
• ~2 tbsp panko crumbs
• grated parmesan

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F
2. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and saute onion until translucent Add garlic and kelp, and continue sauteeing for another 2 minutes.
3. Add panko crumbs (enough to soak up all the butter in the pan!)
4. Remove from heat and spoon mixture over oysters. Sprinkle some parmesan on top (about 1 tsp per oyster).
5. Lay the prepared oysters in the wells of a muffin tray. Bake for 10 mins, or until cheese starts to bubble.

Creamy Miso Pasta with Kelp

This recipe was inspired by NYT Cooking’s Five-Ingredient Creamy Miso Pasta. Celine Terfloth, our Communications Manager, was making kelp chips when she decided they would be delicious crumbled over an umami (and carb)-rich dish. It’s a unique take on your classic cacio e pepe meal, but trust us, and the 5-star recipe ratings, when we say it’s delicious!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 giant kelp blades
• 16 ounces spaghetti, linguine or bucatini
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons white (or red) miso
• 4 ounces Parmesan, finely grated (1 packed cup)
• (I also added 2 tbsp tomato paste for extra depth, but optional)

Method:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. For the crispy kelp, tear the giant kelp blades into smaller pieces. Toss in olive oil and lay onto baking sheet. Bake the chips for 10 minutes.
3. While the kelp chips are baking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta water, then drain the pasta.
4. Add the butter, miso, tomato paste (if using) and 1 1/4 cups pasta water to the pot and whisk over medium heat until miso breaks down and liquid is uniform, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the heat off, and add the pasta and Parmesan and cook, stirring vigorously with tongs until cheese is melted and sauce emulsifies. (The key word here is “vigorously.” To achieve a silky smooth pasta instead of a gloppy one, put your cacio e pepe skills to work.)
5. Divide among shallow bowls and crumble kelp chips (and more parm) on top.

Giant Kelp Slaw

A recipe from your kelp harvester Dafne Romero herself, this healthy slaw will satiate all your cravings for some crunchy veg.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded
• 3-4 carrots, julienned
• 2 blades of giant kelp kelp. julienned
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• juice from half a lime

In a large bowl thoroughly toss the cabbage, carrots, fresh kelp, green onions and sesame seeds. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, mix well. Drizzle onto slaw, mix, and enjoy!

Kelp Lasagna

These sheets of umami-rich goodness happen to be a delicious, nutritious, gluten-free substitute for lasagna noodles. Try this recipe from Edible magazine, or swap some kelp blades for the pasta in your favourite lasagna recipe. Our very own Ravi Maharaj tried out Dafne’s recipe, and reported that it was “pretty great – much lighter than a regular lasagna!”⠀
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Try it out and let us know what you think!