Sometimes the most important part of a recipe can be the last 1%. If you’ve ever tasted a dish and thought: It’s just missing something, then you know what I mean. A little sprinkle of salt or dash of something can make all the difference.
I’ve been casually working on this seasoning mix for a few weeks now and while it looks simple enough (and it is), it also brings some intense flavor to whatever you put it on. It’s packed with savory umami flavors and just enough spice and salt to make dishes really pop.
It’s dumb easy to make, but once you give it a shot, you’ll find yourself sprinkling it on everything from popcorn to that grilled steak.
It’s like magic flavor dust.
Seaweed Seasoning Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 full sheets roasted seaweed
- ½ cup wasabi peas
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Crunch up seaweed sheets so they fit in the spice grinder. Pulse a few times until in small pieces.
- Add wasabi peas and salt to the grinder and pulse until it’s in a coarse seasoning mix.
- Use a fork to pick out any large bits of unground wasabi pea.
- Store seasoning mix in an airtight container. Use liberally as a finishing seasoning on foods that need a savory/salty kick.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Savory Seaweed Seasoning
Most people are probably used to seeing seaweed only in sushi form, but you can find these sheets now at almost any grocery store. Make sure you buy the roasted sheets. They should be thin and somewhat crispy.
Also, don’t use the seaweed chips that are available these days. Those are good, but also have oil and stuff on them which can make the seasoning mix clump together.
If you just ground up seaweed and tasted it (I did), it is intensely savory. It’s like sticking a dried mushroom in your mouth. It’s too much of one thing.
But we can add few things to it to make it more rounded.
First, wasabi peas! These might sound weird but they totally work in this. For starters, they add a little spice, but possibly more importantly, they give the seasoning mix some bulk because the peas themselves are fairly bulky and flavorless.
This works to spread out the savory flavor a bit.
Grinding the Seasoning
I tried to grind this one time in a mortar and pestle and it’s a lot of work to get everything into a fine texture. A cheap little spice grinder makes quick work of it though.
You’ll have to crumble the seaweed sheets with your hands and then just shove them in the grinder.
Pulse the sheets a bit to break them up and then add the peas and salt. As these start to grind, the will help grind the seaweed even finer because of the extra texture.
When the mix is mostly ground, transfer it to a storage container. I recommend using a fork to strain out any large pieces of wasabi peas that didn’t pulse completely so you are left with a nice, fine spice mix.
Savory Seaweed Seasoning Uses
You can and should sprinkle this stuff on anything that needs a savory kick, but don’t cook the seasoning. It loses some of its punch if you cook it, so use it as a finishing spice.
A few use options:
– Popcorn! Buttered popcorn!
– Grilled steak sliced thin.
– Any sort of Asian noodle bowl or soup.
– Any tofu dish.
– Kick up bland salads.
– Eat it with a spoon (okay maybe not).
Felicity
I am making this as soon as I get a spice grinder! (I have one on my wish list). I am drooling at the flavour profile…. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Helene Lopes
This is definitely worth a try. Other spices, like ginger or turmeric could be added. Thank you for the inspiration, Nick.
Nick
Absolutely! I kept the base pretty simple, but those two that you mention would be especially good additions I think.
Anzor
I’ve just purchased lots of it from Korean lady in the open market, and when I unpacked it at home, the odour nearly make me puke (sorry).
But I need for the protein as I am cancer patient and am on unique diet.
The reason I take to explain is to share how your work impacts people worldwide. So thank you very much. I’ll now roast and crush entire stock, then add everything that is safe and flavour rich, and use the seasoning along with my buckwheat meals <3
Caroline Reznicek
I have never used or seen either seaweed sheets or wasabi peas in the grocery store, but then I have never looked for them. What isle or department(s) would I probably find these two ingredients in? I already have a spice grinder that I use often, but do seem to need something other than the usual spices to kick up the flavor of some dishes that I like to make. Thanks for any info.
Nick
Hey Caroline, sorry for the delayed response! THey are almost certainly in most grocery stores these days. The sheets will be in the “Asian” section usually on the bottom shelf. Sometimes they are in full or half sheets.
The wasabi peas are actually usually in the snacks section or bulk foods if you have a bulk section. They are pretty common also, but you might have to ask for an exact location on those guys.
Miina
Ha! This is genius. I’ve used seaweed for seasoning before, torn to little pieces, but this is so much easier.
Soniya
Seaweed Recipe, wow…!
But to make it I need a grinder tool and bad luck that i dont have it. But, I am so excited to make this recipe. Thanks nick.
Lydia
I found this post through google because I’m out of a similar product called Lightly Salted. It’s been out of stock for a while on the site where I bought it and I’m really craving it. Lightly Salted is just seaweed and salt, and the wasabi peas in your version are an addition that sounds awesome. I used it on a simple salad of just lettuce with any creamy dressing and a ton of this spice sprinkled over top. I cannot wait to make this on my own. Thanks so much :) Now I’m off to look at the rest of your site.
Nick
So glad you found it Lydia! I hope you try it out and like it. Thanks for the comment!
Bob
Had this idea of grounding Seaweed sheets to create an alternative seasoning to salt and pepper, makes me wonder why very few people up to now have ever considered it?
Terry d’Selkie
Love this recipe! I am a seaweed harvester and I would use the raw nori that I harvest, therefore not using salt because the seaweed has it’s own saltiness when it is just out of the ocean. You can find my nori and 11 other seaweeds at http://www.seaweedmermaid.com Thanks! Terry
Judy
Is there a way to make chips with the seaweed wasabi combo?
ElSid
Here in Hawaii there is such a seasoning based on sesame , chili flakes and roasted Nori , and you can get everything spiced with it in stores (kettle chips !). They use a small amount of bonito flakes, or sugar as way to round out the umami.