A month ago, it was St. Patrick’s Day, and rather than make the traditional sticky toffee cake, a friend of mine bought something different to accompany our Irish coffee for dessert. She didn’t tell us until later what the secret ingredient was in the berry-topped pudding. But I should have had a clue from the book that accompanied it: a field guide to the flora and fauna of the Maine seaside — one that included a recipe for her dessert of Irish moss pudding. I made this in college many years ago after collecting, drying and grinding up one of the seaweeds we collected on the Maine shore but had since forgotten about it. Being reintroduced to it on St. Patrick’s Day was fitting. This was also the first time I had tried it as a plain pudding rather than as the chocolate version, a common variation. This time, the subtle flavor of the seaweed came through rather than being masked by the chocolate.
Irish moss collects on the rocks after washing onto shore last summer. Christine Wolfe photo
Being reintroduced to Irish moss recently is also fitting for this week’s celebration of the variety of seaweeds both harvested from the wild and cultivated in Maine’s waters. Seaweed Week is a weeklong celebration that often, as it does again this year, begins on the same day as Earth Day, which is this Saturday. This year’s Seaweed Week is the fifth of its kind and was designed as a way to bring attention to seaweed’s value to the Maine economy and to encourage people to try different types and uses of seaweed. Companies that make it into everything — from nutritional supplements for animals to infusions for cocktails, flavored butters, noodles, teas, chocolates, or simply pickled or dried — participate in the event that includes tastings, talks and demonstrations from many of the Maine-based companies involved in the seaweed world. You can catch some of these events by going to seaweedweek.org.
Maine has a wide variety of seaweeds from the larger brown types like sugar kelp (Laminaria saccharina), that is found sub-tidally, its long ribbon-like blades waving in the water, to the smaller tufted red types like Irish moss (Chondrus crispus), found growing on the intertidal, to the delicate green types like sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) that brighten tidepools. Each of these have different characteristics that determine how they are used and also whether or not they make a good species for aquaculture. In Maine, several species of kelp are the most common to be farmed in part because they are hearty and quick-growing.
If you’re interested in trying these seaweeds, there are some straightforward ways to do it, like adding a bit of dried kelp to a pot of miso soup or soaking some and adding a bit of dressing to make a seaweed salad. Or you can be more adventurous and use it as an ingredient in something that you wouldn’t otherwise expect to find it in — like pudding — or you might have had it and not even known it. In Ireland, on the other side of the Atlantic where Irish moss is commonly found on the seashore, it is often referred to as carrageenan, which means “little rock” in Gaelic. Carrageenan is a name you’ll be surprised to find in the ingredient list of items like toothpaste, ice cream or salad dressing. Its ability to help gel ingredients together gives it a utility beyond its use as a flavoring or featured ingredient. Its ability to gel is exactly why people have used it to make pudding. The process to do this doesn’t have to involve harvesting, drying and grinding your own seaweed. You can buy powdered Irish moss powder at places like the spice section of Brunswick’s Morning Glory.
If you’d like to try to make it, here’s a simple recipe using powdered Irish moss:
• 2 cups powdered Irish moss
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 egg, separated
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1. Bring milk and cream to a simmer and stir in powdered Irish moss. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in sugar and vanilla.
3. Remove pot from heat and stir in egg yolk.
4. Whisk egg white until stiff and gently fold it into the milk mixture.
5. Pour into ramekins or small dishes and refrigerate until set.
6. Top with berries. Enjoy!
Susan Olcott is the director of operations at Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.
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