Dulse, One of Nature's Best-Kept Secrets
A Flavorful Seaweed Snack That Packs a Nutritious Punch
Ask most people about dulse and chances are they haven't a clue. Popular in parts of Canada, Iceland and Northern Ireland, dulse is also known as sea parsley (Nova Scotia), sol (Iceland), dillisk and creathnach (Ireland). This algae is extremely versatile in its culinary appeal.
Pungently flavored, it can be eaten fresh or dried as a snack. Powdered or dry, it is used as a condiment in seasoning vegetarian dishes, stews, soups and chowders. Fried in olive oil with a dash of liquid smoke flavoring, dulse becomes a wholesome, crunchy substitute for bacon. It can also be oven-baked with a melted cheese topping and used in flavoring bread and pizza doughs. A check of international cookbooks will lead to many more ways dulse can be used as an ingredient in recipes.
As to its healthful properties, this low-sodium product is a wonderful source of vitamins B6 and B12 as well as iron and potassium. It also contains calcium, iodine, magnesium, copper and vitamins C and E, among a host of other nutrients. Because of its wealth of vitamins and minerals, dulse can be found in dietary supplements sold in health food stores, particularly on Canada's Atlantic coast, Iceland and Ireland.
Reddish-purple in color, dulse starts life as a flat blade that fastens on to rocks, then segments itself into leathery, finger-like blades measuring up to 16 inches in length. Harvested when the tide goes out, it is gathered between June and September, when collectors can process and dry it outdoors.
A Dulse Collector's Story About His Dangerous Profession
Shopkeepers like Toby Beal, proprietor of Five Islands Fish Market in Colchester County, Nova Scotia, stock a large supply of dulse soon after the product is harvested. Beal, interviewed by the author on July 13, 2009, says it takes no time for it to fly off the shelf.
Beal marks his calendar for seven days in July and five in August which spell out certain low tides along the Bay of Fundy - perfect for collecting the algae. "I go out with my four-wheeler or jeep just in back of the tide when it goes out, collecting the dulse before the tide comes back in," he says. This can be a dangerous profession as the Bay of Fundy, where 100 billion tons of water move in and out twice daily, has the highest tides in the world. At high tide, the exposed ocean floor fills with water at the rate of one foot a minute, peaking at about 50 feet. Beal admits he's had a couple of close calls over the years, getting his vehicle back to shore just in the nick of time.
Once home, Beal dries the collected dulse on a long plastic sheet spread out on his driveway. Ideally, the day should be sunny and breezy, he says, so the dulse will dry quickly. He then places the dried seaweed in a completely sealed box for one week to be "cured." The tasty product emerges from its confines even deeper purple in color.
Beal, who collects about 200 pounds of dulse during the harvesting season, packages the product into half-pound and pound bags. They sell at $5 and $10 dollars each at his seafood store. "Better buy them quickly," he cautions. "They sell out right away."
References:
- marlin.ac.uk
- absoluteastronomy.com
Dulse
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Tide's Out at Nova Scotia's Fundy Bay
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Ocean Floor Uncovered at Five Islands, Nova Scotia
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