Winged Kelp, Not the Tough Stuff: Why Alaria esculenta Is Tender and Lower in Iodine
The kelp in our cans is Alaria esculenta, better known as winged kelp. It is tender, mild and gently savoury, much closer to Japanese wakame than to the thick, chewy kombu many people picture when they hear the word seaweed. It also carries less iodine than kombu or sugar kelp, which matters if you want to cook with kelp often rather than keep it as a rare garnish. Here is what the species is, why we chose it, and how it behaves once it is in a jar.
What is winged kelp?
Alaria esculenta grows as long, flat blades with a distinct central rib, the shape that earns it the name winged kelp. Along the North Atlantic it has been eaten for centuries in Iceland, Greenland, Scotland and Ireland, so you may also see it sold as dabberlocks or badderlocks. Cooks often call it wild Atlantic wakame, because it is a close botanical and culinary relative of the wakame used in miso soup and seaweed salad.
Ours grows on lines at Rødøy on the Helgeland coast, in the cold, clear water of Arctic Northern Norway. The blades are then blanched, cooked and canned in Lofoten, so the same group that grows the kelp also fills the tin.
Why choose winged kelp over kombu or sugar kelp?
Two reasons stand out: texture and iodine.
Texture comes first. Kombu, a Laminaria kelp, and sugar kelp, Saccharina latissima, have thick, firm blades built for long simmering in stock. Winged kelp is thinner and more tender, with a mild, slightly sweet, salty note. Blanched and blended, it folds into a sauce or a dip without the rubbery bite people tend to fear from seaweed.
Iodine comes second. Every brown seaweed draws iodine from seawater, but not in equal amounts. Published analyses of North Atlantic kelp place winged kelp well below both sugar kelp and kombu: roughly 450 mg of iodine per dry kilogram for Alaria, against about 3,200 to 3,800 for sugar kelp and around 2,300 for kombu. Gram for gram, in other words, winged kelp is the lighter-iodine option, which is a large part of why we build everyday condiments around it.
Our kelp is Alaria esculenta, winged kelp: the wild Atlantic cousin of Japanese wakame, with a tender blade and lower iodine than kombu or sugar kelp.
How do we keep the iodine in check?
Even a naturally lighter species deserves careful handling. Before the kelp goes into any recipe we blanch the blades in warm water, a step that Norwegian food researchers have shown removes much of the iodine that remains. The aim is a kelp you can treat as a pantry staple rather than a once a year curiosity. We do not prescribe how much anyone should eat, and iodine needs vary from person to person, but the pairing of a lower iodine species with a blanching step is deliberate.
What does winged kelp taste like in Sea Hummus?
This is where the species earns its place. In Sea Hummus, blanched winged kelp makes up 23% of the jar, alongside chickpeas, garlic, lemon and cumin. You do not really taste seaweed as a separate flavour. You taste a rounder, saltier depth behind the familiar hummus. Because the blade is tender, it blends smooth, so the texture stays like hummus and never turns into salad.
Creamy chickpea hummus with 23% blanched Arctic winged kelp. Vegan.
Shop Sea Hummus, 63 NOKFrequently asked questions
Is winged kelp the same as wakame?
Not identical, but they are close relatives. Winged kelp, Alaria esculenta, is a wild North Atlantic kelp often called Atlantic wakame, while the wakame on a sushi menu is usually Undaria pinnatifida. Both are tender, mild kelps with a central rib.
Does winged kelp really have less iodine than other kelp?
Comparative studies suggest so. In published measurements Alaria sits well below sugar kelp and kombu for iodine, though the exact level varies with where and when the kelp is grown.
Is Sea Hummus vegan?
Yes. Sea Hummus is one of our three vegan flavours. Only the red curry contains fish sauce, and it is labelled clearly.
Where does your winged kelp come from?
It is grown on lines at Rødøy on the Helgeland coast, then blanched, cooked and canned in Lofoten, all through our ocean farming group PurSea.
Can I eat it often?
Winged kelp is made to be an everyday condiment rather than a supplement. Iodine needs differ between people, so if you have a thyroid condition it is worth checking with your doctor.
Start with the tender one
If you are new to kelp, winged kelp is the gentlest way in: mild, tender and lower in iodine than the kombu you may have tried before. The Taster Pack puts all four flavours in one box, so you can find where you like that quiet, savoury depth first.
All four flavours in one box. The easiest way to meet Arctic winged kelp.
Shop the Taster Pack, 249 NOK