Posted by Renée Suen in fruit and vegetables, products, salad, vegetarian on June 4, 2008 at 7:58 am

It seems like everyone's seeking refuge in lighter fare these days, with most finding refreshment in the cool crispness of lettuce leaves or sweet juicy tomatoes. However, increasing interest in foods that have been grown organically or naturally has put the spotlight on another leafy green that has been finding favour within our food community. Seaweed has been used as food by many, particularly those in East Asia, and is now showing up in many Western areas (albeit confined mainly to those restaurants serving Asian food). This sea vegetable is high in vitamins and calcium, and while most may associate it as only the purplish-black sheet that keeps hands clean when picking up a sushi role, or perhaps as agar used to gelatinize prepared foods, seaweed is a delicious product all on its own. Seaweed comes in all shapes and sizes, as highlighted below, and is scrumptious when it is served as a simple salad. I'll gladly take this tasty alternative over any boring bowl of salad greens.

Marinated sheets of chewy wakame (above) sit on a bed of soft mixed greens, and is topped with shredded onion and crab meat at Chef Hiro Yoshida's Hiro Sushi Restaurant (171 King East). This is a refreshing balance of cool vegetables from the land and sea.

The stringy and colourful kaiso salad at Konnichiwa (31 Baldwin Street) comes as a springy and almost fluffy tangle of green, red and clear strands. Marinated in shoyu, these crunchy threads find their way easily from the plate to the mouth.

A slightly tweaked version of the kaiso salad can be ordered at Sakawaya Japanese Bistro (867 Danforth Avenue), where the dressing hints of sesame with a surprisingly spicy kick.

If lucky, a trip to Eigensinn Farm (RR#2 Singhampton, Ontario) may result in a special imported from the home town of Chef Stadtlander's wife Nobuyo. The amuse gueule may feature a side like horseradish garnished with Okinawan sea grapes, a string of tiny green pearls, that pop like green caviar when chewed.

Although slightly bitter tasting, fibrous black hijiki seaweed is delicious if it has been seasoned with soy sauce, sugar, and sake, then simmer with carrots and soybean sheets like those at Sushi Marché (1105 Queen East).

However it is the goma wakame that I think about every time I order a seaweed salad. These addictive strands are marinated with soy sauce, vinegar, onion powder, red pepper, sesame oil and seeds. The plate above can be found at Tokyo Sushi Japanese Restaurant (33 St. Joseph Street)...

... although the one served at Le Café Michi (1802 Pharmacy Avenue, Scarborough) is a prettier alternative.

Tokyo Grill (582 Yonge Street) supports its wakame salad with ample amounts of iceberg lettuce and uses rehydrated seaweed sheets as the sea vegetable. The ladles of ginger-carrot dressing make this an excellent choice when seeking something to counter the heat outdoors.

Renée Suen is a graduate student at the University of Toronto, specializing in cardiovascular sciences. She has an insatiable appetite and can often be found with her camera, searching for something tasty to eat. Many of these culinary discoveries can be found on her Flickr site.