As it gets hotter we think of grilling more and more. The idea of spice rubs, shakes and seasonings is an ongoing topic of discussion. Recently we were looking for another medium to carry flavors and in noodling around we came up with the term seaweed shake. And the creation began. We took nori, wakame, hijiki, dulse and smoked kombu and ground them into a fine powder. We added dried and candied lemon and ginger left over from one of Aki’s cordial preparations. Finally we added smoked paprika, grains of paradise, nutmeg and salt. We ground everything together in our Vita-Prep. The result was a wonderful blend of seasonings with layers of flavor and evolving aromas.
Initially I had hoped to use the shake with seafood, we happened to have giant rib-eye steaks on hand and given that first application. The results were incredible. Now we are exploring other uses for the seaweed shake, from the obvious seafood choices to the not so obvious fish ribs. And of course pasta will be made, because everything seems to taste good in a pasta dough. Also the seafood shake will add intense flavor to a seafood based baked bean dish, risotto and marinated sea urchin. And let's not forget the vegetables, from corn on the cob to sunchokes. And as I write and think about our shake I realize that it is not a far stretch from the blended rice seasonings with seaweed, seseame, salt, sugar and dried seafood that are available in any Aisan market, only better because we made it ourselves.
