Cooking With Korean-Style Roasted Seaweed 

Have you tried Korean-style roasted seaweed yet? It is similar to Japanese nori seaweed, which is often used for rolling sushi, but Korean-style roasted seaweed is seasoned with salt and sesame oil before it is roasted. And it tends to be more delicate and less dense than Japanese nori seaweed.

Once you've tasted Korean-style roasted seaweed, if you're like me, you'll find it to be quite addictive. Its salty flavor from the ocean along with the taste of sesame oil makes it difficult to stop munching on it.

For many years, I used to see this seaweed only at Asian markets, but I can now find it in the snack aisle at some American grocery stores, such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market.

Korean-style seaweed definitely makes a great snack, but you can also use it as a quick-and-easy ingredient in your cooking. I often eat it with meals, most commonly with a bowl of rice. I also add Korean-style seaweed to a variety of dishes to add a unique flavor.

Want to give it a try? Here are a couple of my favorite recipes.

Korean-Style Seaweed Cream Pasta with Kimchi

Ingredients (Serves 2)   

• 1/2 lb linguine pasta
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 0.8 oz Korean-style seaweed
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3/4 cup kimchi
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Directions   

1. Boil plenty of water in a pot and cook pasta.
2. Add the heavy cream to a saucepan and heat it up at medium heat. Right before it starts to boil, bring down the heat a little bit so that the cream does not boil. Add the seaweed to the cream and stir for about 2 minutes until the seaweed is dissolved. (You can shred the seaweed into small pieces before adding it to the cream.)
3. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to the cream sauce. Stir and remove from heat.
4. When the pasta is done, add olive oil and put it in a plate.
5. Pour the cream sauce over the pasta and garnish with kimchi and green onions.

Marinated Cucumber & Avocado with Korean-Style Roasted Seaweed

Ingredients (Serves 2)   

• 1/2 avocado
• 4 inches cucumber
• 0.4 oz Korean-style seaweed
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions   

1. Cut avocado and cucumber into 2-inch-long and 1/2-inch-wide slices and put them in a bowl.
2. Mix soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar in a small bowl. Combine the mixture with avocado and cucumber and marinate it for 15 minutes.
3. Shred Korean-style seaweed into small pieces and mix it with avocado and cucumber.
4. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Cracker Appetizer with Korean-Style Seaweed

Ingredients (Makes 10 Pieces)   

• 10 crackers of your choice
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons smoked salmon
• 5 sheets Korean-style seaweed

Directions   

1. Place crackers on the plate.
2. Cut the seaweed into a size that will fit on top of the cracker.
3. Place the seaweed on top of crackers.
4. Spread cream cheese on top of the seaweed. (Use 1/2 teaspoon for each piece.)
5. Place smoked salmon on top of the cream cheese. (Use 1/2 teaspoon for each piece.)