Kelp Recipes
In 2020, GreenWave received a USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grant to help improve market opportunities for kelp farmers. As part of this grant, we worked with Farm Fresh Rhode Island’s Harvest Kitchen, a small-scale co-packing facility, to develop and manufacture four shelf-stable, value-added food products that profile fresh sugar kelp as a primary ingredient.
These recipes, along with the scheduled processes to mass-produce them, were validated by Cornell University’s Food Venture Center, and are now open-source and available to all farmers. Any farmer or co-packer across the country could replicate these recipes to create their own, branded shelf-stable kelp products. To learn more about working with co-packers, or read about the project with Harvest Kitchen, click here.
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Kelp Salsa Verde
For breakfast, snack, lunch, and dinner, this kelp salsa verde is your next staple for Mexican-inspired dishes. You can easily increase or decrease the heat level by cutting or adding more jalapeños!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
4 ounces of fresh kelp (or one packet of Atlantic Sea Farms kelp)
½ cup of lime juice
⅓ cup of water
1 ½ cups of onion
½ cup of green bell peppers
⅓ cup of jalapeño peppers
⅓ cup of garlic
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of coriander
Fresh cilantro to taste
Salt to taste
Instructions
Clean and prepare fresh ingredients, cut garlic and cilantro, and squeeze lime juice or used bottled.
Blanch kelp in boiling water. Drain, discarding liquid, and cool in an ice bath. If using frozen kelp, skip this step, defrost, drain, and cut.
Char peppers and onions over an open flame. Remove skin and seeds and discard them.
Put all ingredients in a blender and process until the salsa reaches desired consistency and enjoy!
Kelp Dijon Mustard
This spin on the traditional french mustard will be excellent on sandwiches, vinaigrettes, and really anywhere you need a sharp flavor to spice things up.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes (plus rest)
Ingredients
4 ounces of fresh kelp (or one packet of Atlantic Sea Farms kelp)
2 ⅓ cups of water
1 ½ cups of onion
7 oz of white wine
7 oz of white vinegar
¾ cup of mustard seeds
1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons of honey
1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons of mustard powder
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of garlic
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of black peppercorns
Instructions
Clean and prepare fresh ingredients. If using frozen kelp defrost, drain, and cut.
Combine onion, wine, vinegar, water, salt, garlic, peppercorn in a pot and cook.
Strain liquid and pour over mustard seeds and mustard powder. Discard solids.
Refrigerate overnight.
Add all remaining ingredients, and simmer just under boiling for 6 minutes.
Allow to cool and enjoy!
The mustard will last for several weeks refrigerated.
Bread & Butter
Kelp Pickles
These kelp pickles are great for keeping things simple and fresh. A perfect introductory pickle, and go-to pickle for new and old kelp fans alike!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes (plus rest)
Ingredients
12 ounces of fresh kelp (or one box of Atlantic Sea Farms kelp)
1 ¼ cup of white vinegar
2 ½ cups of water
½ cup of white sugar
1 ½ cups of onion
2 tablespoons of pickling salt
2 tablespoons of dried mustard seeds
2 tablespoons of dried crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons of dried celery seed
Instruction For Quick Pickles
Wash, drain, and slice your fresh kelp and your onions so your slices fit inside your jars. If using frozen kelp, defrost, drain, and cut.
Combine kelp, onions, and salt, place in the fridge in a covered container. Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Combine water, vinegar, sugar, and spices in a pot and bring to a boil, forming the brine.
Place the ingredients from the fridge into clean containers.
Fill brine into containers to completely cover the solids.
Allow to cool or refrigerate before serving.
Pickles will last for several weeks refridgerated.
Kelp Giardiniera
These Italian-inspired kelp pickles are the ultimate relish and can be used in many different dishes. You can add these pickles to hot dogs, burgers, antipasto platters, and pasta. They bring a bright, colorful zing to any dish!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes (plus rest)
Ingredients
12 ounces of fresh kelp (or one box of Atlantic Sea Farms kelp)
1 ¾ cup of white vinegar
2 ½ cups of water
½ cup of white sugar
1 ½ cups of onion
¾ carrots
⅓ celery
2 tablespoons of garlic
2 tablespoons of Oregano
2 tablespoons of pickling salt
2 tablespoons of dried mustard seeds
2 tablespoons of dried caraway seeds
Instruction For Quick Pickles
Wash, drain, and slice your fresh kelp, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic so your slices fit inside your jars. If using frozen kelp, defrost, drain, and cut.
Combine kelp, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and salt, place in the fridge in a covered container. Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Combine water, vinegar, sugar, and spices in a pot and bring to a boil, forming the brine.
Place the ingredients from the fridge into clean containers.
Fill brine into containers to completely cover the solids.
Allow to cool or refrigerate before serving.
Pickles will last for several weeks refrigerated.
Important Note
Home pickling and canning must be done with care to ensure safety, with special attention given to disinfecting and temperature control. Introductory information on canning can be found here, and a home picking guide here. If you are not an expert in pickling, you can always opt for quick pickling and omit the canning stage. Quick-pickled kelp pickles will keep in your refrigerator for up to three weeks. If you suspect your food is spoiled, discard it.
If you don’t have access to fresh kelp, you can source sustainably grown Maine kelp from our friends at Atlantic Sea Farms. This will lead to a slightly softer texture in the pickles which would be great for the Kelp Salsa Verde and Kelp Dijon Mustard.