We had the most wonderful afternoon learning to forage for seaweed with Dr Prannie Rhatigan, author of 'The Irish Seaweed Kitchen' cookbook.
We made our way from Mayo to Streedagh Beach in Co Sligo. Each person was given a laminated guide to help identify the various types of seaweed clinging to rocks , carpeting the sands and waving in pools of water. We learned about the nutritional and medicinal value of seaweed in the diet and how to use it when cooking. A delicious picnic awaited us beneath the gazebo , set amongst the rugged rocky Sligo coastline. We dined on butternut squash and alaria soup served with warm duileasc' and cheese scones, carrot and sea spaghetti salad and dessert was a tray of carrot, nori and sugar kelp cake, slathered with a vanilla cream cheese frosting. Not quite what people expect from an Irish picnic, but then again, nothing we encountered or experienced on this Irish culinary adventure was what people expected, which is why I included Co Sligo as one of the stops on our culinary adventure around Ireland.
SeaWeed Foraging in Co Sligo, Ireland from Rachel Gaffney on Vimeo.