Cuvie

Laminaria hyperborea

seaweed

A large brown kelp of rocky seabeds, with a long rough stipe and a blade cut into strips; the European Union counts it among the seaweeds eaten before 1997.

Origin

Northeast Atlantic, from the North Cape to central Portugal

Where to find it

It forms underwater forests below the low-tide line, in Brittany, Scotland and Norway; it is gathered washed up after storms, and Norwegians harvest it by boat.

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

Dried, a piece flavours a stock or the cooking water of pulses, like kombu, then is removed or chopped; rehydrated, it is cut into strips for a salad.

Molecules

Seaweed polysaccharides · Iodine

Did you know?

It is made into a plant-based imitation caviar; in Norway, up to 8,000 small animals were counted clinging to a single plant.