Sea lace

Chorda filum

seaweed

A brown seaweed forming a long, hollow, slimy cord, up to 8 metres, in calm, shallow water; the European Union counts the whole seaweed and its traditional preparations among the foods eaten before 1997.

Origin

Temperate and cold coasts of the North Atlantic and nearby seas

Where to find it

It grows in floating meadows in sheltered bays, harbors and eelgrass beds, from Brittany to Norway; it is gathered at low tide.

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

Fresh, it is rinsed well, cut into lengths and blanched for a minute, or pan-fried; dried, it is rehydrated for ten minutes in cold water before going into salads or soups.

Molecules

Seaweed polysaccharides · Iodine

Did you know?

Its English names call it “dead man's rope” or “mermaid's tresses”; in spring 2025, a Danish company grew it from spores for the first time.