Laver one of the easier seaweeds to forage at the seaside.

Laver

Laver on the rocks. Hirta,the largest Isle in the St Kilda archipelago

Porphyra spp. or laver is a red seaweed, although, when you see it on rocks, it may look khaki green or even black. Laver is an easy to forage seaweed because it grows in the intertidal zone. You don’t have to wait for a super low tide to gather this seaweed. On a breezy day, laver will have stuck to the rock almost as firmly as it 'rock' neighbour, the limpet. You'll have to be eagle eyed to spot it, but once you get your eye in you'll see it everywhere. It looks like sprawling refuse sack, tightly attached to the rock's surface. Laver retains sand. Wash and rinse it many times. Just when you think you’re done, wash and rinse again. Failure to follow this advice, may leave you with crunchy laverbread - reminiscent of childhood sandwiches at the seaside. It won’t do you harm, but avoid the grains of sand if you can. Preparation of laver for cooking is hard work. There isn’t a shortcut.

Iridescent Laver

Laver is a mild seaweed with only a hint of seaside flavour. Add it dried with wild abandon: to casseroles, rice dishes, pastry, mincemeat and even to porridge.

Laver, Sea Lettuce and Dulse

British laver is similar to nori, which is made from the red algae Porphyra yezoensis and P. tenera. This has been cultivated in Tokyo Bay since the 17th Century. The original nori was in paste form i.e. it was eaten wet, until the nori sheet was invented in Asakusa Edo (contemporary Tokyo). The technique for making nori drew upon traditional Japanese shredding and rack drying,  papermaking skills. If you are in Tokyo you may attend free, nori - making workshops at the Omori Nori Museum in Tokyo. It's an educational facility, which highlights the tradition and history of nori in Tokyo. During a workshop, the nori is finely chopped (a grinder will help the home cook) and mixed with water to make a sloppy mash. A measure is then poured into a mould held over a woven, slatted mat. When the water has drained away, the mould is removed to leave a thin layer of chopped seaweed on the mat. This is then hung out on an easel in the sun to dry.

The Japanese love affair with nori is well known, if only through sushi but the Japanese affection for the British phycologist, Dr Kathleen Mary Drew Baker (1901-57) is less widely recognised. In Japan, Kathleen Drew is known as Mother of the Sea. In 1949, Drew Baker  published a very brief paper in the journal Nature about the life history of Porphyra umbilicalis. It was described as 100 lines that should change the world because Kathleen Drew Baker had identified the missing link in the life cycle of porphyra. Prior to Drew's discovery porphyra life stages were thought to be two different species. Kathleen Drew Baker’s research changed the way that nori was cultivated and resulted in a guaranteed harvest. Previously the nori harvest varied and the seaweed was known as Gamblers' Grass. Grateful nori framers contributed posthumously to a statue in Kathleen Drew Baker's honour, and each year on April 14th (her birthday), in Sumiyoshi Park, nori farmers celebrate the Drew Festival.

British laver isn't the same species as Japanese nori, but it is delicious. To call laver nori would be like calling British sparkling wine, Champagne. The Welsh are famous for laverbread, which is time consuming but very easy to make. It freezes well. the recipe is in my book, Seaweed in the Kitchen Laverbread adds texture and colour to dumplings on a cold autumnal day. Dried laver is a  really useful store cupboard sprinkler and if you are landlocked, it is available in stores and on line too (from the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company or Parsons Pickles .)

I'm currently feeding my seaweed sourdough starter with dried laver - it’s called Hotchpotch because it has been fed many different species of seaweed. I'm fickle my favourite species of seaweed changes weekly, but Hotchpotch continues to thrive.

Laver, Hotchpotch Starter & Seaweed Sourdough

The great doyenne of food Elisabeth Luard gave me a wonderful recipe using laverbread for my seaweed cookery book - laver and potatoes in a tart. Delicious. Her substack is clever too. It incorporates Elisabeth’s stunning food illustrations in cartoon format. Food writing and artwork - do have a look. It’s free.

This recipe is taken from Seaweed in the Kitchen.

Dumplings are comfort food at its best. This recipe can be adapted to use any finely ground dried seaweed by simply replacing the laver with extra water. Cooked laver may not look very appetising, but the resulting dumplings are surprisingly colourful and packed with flavour. Add laver dumplings to a hearty stew and carbohydrates will take on a whole new dimension.

Makes 6-8 dumplings (depending on size)

2 tbsps of prepared laver (cooked)

Additional ingredients;

125g S.R. flour

50g suet

2 tbsps prepared laver (well chopped)

Approximately tbsp water

Put the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix in the cooked laver. Add enough water to work to a firm dough. Divide the laver dough into six and roll into balls. Add the dumplings for the last 25 - 30 minutes of a stew cooking time.