Recipe
Raw seaweed sheet
Whole foraged kelp or wrack rinsed of salt, blanched briefly, blended into a slurry and dried slowly into a thin, translucent sheet. Different from R005 alginate film, which uses purified powder; this version keeps the colour, fibre and faint smell of the sea.
Every A New Field recipe has been run in a domestic kitchen or community hall. Read the safety notes before you start and adapt for your venue.
What you’ll make
A leathery, semi-translucent sheet in olive, brown or green tones depending on the species. Pliable when warm, crisper when fully dry.
Flexible slots (flex around your material)
Whole-plant alginate source
Alginate (brown seaweed)100g fresh weightGum from brown seaweed. Gels in the presence of calcium ions.
Examples Sugar kelp, brown wrack (Fucus), oarweed, dulse, sea lettuce
Note, After rinsing and blanching, weight should be similar; remove tougher mid-ribs.
Fixed ingredients
- Water · 200ml, Use just enough to allow a smooth blend; the seaweed contains a lot of its own water.
- Glycerine · 5g, Keeps the dried sheet pliable rather than brittle.
Equipment
- Blender
- fine sieve
- baking paper
- tray
- oven or warm room.
Refinements and variations
- Mix a small handful of fine cellulose powder (oats, ground rice) into the slurry for a thicker, more opaque sheet.
Source notes
Brown wrack and sugar kelp are common on UK shores. Collect freshly washed-up fronds rather than tearing live attached plants. Best foraged at spring low tides.